Should Parents Pre-Chew Their Kids' Food?

Actress and mom Alicia Silverstone has made some major waves in the past couple weeks with a home video of her pre-chewing her 10-month-old son's food and feeding him mouth-to-mouth.

The video, shown above, quite obviously went viral and got doctors, moms and bloggers talking. Silverstone even went on the defensive this past weekend saying she wasn't doing anything new, but she also wasn't suggesting others do it.

"People have been feeding their kids that way for thousands of years," she said at a screening for her new movie, Vamps. "I wasn't trying to be independent or cause such a ruckus. I'm very glad that I did it."

According to an ABC News report, the practice—called premastication—is in fact a common practice in other countries, it's just not so big in the U.S. these days.

Most critics of the practice argue that not only is it totally gross, but it can also transfer diseases such as HIV, Strep and even tooth decay. In addition, it can undermine the children's development since they are still learning to chew for themselves.

Others say that most people, while it may not be their preferred way to feed their children, tolerate the practice and there are likely many parents who do in fact do this—but there aren't usually cameras there to capture it. The practice was also common before food processors and such were around.

In my opinion, there is some small degree of this practice happening daily for most parents. While Mom may not cup her mouth around little Jimmy's mouth, parents will bite things in half, blow on hot food, stick their tongue to the food to test it, feed a child from the same utensil that was just in their own mouth. While these acts may be easier to stomach, the transfer of disease argument doesn't hold as much water when you consider this. However, I wouldn't engage in such a practice. My gag reflex is too strong.

What is the most alarming risk factor of this practice for you as a parent? Or do you think this practice is perfectly normal? Has anyone ever tried this?

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