We started Lucas on solids fairly early, as he seemed really keen to start on something substantial, and kept eyeing our dinners all the time. I just read an article in the Parenting magazine that it is a common occurrence for parents to introduce solids too early, mostly because people feel like the babies need the extra sustenance, that it is believed that it will help babies sleep through the night, and for the very reason I stated, cause the child seems interested in food. Regardless of what experts may think, I believe every child is different and every parent should make the individual decision that they feel comfortable about. That being said next time around I may try to hold off a little later though, cause we did have a few issues with Lucas, and I will make different choices as to what I would introduce first.
At about four months we tried rice cereal as a way to introduce the act of using a spoon, and ingesting mashed up food. We also tried oat cereal, but it irritated his eczema so I held off on all other cereals until about 6 months. He had good days, and he had days when he wanted nothing to do with it. The first week we did cereal I tried different times of the day each day to see when he seemed "hungrier" for the solids. I found that it really differed each day, and there were times when he would just spit up the whole portion 5 minutes after the meal. I'm not sure if this happened cause the rice cereal was not to his liking, or because its essentially a filler with no nutritional value, because when we started introducing better foods, in my view, he liked and ingested it a lot better. Therefore I don't think I will use cereal as a starter food with our next child, as I feel that Lucas had a bit of a rough start, not because he wasn't ready cause he enjoyed "eating", cereal just did not agree with him. We have since been able to introduce oatmeal cereal for breakfast, but I lace it with actual fruit so that it is a half and half mixture.
I love this stunned look from Lucas the first time he had cereal, he wasn't quite sure about it, and I guess I get it, after all it didn't look anything like what mommy and daddy eat.
He was a little more sure about it after a few spoonfuls.
At about 5 months we started fruits and veggies, adhering to the four day rule, starting with apples
and sweet potato. He loved both, and apples is still his go to comfort food, and I use it a lot as a mixer for different concoctions, and to make anything a little looser and juicier. Some of the highlights of what he's been introduced to is peas, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, green beans (the only veg he dislikes), corn, rice, plums, peaches, berries, pears, avocado (he loves) just to name a few.
I make all of Lucas' food with the exception of a few fruits, namely banana (although now he's eating pieces of banana as well as heinz cups), and berries, which tend to be really watery when I've attempted to make them. He loves plums and peaches that I make, and they are great mixed in with avocado, or in his morning oatmeal. I have used frozen peaches, Harvest brand, and I have found that they are a great alternative until I can find fresh that are of good quality. Because of his love for apple sauce, I found a sugar free, organic brand that I love, and I buy it in jars cause of the amount we go through in a week. Making Lucas' food and meals brings me a lot of satisfaction. I love knowing exactly what he is eating, and I find that the texture of homemade food is more appealing. We actually bought a jar of sweet potato once, and he wanted nothing to do with it, then when I gave him homemade sweet potato mash he ate it like a champ. Enough said! I am constantly scouring the internet and cook books for baby meal ideas, especially since he is eating more variety now, and I love making variations of meals that the hubby and I eat as well.
Lucas at 7 1/2 months is already eating three meals a day, including four 7 ounce bottles during the day (he dropped the middle of the night feedings about 2 months ago). His meals usually comprise of a cereal and fruit in the morning (we tried crepes last week and he devoured it!); a vegetable (or maybe pastina which we introduced this week and he loved) and fruit for lunch, and a "meal" at dinner, usually a soup, or meat and veggie combo with maybe a little fruit to top him off. He has a really healthy appetite, and I actually find that we sometimes have to edit how much we give him cause he's a little greedy and then just spits up the extra. I have to say that we got pretty lucky in that Lucas is not a picky eater at all, and he is quite adventurous in trying new things, especially now that he enjoys table and finger food, I find him trying things that we ourselves are eating. For example he tried papaya from my salad the other day and loved it, the look of suspicion he gave it though was beyond hilarious.
A big bump in the road has been when we tried to introduce yogurt to the little guy. I got the go ahead from our doctor to give baby yogurts, which are essentially cheese, and don't get me wrong the kid absolutely loved it. Don't believe me....
Yup that cuteness happened when he tried it, but an hour later he was puking it up, and it wasn't pretty. Since then I have tried introducing it at different times, even different cheeses like ricotta, and the outcome is always the same. I'm not sure if its still too early for his tummy, or if in fact this may be a sign of lactose intolerance. He's usually fine if I put a little Parmesan in his pasta or veggie but besides that it definitely hasn't agreed with him.
We started on lean meats like turkey and chicken this month and he's done great with it, although he prefers to chew it rather than have it mashed, which I find funny since none of his teeth have ripped out yet. He's got incredibly tough gums! I also made a halibut and broccoli mash for him recently and like his cousin he adores fish! I know that experts feel that fish should be held off but we haven't experienced any problems thus far, and like I said its his fave protein right now.
We have been encouraging finger food too lately, mostly chicken and turkey, and acceptable fruits like banana and pear. And sometimes its just fun to see him chomp down on things...
There you have it our little foodista in the making.
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