Solids.

I've learned some things lately about starting a baby on solids. I thought I'd share them here.

1. Not all babies will love to eat solids right away. Some babies (I've heard) just open their mouth the first time they see the spoon and then they're off, eating everything. Judah is not like that. The first time we tried solids, he gagged. So I waited a few more weeks before trying again. The next time I think he just made an awful face then leaned all the way back in his boppy, looking up towards the ceiling. I waited again. Finally, he decided he'd open his mouth and eat a few bites. And for a few weeks, he was really interested. Then over the last week or so, he's started just pushing the spoon away. (Teething? Cold? Maybe. Not sure.)

2. Even though he sometimes doesn't seem interested in my feeding him purees, he actually seems to love feeding himself. Or trying to. We had the most pleasant eating experience at a restaurant on Sunday because my mom suggested we let him try to eat some rice. It kept him occupied for all of dinner. And he even managed to get a few grains of rice in his mouth. Now I put some things on the tray for him to pick up and eat. He's much more likely to open his mouth and eat the purees I'm feeding him when he's also trying to feed himself. And everyone is less frustrated.

3. Making baby food is really, really easy. And fast. And cheap.

4. He'll eat more solids if I feed him solids before I nurse him. Obviously. But I read somewhere to nurse a little before solids, because he'd be less frustrated. Or something. But Judah is perfectly content just nursing, so it's best for him to eat solids when he's hungriest.

Mmm.... Couscous and peas...


Yes, it makes a mess, but that's why we have dog.

(Any other starting solids tips out there? What other finger foods do you recommend? The couscous worked surprisingly well, although I'm not sure how much of it he actually ate since the couscous bits are so small. Rice I know he can do. And I remember my SIL, Melanie, making her boys really thick oatmeal and giving it to them as finger food. What else?)

Comments

emily said…
hmm...spoon feeding is my least favorite motherhood task, so I know lots of trick for getting babes to do it themselves. Anything that is too slimy for them to pick up can be rolled in dry baby cereal. The cereal sticks and then they can get a better grip. Diced up green beans work well. Canned are nice and mushy for the gums. A piece of toast cut into strips will keep them busy for a long time.
7:17 AM
The Balls said…
my kids haven't been big fans of baby food or purees. so in the beginning they eat a lot of peas (love them frozen), blueberries, strawberries & cooked apples & carrots (just so they're soft). and then i basically cut up everything we eat in the size of a pea. chicken, steak, everything!
12:34 AM
Melanie said…
Been meaning to add my thoughts here for a few days now. Let's see what I can remember and whether or not it will be coherent.

Yogurt or other purees can be made into "nuggets" (yuck, i know) by mixing in enough oatmeal/rice cereal. He'll get messy, but he might be more likely to eat.

I prefer tossing slippery foods (bananas, canned peaches/pears, etc.) in Cheerio crumbs to rice cereal. I'd just fill up the blender with Cheerios and blend them into dust. I think it tastes better than dry rice cereal and coats the food better.

Once you get over the mess factor, anything can really be finger food. ... oatmeal, cottage cheese ... Just remember, Sam didn't eat anything off of any utensil from the time he was 7 months until he was just a few weeks away from his 2nd birthday!
2:49 PM
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