Parents Beware of Pre-Chewing Baby’s Food and “Cleaning” Pacifier in Mouth

March 25, 2011 - PRLog -- HOUSTON (March 25, 2011) – Want to eat food that someone else has chewed? Your answer is probably a resounding “no!” Yet some parents and caregivers pre-chew their table food and then feed it to their baby.

While it is more likely to see parents sharing a utensil with their baby or “cleaning” a pacifier in their own mouth, pre-chewing food is actually more common than imagined.

All of these situations are fraught with serious health implications for children. The most common is the development of dental cavities. Research shows that cavities are an infectious disorder caused by bacteria which are found in the mouth.

“These bacteria are transferred from the adults’ mouth to the child’s — either by sharing utensils, pacifiers or pre-chewed food,” said Dr. Daniel Ivan, pediatrician at Harris County Hospital District’s Aldine Health Center and UTHealth physician. “These bacteria, given adequate nourishment like sugar from breast milk, formula, milk or juice produce acid, which attacks the enamel and leads to the development of cavities.”

But cavities aren’t the only potential health issue. Other infectious diseases can be transmitted through chewed food from parents to children, such as Hepatitis B, Streptococcal infections and even the HIV viruses.

While parents may pre-chew their children’s food to get them used to solids, Dr. Ivan said, “The general rule is ‘start low and go slow.’ Start with one new baby food at a time, in small amounts for two to three days in a row. The food you choose can be bought or prepared at home with a blender or food processor.”

Dr. Ivan offers tips to help parents introduce children to solids and a healthy appetite:
1. Introduce babies to solid foods between 4-6 months of age, starting with cereal mixed with breast milk or formula. This should be spoon-fed and not given in a bottle. If well tolerated, you may advance to stage 1 vegetables or fruits.
2. Start finger foods around nine to 10 months of age — Cheerios, toast, cheese wedges and pieces of scrambled eggs.
3. Give your child a spoon to hold, that will encourage him to feed himself.
4. Avoid feeding fights — if your child turns his head more than 2-3 times when you try to feed him, you should stop — he is probably full. If you keep attempting, it will only increase his aversion to the feeding process.
5. Let your child experiment with his fingers — this process can be messy, but it may convince a picky eater to consider food refused in the past.
6. Avoid hard and raw foods or large pieces that are difficult to chew. They can pose a significant risk for choking and will increase your child’s aversion for solid food.

The Harris County Hospital District (hchdonline.com) is the community-owned healthcare system for the nation’s third most-populous county. Providing care during more than 1.4 million visits each year to residents of Harris County, the hospital district operates Ben Taub General Hospital, Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital, Quentin Mease Community Hospital, 13 community health centers, the nation’s first free-standing HIV/AIDS treatment facility, a dialysis center, a dental center, nine school-based clinics, 13 homeless shelter clinics and five mobile health units. Harris County Hospital District has received the prestigious National Committee for Quality Assurance designation for its network of patient-centered medical homes. The hospital district is staffed by faculty and residents from world-renowned medical school partners, Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).