"Tutti a Tavola a Mangiare!"

The title of this post, translated from Italian, is "Everyone to the table to eat!"

This week marks the initiation of everyone coming to the table to eat in Infant South! While the topic of feeding and solids is significant and exciting as your baby grows, I like to also look at the deeper meaning of all our babies eating together. 

I have spoken to many parents over the years, in various early childhood settings, about how daily routines - a prime example being mealtime - become a social event in young children's classrooms. Sometimes, parents marvel at how "everyone just goes to get their lunchboxes!" as children grow a bit older. As you may have observed, some of our babies crawl over to the kitchen when their stomach, or perhaps some cue from a teacher, tells them snack or lunchtime is near. 

For me, the milestone of being able to sit to share a meal together not only awakens my excitement for how our classroom community is continually moving toward "we" from "me," but carries nostalgia for the many meals, week after week, year after year, shared amongst my Italian-American family on Long Island. With the scent of garlic sauteed in olive oil, and perhaps fresh garden tomatoes in the summer, wafting through the air, when Grandma said, "Time to eat," it was time to get to the table quickly to enjoy her homemade sauce over al dente pasta - the first course of Sunday dinner! Scents and tastes provide lasting memories, and for me, those memories are of sharing news about school and dance with my grandparents and aunt, Grandpa telling me I "won the bet" because I got to sit next to him (I sure did!), and hopefully not too much fighting with my little brother! :) By the time we got through the main course and "coffee and cake," sometimes with a walk around the block in between, we were full and happy, having shared many laughs and stories, old and new.


As our babies giggle and babble with one another while making rhythms on the table with their palms, fists, or sippy cups...as they employ ASL we have been using to communicate about wanting "more" or being "all done"...as they look (and maybe reach) over to see what their neighbor or a teacher is eating today...I am reminded about my own culture around the significance of mealtime and how it relates to all of us, spending our days and meals together in Infant South. I wonder how our babies' relationships with one another will be enhanced by time spent together at the table.

Thank you, as always, for sharing your babies with us as we celebrate milestones together.

Does your family have a particular mealtime tradition you might like to share with us? How might meals at school with friends and teachers mirror family time at home?

Buon Appetito! (I hope reading this hasn't made you too hungry!)

With love and care,
Christina (with Amara, Dilcia, and Susie)

Stepping Back

                        

Hair caressing, face patting, climbing on top of other babies, using others’ bodies to pull up, and face to face squishing, in addition to the typical taking of others' toys is the norm of the many happenings in Infant South.

We worry about these explorations and interactions, making it hard to step back. For example: When a baby is being climbed on our natural instinct is to move the climbing baby, thinking about how uncomfortable the baby on the bottom feels. But, what I have learned in the past years is that stepping back and observing is key to letting babies and ourselves experience these moments; to not intervene unless they ask us to. These interactions are meaningful learning experiences for babies as they are learning about this world, about themselves, about each other, and about how capable they truly are. We should not quickly assume what any of the babies are feeling during these moments; rather, we should trust them. This might be a moment in which we give babies the opportunity to think about their emotions, let them express those emotions and start the beginning of learning to take care of themselves as well as to know their limits. Is he clearly saying no? Is he taking time to think about it? Is he OK with this interaction, and if so, how will he respond? I support these types of physical encounters unless one baby expresses emotions that show me he/she does not feel comfortable. Why take away social experiments in which they are innocently attempting to explore,
engage and/or initiate play.

What are your thoughts on this? How do you handle these interactions?

Warmly,
Dilcia with Amara, Christina and Susie

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

We enjoyed a week of clay, yoga, walks, dancing, problem-solving, and...being together!