So we've begun solids. i would have waited longer but this girl was READY. crying every time Luke & I would sit down for dinner, trying to reach for our food, our utensils, water glass, whatever she could get her chubby little hands on! haha! I keep it simple. Earth's Best Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice cereal (as opposed to enriched white rice cereal that's not whole grain - basically, sugar in the gut) mixed with water and two poached prunes (microwave them in water for 15 seconds! easy!) near bedtime. I have found this helps her have regular, well-formed BM's and sleep through the night (she's almost 7 months old and JUST started doing that as soon as we began solids. also, babies will typically get constipated when first eating solids, but i have personally found giving her prunes on occasion really helps with that. the constipation immediately disappeared).
...And then a plethora of 'real' foods... everything from Greek yogurt with fresh squeezed fruit and veggie juices (love my new juicer! thanks, Babe!!), banana/peach/mango/avocado 'hunks' that she gnaws on (under my Eagle eye supervision, of course. haha!), roast chicken, roast beef, or steak blended in the Vitamix with a whole grain or just some olive oil and Celtic sea salt, fruits, roasted or boiled/seasoned veggies, lots of stuff. She loves everything! It's crazy. I don't make food in bulk quantities especially for Kathryn (and highly commend any mommies who spend the time and effort doing so for their own little ones) or buy it. i just basically blend, boil, roast, or slice whatever we are eating that day.
As Kathryn gains more teeth, we will move onto chunks of 'harder' food, but, for now, we mainly stick to blended stuff (although not crazily pureed to the point that the food loses fun texture) and soft things. below is what i shared in a fb group i'm a part of, if anyone's interested in learning more about this approach:
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totally not trying to convince anyone about this but i thought i'd share in case any new mommies are interested. i've been doing some personal research on solids since my LO is nearing that age and really like the 'real foods right off the bat' approach*. that's what I call it. some mama refer to it as 'baby led weaning'. anyway, it's basically where you skip making your own baby food and have much less hassle by simply introducing real table food to your LO right off the bat. i'm still learning how it all works from friends, websites, books, etc but so far, K has LOVED every single food item we have nonchalantly placed in front of her to try: chicken, steak, lime, lemon, celtic sea salt, mango, avocado, pineapple, and a few other things. we have a little mesh thingy** we currently put most food into since she is not ready to go hardcore with eating solids (can't totally sit up yet on her own - she used to sit in her Bumbo but now we've graduated to the Fisher Price Space Saver high chair! love that thing!). She spits stuff out at first but that's normal. it just means they are learning how to use their tongue to taste and process the texture of 'real food'. many times, mamas will mistake that for their child not preferring a certain food and will then discontinue offering it to them. another thought about BLW is that it cuts out the white rice dilemma since that's basically enriched white rice flour (read: sugar) and can have detrimental longterm effects on baby's gut healthy and eating habits down the road. like i said, i'm still learning how it all works but it does seem WAY less time consuming than making my own baby food every day. of course, there will be times to help her spoon feed such as full-fat, plain yogurt, whole grains (bulger, barley, oatmeal, quinoa), etc. but we're having a lot of fun with it and delight to see her revel in such a wide range of tastes and textures. so cute. if anyone is interested in learning more about the whole thing, i would recommend googling: Baby Led Weaning or Real foods for Baby.
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*Disclaimer: I was very apprehensive and kinda critical with the whole idea at first, since i had never heard of the concept of offering a baby 'adult' or 'table' food right off the bat. it seemed so strange to me and, quite honestly, way too 'granola-y' for my style, but after researching it more, talking with other moms whom i look up to who have implemented it with their own kids, i thought i would at least give it a go. Everyone has to do what's best for them and their sweet baby when it comes to this kind of stuff. There is NO 'right way' to introduce solids - this is simply an account of my personal journey with this aspect of mothering. I'm by no means an expert but rather a learner, trying to figure out what works and what doesn't work for my LO and we are certainly having fun along the way! ;)
**i actually no longer use the mesh thingy since i could never really get it totally 'clean' and was afraid of bacteria or mold (gross!) potentially forming. so now we just blend stuff like meats and firmer produce, etc.
blended carrots, onion, garlic, and red pepper with sea salt and olive oil.
Asian 'black' rice. yum!!
sucking on a lime!
have since DISCONTINUED this 'snack' due to her little bottom teethers popping thru.
it's terrible for the enamel ;)
gnawing on a peach - under mommy's super supervision!
she did great.
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