Should You Prepare Baby Food and Solid Foods for Moms with 0-1 Year Old Babies?

2018.12.14 published

Honestly, I don't really understand...

☑ There’s no one to look after the baby

☑ I want to participate together

☑ That baby is a relative's child

There are various reasons why guests bring babies to weddings, and it's quite common.

Most brides-to-be preparing for a wedding have little to no childcare experience.

Unless you have a nursery teacher, or younger siblings, or nephews and nieces,

interactions with small children are limited in everyday life, so when it comes to how to handle babies and children,

it's often unclear what is the right approach,

or what would be appreciated.

One thing that comes to mind when infants attend a wedding is,

let's think about "meals" in this article♩

Is baby food necessary?

When a 0-year-old baby attends a wedding, how should we prepare their meals?

When I searched "wedding baby food" on Google,

"Should I prepare baby food?"

"Can the wedding venue provide baby food?"

"What should I do if I’m told to prepare baby food?"

"Should I bring milk?"

"At what age can they start eating from the children's menu?"

and many other questions from brides-to-be can be found.

[Safe Approach] Preparing Meals for Babies Attending Weddings

First of all, whether a baby’s food is baby food, toddler food, breast milk, or formula varies depending on the parents' parenting stance.

Even among 1-year-olds, some babies may only drink breast milk while others may eat toddler food, so it can differ greatly.

Moreover, the "food policy" for the baby can lead to trouble when others intervene or act with good intentions.

Common conflicts include,

"I thought they would enjoy having a cookie, but the child's mom got furious and said not to give them that!"

"I thought the porridge I gave was healthy, but it contained allergens and caused a rash."

"The food served had something unknown to the parents with an allergy, resulting in a fainting incident."

"I wanted to only give my homemade food," etc., leading to a range of emotional troubles to life-threatening situations.

So, even if there are guest moms with infants,

there’s no need to worry about whether "we should prepare food for the baby…" - it should be okay.

Preparing meals for a 0-year-old or toddler and unintentionally causing harm

or jeopardizing their health would be a huge issue.

It would become a significant incident, disturbing both the couple and the venue, so for small children who are still adjusting to solid foods,

the safest and most straightforward approach is to "not serve anything."

What if a baby-carrying guest requests baby food?

One scenario that can trouble brides is when a guest with a baby says, "Sorry, could you prepare baby food for my child!"

While children’s menus are usually available at wedding venues, baby food is likely not,

Many brides seem to hesitate, wondering what to do....

In that case, it’s perfectly acceptable to say, "Sorry, we can't do that."

As for how to decline,

you might say, "Thank you for coming despite how difficult it is with the baby! I'm sorry, but it seems the wedding venue can't accommodate baby food. We do have a children's menu available..."

This way should be fine.

I'm sure the baby-carrying guest will think, "I see! Then I'll bring some!", "It’s just for a while, so it’s okay if they don’t eat anything," or "I’ll adjust mealtime just for this day."

For children who are older than 1 year and likely used to having meals, listen to their requests and provide an allergy-free children's menu if needed♩