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So….we’ve started solids!!
I love the process of introducing solids to a baby.
The funny reactions they give, the excitement as they learn to like it, and the
experimenting with new recipes.
To say that it is probably in the top 5 of my favorite
milestones is easy!!
When it came time to introduce solids to Lil Mister, I
was bombarded with everyone’s expertise. You all know how I feel about peoples’
expert advice!
I was told I had to give him certain things a certain
way. I was told white potatoes must come before sweet potatoes and that I
couldn’t give him eggs before he was a year old.
The endless contradicting information was a lot to
handle.
As a new mom, we’re already worried enough if we’re
‘doing it right.’ To add to the pressure everyone’s advice becomes
overwhelming.
Being that I am a Google fanatic…I did what Googlers
do…I Googled!!!
I came across an ah-mazing website that answered all of my questions and more!!
Seriously, if you have a child or will have a child to
introduce solids to, this website has it all!!
The pages are so simple to navigate and they gave me
precise information in a format that made it fun.
What caught my attention almost immediately were the
feeding charts! These awesome du-dads start right from the beginning allowing
you to track what you introduce when and even separates them into age
appropriate foods.
Surprisingly, there was just as much advice I’d been given
that was wrong as was right!!
Wholesome baby foods walks you through each step
whether you want to go the old fashioned way of introducing puree’s or if you’d
like to push a little longer and jump straight into LED weaning.
What was even better is each major food is broken
down. So when it’s time for LJ to start eating carrots; there is a whole page
dedicated to carrots. I can learn about the nutritional values of carrots, the
allergic reactions to watch out for and some delicious recipes (a lot of
combinations that I would never have thought of!).
When starting out, they even guide you through how to
prepare, store, and reheat puree’s and other foods.
Personally, I loved the simplicity this has brought to
what should be a very fun time in your babies life! I know that as a mom, I’ve
stressed many a times that my child is getting the nutrition he should. They
take all the guess work out of it. You can sleep easy knowing exactly what
you’re giving them.
As I mentioned before they even discuss allergicreactions which is great. So often allergies go unnoticed because the child
doesn’t immediately swell up or start getting sick.
With Lil Mister it is thanks to this website that I
learnt he had an early allergy to bananas. Who would have guessed!?! This is
often a great starter food for babies, but Lil Mister started having problems
from day one.
We’ve always battled with sinus with him and flem
build up on the chest was nothing new. But we noticed it started getting worse
and worse. He would hack like an old man who had smoked his entire life.
I decided to read up a little more on the allergies
one day and realized that bananas could be causing this.
We cut bananas, banana flavoring, banana
cereal…anything banana for two weeks and his chest cleared up!
Luckily, he grew out of this and sure enough loves
bananas now!
For some parents, it might not be so simple so it is
great to know what to be on the lookout for before you begin a new food.
I’m very excited to share with you the process of LJs
introductions and some awesome recipe combinations I’ve come across over the
last couple of years!
We started with the traditional rice cereal. Being
that it is sweet, we usually have no problems here! Watch out for the different
brands. Some include milk while others do not. Personally I use the ones that
contain milk. Obviously watching for any signs, but if your child is fine on
normal formula or breastmilk and you drink and eat dairy there should be no
problems!
As you can tell from the picture…LJ loves his cereal!
He eats so nicely too. He barely pushes anything out and typically if he does
it means he is full and doesn’t want to eat any more!!
He gets very excited, kicking his legs and squealing,
each evening when we sit down to eat. He knows it’s his turn and opens wide for
that first spoon!
After about a week on cereal, I decided to move
forward with foods. We’ve only introduced gem squash as of now. Since he is
only 4 months old now I’m not in a huge hurry to introduce everything. We can
introduce a new food every four days, but I’ll take it slower and allow him
more time to adjust and enjoy.
His first bite of gem squash was less…well taken! He
squinted his eyes and then spat it out. He was definitely expecting his cereal!
But after a couple more bites…he liked it too!!
The texture is much grainier than the cereal, but
still in a smooth puree.
Our next adventure is banana. I can’t wait!!!
;-)
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