Camp Feed Your Baby

As a mom of 2 little ones who both had their share of eating struggles and triumphs, I have gathered a fairly large and comprehensive collection of baby feeding resources. Here is a shortlist of some of my favorites.

Breastfeeding Resources
Since I breastfed both children for varying periods of time, I have probably spent the majority of my feeding research in this area.  My list could be 3 or 4 times the size of this, but I would rather provide you with the best of the best.  

KellyMom is by far my favorite online breastfeeding resource.  Although I mostly used the website the facebook page is great for asking questions and getting online support from other moms.

My favorite facebook resource for breastfeeding is the The Leaky B@@b.  This community of moms provides great support to eachother and is particularly helpful when you are at your wits end and a 2AM call to your favorite IBCLC is clearly out of the question.

For books I prefer The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins R.N., M.S.  It literally answers just about any breastfeeding question you might have.  I did, however, also refer a lot to Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May Gaskin.  It has a more personable feel to it and is a better read then most other breastfeeding resources (it may have something to do with Ina May's masters degree in English).

Milksharing
Due to a combination of supply issues and Little Ish refusing to supplement with formula, I stumbled into the world of milksharing.  Milksharing is basically a modern day form of wet-nursing. Moms who have extra breastmilk in their freezer stash  will work with other moms to provide babies in need with breastmilk. I was fortunate to have 3 amazing donors who were able to help me feed Little Ish.  Here are the resources I used to connect to these moms.

Human Milk 4 Human Babies is a grassroots milksharing community that connects moms all over the globes so that all babies can have access to breastmilk.  This community runs exclusively through facebook.  I highly recommend checking out their FAQ page to learn more about their community.

MilkShare is another great milksharing community.  Although they request a donation to help with the upkeep of the community, it is a well worth the cost.  It was through this community that I found Little Ish's main milk donor.

A word about milksharing.  If you decide to feed your baby via shared milk, please remember not to go into it blindly.  Milksharing should be an informed choice.

Formula Feeding
Due to severe milk and soy protein intolerances, Liliana has been formula fed since she was 5 months old.  Unfortunately the number of formula feeding resources out there are very small.  There is, however, one resource that I absolutely love.

Fearless Formula Feeder  is perhaps the only resource for formula feeders on the web that not only provides information about formula feeding but also provides emotional support to moms who struggle with their need to formula feed their child.  This website knocked me off of my high-lactivist-horse when I was still breastfeeding Little Ish and it provided me with the support I needed while transitioning Lily to formula.  I particularly love FFF Friday posts. Like the website? Pre-order her book!

Solid Food
Personally, I hate starting solid foods with babies.  It is messy, and neither of my kids would eat purees.  Regardless of my disdain for this stage in infant feeding, I do have a few resources that I found helpful.

If you have any solid food questions that extends beyond what you can learn from the back of a baby food jar, Wholesome Baby Food is a great onestop resource.  It is especially great for anyone planning to make their own babyfood.

If you've spent anytime in a parenting forum, you've probably come across the term Baby Led Weaning.  Although my children all but forced me to go this route, I actually have not done much research into this area. If you are looking for a broad overview of babyled weaning, I like the explanations here and here.  The book she refers to is Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett



Well that brings us to the end of my resource list.  Do you have any resources to share in addition to this list?