Sleepy Eater

Here's a funny story that I guess happens to more babies than I realized.


Today while at a friend's house, I was feeding E her "lunchtime" solids of bananas and rice cereal. I hadn't been able to rock her to sleep successfully for her morning nap because of the being-in-a-strange-house-with-so-much-to-see curiosity that griped her. That meant she was really tired, but not fussy overtired, just simply tired.

So come time for us to all have lunch, I broke out her food... and started feeding her. E has been really good and eating a good half a banana at one "meal". This time though, I could tell she needed time to digest each bite. I figured it was because the bananas and cereal mix might be chunkier and harder for her tongue to slurp it down. Maybe, but maybe there was another reason. As I am talking to my friend, I am giving E as much time as she needed... not feeling there was any need to rush her in getting the food down. I'm nearing the bottom of the tupperware, surveying how much she's eaten and how much is left. Without glancing at her, I bring the spoon closer to her mouth and then as I look up to put in the bite I notice her eye lids drooping and her head slowly drifting to one side of the highchair. She's falling asleep!! while eating! I guess my droning conversation with my friend, a full tummy and the hypnotizing ceiling fan did her in. I promptly put down the spoon and call it "all done". My friend exclaims that one of her daughters did the same thing a lot. Funny thing.

So I carefully try to wipe her mouth without waking her... that doesn't really work. But she's soooo tired, she instantly starts dropping back off to sleep (after screaming about having her face cleaned). I think, "Hmmm, maybe I could just recline the seat and she'll sleep here." But in the end I decide to see if she'll take a full nap (an hour if lucky), so I unstrap her from the highchair, rock her very little and put her down for a nice long nap.

I didn't know that babies could actually fall asleep eating. I guess if they can fall asleep playing on the ground and crawling (I've seen some funny pictures of kids falling asleep as they were on the way somewhere), then anything is possibly. Too bad she can't fall asleep this easily (or this deeply) all the time.