Feeding Babies

There is a lot of debate around how people feed their babies. From the time I had my first prenatal appointment until my son turned a year old I answered frequent questions about my choices. Everyone, of course, believes they can tell you the best way to take care of your child. First off, I believe that generally the best person to take care of the baby and understand how to meet their needs is their parent. That being said, as long as your baby is fed and healthy, no one should judge you for how you reach that goal. I have known people who do not breast feed because they are medically unable to, they were not able to produce enough milk, or because they simply chose not to and felt it was not right for them. I know many people who breastfed exclusively, who supplemented with formula, and even one person who donated her breastmilk after losing her child. I know people who stuck to the rules on when to introduce solid foods and how, and others who let their babies try what they wanted when they were safely able.
My son was formula fed because I felt it wasn't fair to him for me to pass more of my defective antibodies along through breastmilk. He was exclusively formula fed until he was four months old and then suddenly he was interested in what we were eating. We started giving him small amounts of baby food so he could have different flavors and textures. We let him lead us and tell us what he was ready for. By a year old he was eating food and still drinking formula. At a year old WIC changes from formula to whole milk and he had no trouble at all with the transition. Over time he switched more and more to food and less on milk. Now he is almost two and he is slightly picky in that he does not enjoy eating meat. I have tried all of the tricks of mixing it with foods he likes and using different textures and flavors. The only meats my little one likes are breakfast sausage, kielbasa, hot dogs and chicken nuggets. On very rare occasion I have tricked him into sloppy joes and tacos, but it only works if he is super hungry. I did not follow the rules, I argued with the nurses pushing me to breastfeed, I ignored the doctor telling me he couldn't have solid foods until he was older and I completely chose to not be hyper focused on possible allergies. As a result my son is healthy, he has been perfect on the growth charts (usually ahead on height), and he is happy and engaged in good eating habits. That child has never met a fruit he didn't love.
The moral of this story is to do your research, listen to the experts, and then trust your instincts. No one knows your baby like you do. Be true to yourself and be the parent your baby needs, everything else will fall into place from there.