Adventures in Solid Food

Why Not Baby Cereal??

2011-10-31T11:31:00.000-05:00

I've been reading articles lately on the case against against infant cereal, and I thought I'd share the information! Enjoy the great reads!

http://www.foodrenegade.com/why-ditch-infant-cereals/

http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/feeding-babies

Choking and Readiness

2011-09-22T08:57:00.001-05:00

Dear charisma,

Hi there.I am hoping for some advice. My guy is 20 pounds at 6.5 months (exclusively breastfed). I have tried giving him some food slices a couple times. I tried at around 6 months and he gagged once or twice which turned into choking, and then he vomited a ton. I waited another week and tried some cooked carrots, which he did okay with. Then I tried pear again and he choked. I had to turn him upside down and whack him on the back. He is okay, but I am traumatized and feeling like a failure at BLS. He is big and strong, but not quite solid on sitting by himself. That is the only thing that leads me to believe I've started too soon. What advice would you give me? Is he okay to keep waiting for solids? I can't handle the choking and question whether I should just go the pureed route.I would love input, as I am getting pressure from a doctor to feed him cereal for iron. I really love the BLS concept.

Needing reassurance in NY

Dear Needing reassurance,

I'd say that your little guy is just not ready yet. It's important to wait until ALL the readiness signs are present, including sitting up. Also, if your little one is 20 pounds already at 6 months, then clearly he's not lacking nutrition. Buttercup is 20 pounds at 20 months! Maybe this information will make you feel better: my chiropractor went to an infant nutrition seminar last year. It turns out that babies don't actually need anything besides breastmilk (exclusively) for the first year. I'm planning on waiting longer to start solids with this next baby (due in a few weeks). Also, the iron thing is a myth (see the FAQs for more about the iron myth and readiness signs. Doctors don't receive nutrition or breastfeeding training during medical school, and many of them don't stay current on the latest research. The iron in breastmilk is much more bioavailable than anything artificial you could give your baby. La Leche League also confirms that cereal is absolutely unnecessary (and potentially harmful to babies' long-term health). Also, remember that babies who are going to choke are going to choke on purees, too. In fact, purees could pose MORE of a choking hazard, since babies aren't sure if they're supposed to chew it or suck it back like milk.

Also, if you're worried about mess at other people's houses, you could try putting a towel down on the floor and letting him eat down there. Then you can wrap up the mess and tuck it away in your bag. Voila! Sometimes we had living room "picnics" just because I was too lazy to do the highchair thing. Doesn't work so well once they become mobile, though...

Hope that helps!

charisma

10 Reasons to Delay Solids Until at Least 6 Months

2011-07-26T10:29:00.000-05:00

10 Reasons to Delay Solids Until at Least 6 Months

To view original post by Christie Haskell, click here.

Despite some clear messages from many health organizations, old recommendations -- or old wives' tales -- have many babies starting on solids before they reach 6 months old. Reasons range from "Baby is big enough!" to "Baby is too small!" (huh?) and even "I can just tell she's ready."

Even when it seems like baby is interested in food before then, often they're just interested in mimicking you, and would copy you putting something in your mouth the same way they'd copy putting your hairbrush on your head -- just copying, not intestinal lining cellular changes, the thing we're really waiting for.

There are very good reasons to delay solids until at least 6 months ...

1. It's recommended by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, The American Academy of Family Physicians, National Health & Medical Research Council, and many prominent pediatricians. The lower range numbers, and many of the reasons along with it, have been outdated for quite awhile.

2. Waiting until the cells lining the baby's gut have closed helps prevent many allergies, gas, rashes, and medical issues.

3. Waiting also shows less incidences of gastroenteritis, diabetes, and obesity (as much as six-fold!) and even ear infections.

4. Breastfeeding for at least seven months actually shows decreased rates of anemia.

5. Baby is much less likely to choke -- even on purees -- when baby is older, and can also sit upright of their own accord (babies should never be fed foods leaning back).

6. Baby's gut doesn't produce enzymes to aid in digestion until 3-4 months, and the ones that break down more complicated fats, starches, and carbohydrates won't be produced until 6-9 months, meaning lots of gas, constipation, vomiting, and wasted nutrients before then. Even generally fussiness months later is noted in babies who were started too early.

7. While some babies may be ready between 4-6 months (no evidence has ever shown anything but risks earlier), it's impossible to tell without looking with a microscope in the gut, so waiting until 6 months minimum is a safer move for all babies.

8. Waiting until your baby can pick up and put food into their own mouth while sitting up straight is a clear sign of readiness, especially if they can gum and swallow the foods. The Department of Health's Infant Feeding recommendation actually suggests allowing babies who show readiness before 6 months to play with finger foods (that's right, no purees), as it's also unlikely they will swallow before they're biologically ready.

9. The tongue thrust reflex is to help prevent choking, but spoons of liquid purees can often get past it, since the reflex point is farther forward than an adult's gagging reflex. Putting food in the front of the mouth and allowing baby to move it back, which they can't do until often after 6 months, helps prevent choking and is also, of course, a sign of readiness.

10. Most parent assumptions about when babies are ready are related to other biological norms -- waking up at night, reaching for food, mimicking your eating, wanting to eat more -- and are confused for signs of readiness. Having a set date AND a list of readiness signs helps prevent early introduction based on confusion about normal behaviors.

My friend at the Analytical Armadillo has a much longer and science-heavy post that I adore, but after all is said and done, it pretty much comes down to this: There are no benefits, only risks, to starting a baby before they're biologically ready, and since we can't see the gut, we have to go by outside cues, and waiting until a bare minimum of 6 months is the safest way to play it. If a couple weeks is the difference between a gut infection and not, the choice is pretty clear.

Your Questions: Meal Frequency

2011-06-08T09:32:00.001-05:00

Dear charisma,

My quick questions for today are: how many times a day was Buttercup eating at 7 months, and which meals of the day was she eating (breakfast, lunch and/or dinner)?

Since we're trying to set some sort of routine to get LO's naps and bedtime in order, I'm wondering if skipping dinner on one day, or having lunch and no dinner on other days is messing up his schedule?

Also, I'm still not comfortable setting him up at friends' tables because of the mess. Any suggestions?

how many meals?

Dear how many meals,

Here is a quick answer for your quick question: we started off Buttercup with one meal a day (dinner). By 7 months I think we were usually doing two meals (lunch and dinner), but they were very casual. If it was too inconvenient we would skip a meal. Baby should still be getting 99% of calories from breastmilk at that point, so I really didn't worry about it.

Hope that helps!
charisma

Our first gag/puke

2011-06-01T09:55:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess it was inevitable: Buttercup had her first dinnertime gag/puke (at 16 months). She was happily munching on a plum, and a piece of the skin got hung up in her throat. It didn't help that she also had a cold, so it was really congested and slimy in there. But, she vomited a little bit. She didn't seem scared or freaked out at all, so I just let her deal with it. Then, I calmly pushed the "rejected" foods off her tray into a paper towel and gave her fresh food, which she proceeded to eat as if nothing happened.

The thing to remember is that gagging is a normal part of the learning-to-eat process (for all babies, not just baby-led solids babies). I was never worried that Buttercup was choking, because she was still making noises, and didn't look scared. The best thing to do in those situations is to stay calm and let them move the objectionable object out of their mouths by themselves.

What are some of your gagging experiences?

Dips

2011-05-25T20:49:00.001-05:00

Another great way to introduce your baby-led solids baby to the concept of utensils is by using dips. Dips can be any number of healthy items: peanut butter, yogurt for fruit, a milk/cheese sauce, hummus, homemade salad dressing...you can even plop some soup on your baby's highchair tray and provide strips of bread for dipping. The word on the street is that dipping is a precursor to using a spoon. It makes sense to me!

For this meal, we were having homemade falafel (chickpea patties) with a greek yogurt/lemon juice sauce. We put a spoonful on Buttercup's tray, and demonstrated dipping the falafel in the sauce. She immediately copied us, loving every minute of it!

Using Utensils

2011-05-14T08:55:00.000-05:00

I know a lot of parents agonize over their babies learning to use utensils. I've heard people use that as an argument against baby-led solids. I, however, have no such qualms. Having said that, we have started letting Buttercup experiment with a little metal fork and spoon in the past month (she's 15 months now, by the way). I think metal is better than plastic, since the fork tines tend to be more effective at picking up food. Plus, I am not crazy about plastics.

At first, it's best to offer your baby a pre-loaded spoon or fork. Forks seem to work better, for several reasons. Firstly, stabbing is an easier motion for babies than scooping. Also, babies tend to turn utensils upside-down when they get to their mouths, so if you offer a loaded spoon, it's going to get messy without your guidance.

From there, Buttercup has transitioned into trying to load her own utensils. Because babies are little sponges, they observe how mom and dad do things, and want to copy. Buttercup will pick food up with her left hand and put it on the utensil in her right (dominant) hand. I've found that stickier foods (like starchy or cheesy foods) are easier to manage than other foods (fruits and veggies). Sometimes, especially with runny foods (think soups), Buttercup still needs us to guide the spoon to her mouth.

At this point, utensils are mainly for exploration and fun. Most of the time Buttercup still eats with her hands. Sometimes she'll play with her empty fork/spoon. But, if she isn't interested in a food on her tray, she might suddenly want to eat lots of it if we put it on her fork. That is a helpful trick!

And the winner is...

2011-04-30T09:12:00.001-05:00

...Susansmoaks!

You've won your very own copy of ""The Baby-led Weaning Cookbook: Over 130 Delicious Recipes for the Whole Family to Enjoy.” It was great to see everyone's comments and hear how wonderful all your babies are doing with their baby-led eating. Keep it up!

Susan said that her daughter's favorite food is carrots. Carrots make for a great first food for babies, since they are really nutritious and naturally the right shape (french-fry shaped). Just boil them to get them soft enough for your little one. When Buttercup was first starting out she would gnaw on the end of the carrot. Now that she is older, though, we can cut the carrots into slices for her and she will pick them up with her thumb and forefinger. An added fun factor is that carrots make for a very colorful diaper the next day!

What's the great thing about doing carrots the baby-led solids way? By waiting until at least 6 months to introduce solids, you don't have to worry about your baby turning an orange color from eating too many carrots (did you ever hear horror stories about that happening to babies with carrot purees?). By waiting til your baby is older, you ensure her tiny system is actually ready to break down the foods she's putting in her mouth.

Click here for a flashback of Buttercup's first taste of carrot.

Giveaway Drumroll...

2011-04-29T09:49:00.000-05:00

We will be announcing the winner of the "The Baby-led Weaning Cookbook” giveaway tomorrow. Today's the last chance to leave your comment for a chance to win!

Your Questions: "cereal for iron?"

2011-04-25T11:25:00.003-05:00

This question came from an online forum, but I see all the time.

Dear charisma,

My pediatrician is pushing a fortified cereal for the iron (we've been exclusively breastfeeding). I know red meat is a great source of iron, but if the baby can't really chew it up, then do they get any of the good nutrients, like iron, from it? Is there a way to prepare it so that they can actually swallow it (maybe a meatball)? Also, I guess it okay to give them meat right away? I'm wondering if I should give her iron fortified oatmeal for the iron.

Cereal Confusion

Dear Cereal Confusion,

Unfortunately, pediatricians receive no training in infant nutrition or breastfeeding. At my local La Leche I heard from a pediatrician who said that her entire nutrition/breastfeeding training came from a one hour class during medical school. As you know, this research is updated constantly. First of all, iron-fortified cereals were designed for formula-fed babies, not breastfed babies. The iron in breastmilk is much more bioavailable than anything found in "fortified" products.

As far as iron-dense foods? Beans and chickpeas, (give them a little squish to prevent choking if your baby doesn't have many teeth), lentils, green leafy veggies (like broccoli), dark poultry meat, ground beef, egg yolks and prunes and raisins, have lots of iron.

Also - and I know this doesn't help you right now - but for your future babies make sure that you don't let your doctor or midwife cut the umbilical cord until it is done pulsating. That way your baby is getting all of his blood out of the placenta (and therefore iron stores) before the cord is separated from his body. Babies whose moms do this have much better iron levels for the first year of life than other babies.

Good luck!

charisma

Giveaway: Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook

2011-04-20T14:24:00.001-05:00

That's right – we’re doing a giveaway! Theauthors of the original "Baby-Led Weaning" book have come up with acookbook, "The Baby-led Weaning Cookbook: Over 130 DeliciousRecipes for the Whole Family to Enjoy” and have graciously offered me a copy to give to one of my loyalreaders.

This book offers comprehensive recipes andmeal plans to follow so the entire family can take part in making your child ahappy and confident eater. It also includes: simple advice on how to start;essential at-a-glance information on nutrition and food safety; and, ideas forquick snacks and lunch boxes as well as desserts and family dinners.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

• Limited to US/Canada residents only

• To enter, leave a comment on this postwith your baby's favorite BLS food

• Winner will be selected at random

• Giveaway expires Friday, April 29, 2011

GOODLUCK!

Your Questions: "baby won't eat"

2011-04-11T19:05:00.002-05:00

I've had lots of questions about readiness signs and baby-led solids lately. Please remember to watch for all the readiness signs before embarking on baby-led solids. Read on for more!

Dear charisma,
I'm totally interested in this method of feeding, but my baby boy is a determined and stubborn one. He is 7 months now and refuses to eat anything I try to feed him. I have been pureeing all his fruits and veggies, and so far he hasn't liked anything. I'm worried because I want him to get all the nutrients he needs. He is growing fine, but only likes breastfeeding. I want to try to do this; however, my baby doesn't put ANYTHING in his mouth. It's like he's not interested at all in eating food! He's at the right age, so I am in a pickle. Do you have any suggestions?

Baby Won't Eat

Dear Baby,

I would say that if your baby is gaining weight well and happy then don't worry about solids for now. Every baby develops at their own pace. There is new research that indicates babies don't need ANY solids until after a year. My chiropractor went to a seminar recently where she was encouraged to just breastfeed on demand til the first birthday.

I would definitely NOT force the issue. Getting stressed out about trying to get food in your baby's mouth is only going to make him more resistant to trying new foods. When he's ready he'll start reaching out and grabbing for food and wanting to experiment with it. So, I guess my advice is to just relax and follow your baby's lead.

Just remember that your baby needs to have ALL of the 'readiness signs' before starting baby-led solids. By way of review, those signs are:

She can sit up reasonably well
She can grab toys and bring them to her mouth
She chews things (watch out Mommy fingers!)
She is intently interested in YOUR food (ex: Buttercup started crying one day while watching me eat)
Her thrusting reflex is gone

Hope that helps!
charisma

Your Questions: Iron & Waiting Time

2011-03-28T15:12:00.003-05:00

One of the new features of 'Adventures in Solid Food' is going to be questions from readers (and subsequent answers). Here is the first installment, which was sparked by a great email from a blog reader. Maybe this will help someone else with the same question.

Dear charisma,

I remember you writing how you are on a good vitamin and have no reason to worry about anemia. Same here, I am still taking my prenatal vitamins, never had any problems with anemia, but I am tempted to get my LO's blood checked in a few months to be sure all is good. At the same time though, I wouldn't want to unnecessarily make him have to do blood tests every 2 months. My pediatrician was not against BLS, but she did say iron is important after the 6-month mark. I know that with BLS, babies are not eating as much and so are still absorbing the iron from breastmilk. Have you ever had Buttercup checked for her iron levels?

I was also wondering if you waited the 3-4 days before introducing Buttercup to a new food. It seems like you introduced several foods in Week 1.

Inquisitive about iron

Hi there, Inquisitive

Buttercup had her iron levels checked at her one year appointment and they were A-OK. I definitely wouldn't want to have her blood drawn more often than absolutely necessary. It was not a fun experience. Another thing to consider is: did you wait to cut your baby's umbilical cord until it stopped pulsating? If you did, then your little one automatically has more iron reserves than he would have had otherwise. Also, the iron in breastmilk is a lot more bioavailable than the iron in other foods. So, maybe all that can help put your mind to rest.

We did not wait between foods. If we'd experienced a problem/allergy we would have been more cautious, but neither Hubby nor I are allergicky people. The only thing we were slightly cautious about was egg, both because of family history of allergies and because Buttercup had reacted to it via breastmilk (eczema).

Good luck as you begin BLS!

charisma

Your Baby Doesn't Have to Become a Picky Eater

2011-03-16T11:47:00.001-05:00

Posted by Christie Haskell

on March 9, 2011 at 12:29 PM

Struggles with picky eaters is a commonly heard complaint from moms. My kids won't eat anything but chicken nuggets. My daughter hates drinking water. He's waged war against anything leafy. She only eats white bread. We've heard these issues way too often. Some info suggests that finicky eaters could be a result of their diet as a baby -- both the liquid diet and the solid foods.

We know babies taste flavors of the foods you eat when you're pregnant, and when you're breastfeeding, too. Flavors babies are exposed to in the 2- to 5-month period can affect their food preferences for life -- for better or worse.

Breastfed babies seemed to enjoy a wider variety of flavors than their formula-fed counterparts, even into toddlerhood and as far as adolescence. Those who were given sour or bitter formulas (like the high-calorie formulas for preemies) continued to like the sour taste even as they got much older, long past weaning. On the other hand, babies who weren't given the especially sour formula in those first six months outright rejected it if offered a little while later.

The coolest part about this speculation is that as babies start discovering things to put in their mouths, they'll recognize tastes that are food because they remember the taste from being in the womb or from their first foods, like a banana, and reject bad tastes of things that could be dangerous, like toxic plants or chemicals.

The problem might come in when babies are fed really bland diets in the first months, like the American formula to rice cereal and bland, unseasoned baby food, rice puffs, and cow's milk.Apparently babies on this diet can end up with a "beige carbohydrate" preference, where they really only want things like, well, white breads, white rice, salt, and sugars. In fact, there's a strong argument against these "white" foods, especially for babies.

None of this is all that surprising, of course, but what it does suggest is that if you're breastfeeding, you may have a leg up, as long as you continue to eat a wide variety of healthy foods (which is best for you anyway). If you're not nursing, when you do introduce foods, try skipping the bland and flavorless, unnecessary carbs like white rice cereal and puffs. Go for a wide variety of real flavors and tastes instead. If you puree foods, try doing it at home where the cooking and processing and watering down foods won't kill all the flavors, or try baby-led solids where you just start out with whole foods and even spices.

Most of all, it's good to know that babies CAN handle flavor -- by assuming they can't, we really shouldn't be surprised when, as they get older, they don't branch out in tastes. Start your kids out with adventurous eating and they're more likely to continue that way. Start them out with bland, basic, and carb-loaded foods, and well ... welcome to the "Standard American Diet," aptly shortened to "SAD." Though sometimes despite your best efforts, kids can go through phases where they really limit themselves to certain foods. Kids who may not be neuro-typical aside, at that point you can really just choose what you allow and what you don't. If they're demanding peanut butter, say it can only go with bananas or after some sweet potato fries. Allow kids, even toddlers, to choose from a variety of fresh fruits and veggies themselves. Often food battles are about control, not taste, especially if you've given them an appreciation of a variety of foods in infancy.

Where Do We Go From Here?

2011-03-13T16:08:00.002-05:00

The time has come to change the direction of this blog for a season. As much fun as it has been documenting Buttercup's meals, there's nothing really that special about a 13-month-old eating spaghetti (especially if she's already been doing it for 6 months). So, rather than posting about our experiments with baby-led solids I will be posting:

interesting articles pertaining to infant nutrition and baby-led solids
common baby-led solids concerns that I see raised in various online forums
answers to your questions. To email me a question, click on the green envelope icon.

We have some exciting developments for you to look forward to, as well. Firstly, we are compiling the last 6 months' of experiments, as well as some other BLS thoughts into book form with a view to publication. This is going to take some work, but hopefully we will be able to produce a handy little practical guide to implementing baby-led solids. I am also busy incubating our next test subject for our future experiments. He/she will be here in October, and starting solids next spring. Keep an eye out for Adventures In Solid Food the sequel, coming Spring 2012 (ish).

Keep checking back here for more great BLS information, and happy eating!

Lessons Learned

2011-02-24T09:34:00.001-06:00

Baby-Led Solids musings at one year:

So, we made it to one year. Most babies are eating table foods by this point, but most have not been doing so for six months. Here are some things we have discovered about the baby-led solids method of introducing solid foods:

Buttercup has never been iron deficient. Yep, she's had her blood work done and everything! There is this myth that if you don't use the processed baby cereal starting at 4-6 months (or earlier in lots of families) that your baby will somehow be nutritionally deficient. Not true! Breastmilk is an amazing source of bioavailable iron. Also, Buttercup has always had a wide array of foods from all the food groups, so she has eaten plenty of naturally high-iron foods (as opposed to the fake stuff they use to fortify baby cereal that is difficult to digest and absorb into baby's body).
Buttercup has never been constipated once in her life. I know constipation is a frequent problem when introducing solids to your baby. I strongly believe that by giving your child control over what goes in her mouth and down her gullet you are helping her digestive system to not get overloaded with foods it's not ready to break down.
Buttercup is anything but a picky eater. She has eaten spicy foods, any number of exotic fruits and vegetables, fish, tofu, goat cheese...She loves it all! I think because she's always been the one putting food in her own mouth it makes her more excited to try new things. Food has never been something that's been imposed on her; rather it's like a fun game with toys she gets to swallow!
Someone recently told me that Buttercup has more dexterity and more refined motor skills than any baby she's ever seen. I definitely attribute this to baby-led solids. Food is a great motivator. Buttercup learned to use her hands to move food to her mouth starting at six months. She had a solid pincer grasp at 7 months, and could drink out of a cup on her own at 7 months, too. I don't actually care about these "milestones" because I know babies develop in their own good time, but it is interesting to see the differences.

Cheese, take 2

2011-02-15T10:17:00.000-06:00

Well, I was going to do a post about how Buttercup still isn't a cheese fan, but she has been won over at long last. I have periodically offered little cubes of cheese to Buttercup along with her usual fruits, veggies, chicken and fish, but she usually made a face similar to the one shown here. Not long ago I threw some cheese into her afternoon snack of dried fruit and...she ate it! Voila - suddenly she's a cheese girl! She has eaten cubes of cheddar and mozzarella, cheese shreds (cheddar), kefir cheese, string cheese, and of course we've continued giving her cheese mixed into entrées. It's a great way to increase her calcium intake now that she's over one, especially because she's not consistently excited about cow's milk yet. And, in case you're interested I am still breastfeeding Buttercup 3+ times a day.

I don't know what her original hangup with cheese was, but it was definitely an acquired taste for Buttercup. Persistence ended up paying off in the end, though.

PROS: good source of calcium and fat
CONS: an acquired taste for some babies

Quesadilla

2011-02-10T09:32:00.000-06:00

Although your baby doesn't need teeth to effectively implement the baby-led solids method, there are times when they can be quite serviceable. I tried quesadillas a few months ago, before Buttercup had teeth, and it didn't go over too well. She tried a piece, spat it out then ignored it.

Recently I made a quesadilla for my own lunch, and gave some to Buttercup. It was made with whole wheat tortillas, spinach, cheese, garlic and cumin. I cut it into little Buttercup-sized squares. She was much more interested now that she's got a few teeth. I've found she uses them to clamp on food while she pulls on it with her hand. Whatever works!

She definitely preferred the tortilla to the cheese. Whenever the melted cheese would squish out the sides and fall on her tray she would pick it up and try it, but spit it back out again.

PROS: good and easy multiple-food-group meal
CONS: teeth make this food more manageable

Green Pepper, take 4

2011-02-08T09:14:00.001-06:00

One morning as I was cutting a green pepper Buttercup tootled into the kitchen. Upon seeing the pepper she begged me for it, so I plopped her in her chair and gave her a slice for her very own. She only ate half a slice at this sitting, but she has gleefully eaten these again since. It does seem as if she prefers red peppers to green ones, though.

This has been an interesting food to watch Buttercup eat along her evolutionary eating path. The first time I gave her pepper she wasn't interested at all. I think this is due to the fact that she was toothless and unable to do anything but suck on it. For quite some time Buttercup ate her peppers either lightly steamed or as part of a cooked entreé. This worked better since Buttercup was sans teeth until 10.5 months. Now she is able to use her little teeth to scrape and bite the pepper.

It's nice that Buttercup is able to enjoy more foods raw now. This means less work for me and more nutrients for her!

PROS: still high in vitamin C
CONS: some tools required (teeth)

Cereal, take 2

2011-02-07T10:52:00.003-06:00

Contrary to popular myth, baby cereal should not be the staple of an infant's diet. The American Academy of Pediatrics has published new research that proves giving baby cereal to babies causes all kinds of health problems, obesity and diabetes to name just a couple. Check out this article for more information. That is why the basis of Buttercup's diet has always been fresh fruits and veggies. For her occasional cereal she gets plain old breakfast cereal. Her favorite is Multigrain Cheerios, which is a good thing since it happens to be among the healthiest cereals out there.

With all the snow we've gotten lately, I have regressed to my childhood "snow day" breakfast of Cream of Wheat, and I thought it would be fun to share the experience with Buttercup. I cooked it the way I always do, then set some aside to cool and set. When it was semi-solid I cut it into chunks. The first time we had this Buttercup wasn't such a fan. She liked it a lot more the second time around, though. It's always best to keep trying a new food -sometimes babies just aren't in the mood to try new things, but they later learn to love the new food.

I would definitely consider Cream of Wheat to be a special treat breakfast since it is a "white" food, but as part of a balanced diet it is a-okay.

PROS: another breakfast option, loaded with iron
CONS: white food, use sparingly

Great Baby-Led Solids Article

2011-02-04T12:18:00.000-06:00

I don't usually do this, but I stumbled upon a really top notch article yesterday on thestir.com. It is written by a mom who is doing baby-led solids with her third child. To sum up: baby-led solids is a natural, commonsense approach to introducing your baby to solid foods. There is also a nice bit of history of purees and formulas in there.

This article would be a great thing for you newbies to email to skeptical family members (along with sending them to my blog, of course!).

You can read more by this writer at her blog: dailymomtra.com

Omelette

2011-02-02T13:08:00.000-06:00

Recently I made breakfast for dinner: omelettes with egg, mushrooms, spinach, green onions and cheese, leaving Buttercup's portion salt-free. I cut the omelette into little squares for easier pick-up-ability.

Buttercup liked it. It wasn't her favorite meal of all time, but she ate it happily enough.

We used to limit Buttercup's intake of egg whites, due to family history of egg allergies and also eczema that was worsened by egg consumption (both via breastmilk and eaten directly). I am happy to report that Buttercup's eczema has drastically improved. I know most babies outgrow this annoying skin condition eventually, but it makes me happy not to have to factor a skin reaction into my meal decisions.

PROS: protein + veggies = healthy combo
CONS: Buttercup prefers other dishes

Birthday Cake!

2011-02-01T13:24:00.000-06:00

Happy birthday, Buttercup!
(and happy 6-month anniversary, Adventures in Solid Foods!)

Yes, I gave Buttercup cake for her birthday. Now don't start judging me. I went back and forth on this decision for weeks. Eventually I came to the conclusion that she should have some cake. Here was my rationale: Buttercup never eats sugar. Her overall diet is very healthy and balanced. But, I do want her to grow up having a healthy relationship with treat foods. I want her to know that it's for special occasions and that it's ok. I want her to learn moderation. Over-thought for a one-year-old? Perhaps, but welcome to my world.

I decided to make my cupcakes from scratch so that I could make a half-batch and not have tons of leftovers. Also, I like controlling my ingredients (ie: no high fructose corn syrup). However, there were no holds barred on the naughtiness of these cupcakes. They had butter, sugar, vanilla, white flour, powdered sugar, the works! I said don't judge me!

Anyway,Buttercup was unsure about the whole affair (why are people staring at me and taking so many pictures?!), and did not enjoy getting frosting between her fingers. But, once she started getting the stuff in her mouth she was very interested. She consumed about half a cupcake. I do have to admit that watching a BLS baby eat her first cake is rather anti-climatic. Buttercup is already so used to eating anything and everything that is offered to her that it didn't seem that "special" to watch her eat some cake. Just another day in the life of a BLS family.

PROS: yummy special treat
CONS: not a regular food item

New Solids Advice is Hogwash

2011-01-28T21:37:00.001-06:00

I was shocked to see the recent British "study" stating that babies who did not start solid foods at 4 months old were more likely to suffer from malnutrition and future health problems. Needless to say, this did not sit right with me. After all of the research proving that breastmilk is the ideal food for babies, even past the age of one, I could not feel comfortable switching gears because of one little headline. Well, guess what? It turns out this alleged study was based on faulty "research." And guess what else? It was funded by baby food/formula companies. Yeah...UNICEF was pretty ticked about it, apparently. Here is a fantastic article where the medical community discredits the bogus study.

Anyway, please please please do not give your baby solid foods until they are at least six months and showing developmental signs that they are ready to eat on their own (for more info, see my FAQs page). The baby-led solids method ensures that your baby is getting solid food when all of her tiny systems are ready for it, because babies don't eat until they can do it themselves.

*charisma gets off soapbox*

Apple, take 3

2011-01-26T14:06:00.002-06:00

One of the reasons I like baby-led solids so much is that it appeals to my experimental side. Every now and then I think, "I wonder what would happen if________." Obviously some foods are too dangerous to experiment with (like whole nuts), or just plain unhealthy. But, healthy foods make for great experiments.

I recently experimented with giving Buttercup a whole apple. This is the method I used with soft fruits when we first began BLS 6 months ago. It worked well, but we rarely use it now that Buttercup's pincer grasp is in full force. Now she prefers picking up little pieces of food between forefinger and thumb. Because of that we have given her apple in thin slices, and in steamed chunks. Recently, though, I was eating a whole apple and began giving little bites to Buttercup from my apple. She loved it, and sat by me like a baby bird waiting for more bites. Eventually I handed her the whole apple to gnaw on. I'm not sure how much she ate, but it kept her occupied for a solid ten minutes.

I have tried similar experiments since, giving Buttercup the whole side of the apple. It had the same effect, and she'll eat roughly half.

PROS: easy!
CONS: it can get messy if your baby is wandering around the house with an apple

Mushroom, take 2

2011-01-25T11:19:00.001-06:00

I've said it before, but if your baby rejects a food don't be afraid to keep retrying it down the road. For example, a few months ago Buttercup didn't care for raw mushrooms. But, the other night I was cooking dinner and a sliced mushroom landed on the floor near where Buttercup was playing. It promptly went into her mouth. And, she "asked" for more of it!

So, there you have it: a previously rejected food is now a yummy treat.

How to Introduce Utensils

2011-01-21T09:57:00.000-06:00

I have a theory that babies who have always fed themselves using the baby-led solids method will actually have an easier time eventually using utensils by themselves. After all, they have had so much practice maneuvering food to their own mouths already! Buttercup is now learning to use spoons and forks after 6 months of using her hands to feed herself. It's a good thing I never lost any sleep thinking she might still be eating with her fingers when she's 16.

Buttercup watches Hubby and I eat with forks and spoons, and quite successfully gets food to her own mouth. It was just a matter of time before she connected the two.

At any rate, here is a video that demonstrates Buttercup learning to use a fork all by herself:

Soup (with a spoon)

2011-01-19T18:52:00.000-06:00

This continues my three-part series on introducing utensils to your baby-led solids baby. Sometimes Buttercup uses a fork or spoon now (see yesterday's post).

This particular photo is from the first time Buttercup used a spoon. I had made a soup out of dinner leftovers (chicken breasts in the slow cooker, roasted garlic, onions and potatoes, broccoli and spinach - all pureed with chicken stock and milk). It was a very yummy last minute lunch idea and Buttercup was eager to partake. I grabbed a teaspoon from my normal dishes (I think I had baby spoons at one point, but I either gave them away or put them somewhere and can't find them). Buttercup has a pretty big mouth, and can fit extraordinarily large toys in it, so I figured a little spoon would not present a challenge to her orafice. Anyway, I held on to the spoon while she grabbed it and guided it to her mouth.

Buttercup ate 6 ounces of this soup on two separate occasions. She was very proud of her spoon-using skills, too. I was surprised by how little soup ended up anywhere but her mouth. It was a pretty non-messy experience!

PROS: yummy, nutritious, shockingly non-messy
CONS: requires more parental involvement than 'normal' BLS meals (is that really a "con?")

Lessons Learned

2011-01-18T19:41:00.001-06:00

We've begun letting Buttercup experiment with utensils, not because I am particularly bothered about her actually using forks and spoons, but because she seemed interested and it felt like a good learning opportunity!

The first time we tried it was with a liquidy soup. I used a little spoon and held onto it while Buttercup grabbed the handle and guided it to her own mouth. I could tell she really liked doing it. Subsequent to that meal we tried using a fork for a meal that included risotto. I'd scoop up a little mound and hold the fork out toward Buttercup. She would grab the fork (sometimes by the handle, sometimes by the tines) and put the rice in her mouth. She's not too great with the "dismount" yet, which is why I still hold on to whatever utensil we are using (I am not as big of a fan of the "dropsy" game as Buttercup is!). Here are some things we have learned so far about introducing utensils to a self-fed baby:

Even when you decide to use utensils, resist the urge to "help" your little one too much. Remember that your baby should still be feeding herself. We are not spoon feeding our babies. We are just helping them learn to use a spoon to feed themselves. The only thing you should do is keep the utensil from falling - your baby will do the rest. After all, a few months into doing baby led solids and your baby will be an expert at putting yummy things into her own mouth!
Sometimes Buttercup is in the mood, and sometimes she's not. I don't always offer her a utensil just because she's done it a few times. And, sometimes even if I do give her a fork/spoon she still prefers to do things the old fashioned way and use her mitts.
Buttercup found it really confusing when I tried giving her soup that had small chunks in it. She didn't know if she should slurp or chew, and eventually gave up. I've heard that puree-fed babies have this same dilemma when faced with transition/chunky baby food, and it can present a choking hazard. I have decided to separate the chunks from the liquid for the time being.
Buttercup definitely does not have patience to dally around with utensils when she's really hungry. At that point she's looking for the path of least resistance. I find it's better to wait until her hunger is abated somewhat before throwing a spoon/fork into the mix.

So, to sum up: there's no pressure to use a fork or spoon. If you want to do it, still give your baby control over what is going in her mouth.

Peach, take 2

2011-01-14T08:53:00.000-06:00

We had another go at frozen fruit. After a less-than-happy experience with strawberry I decided to try peach. I always recommend people buy organic, especially the "dirty dozen," of which peach is one.

I took three peach slices out of the bag of fruit that I use for Buttercup's smoothies and ran them under warm water. I cut them into smaller chunks and handed them to her. She ate all three slices after a very full meal of spaghetti (her favorite), so I'm assuming she liked it!

I like having another way to get more fruit into Buttercup during the lean winter months. There are only so many pears and apples a girl can eat, and her beloved clementines are out of the picture, due to acid booty burns. (It's pathetic - I have to hide from her if I want to eat a clementine, because she'll get so upset that I'm not sharing). Thank God for frozen food technology!

PROS: easy way to get extra fruits, especially out of season
CONS: non-organic is very pesticide heavy

Lunchmeat

2011-01-13T10:11:00.001-06:00

Most people I've talked to have serious problems with pureed meat. Even the staunchest baby food fan will tell you there is something about pureed meat that is just weird and creepy. Well, I'm here to say that babies are quite capable of eating meat. Real meat. Non-mushy meat. In fact, Buttercup had straight up chicken in her second week of baby-led solids.

I picked up some nice, healthy, nitrate-free lunchmeat for easy family lunches. While making sandwiches for Hubby and myself I took two slices and cut them into one-inch pieces for Buttercup. She quite obviously liked them, and scarfed both pieces.

Lunchmeat makes for a really easy "on the go" meal (ie: church nursery, daytrips, lunch dates). And, since I found a healthier alternative to the usual crapola found in lunchmeat I am happy to give it to my baby.

PROS: easy, portable protein option
CONS: none

Let's Talk About Choking...

2011-01-07T13:40:00.029-06:00

Despite evidence to the contrary, many people object to baby led solids because they think it carries with it an elevated risk of choking. But, a baby who is controlling what goes into his mouth is actually less likely to choke than a spoon fed baby, who may suck food to the back of his throat before he is properly able to deal with it. Just out of curiosity (and to spark conversation), what has your experience with baby led solids been like? Experts currently advise parents to expect at least one choking episode in the course of their child's infancy, regardless of the feeding method used. Have you had any scary mealtimes?

Just by way of review:

Gagging - a completely normal reflex designed to help babies move food they are unable to swallow to the front of their mouth. It isn't a sign of a problem, nor is it choking.

Choking - accompanied by a terrified look on the child's face, and he will start turning blue. Gagging might produce some watery eyes, but the baby doesn't look alarmed, so you shouldn't be either.

How many times has your BLS baby choked or gagged?

Quinoa

2011-01-06T14:19:00.000-06:00

Quinoa: one of the most nutritious foods your baby can eat...and not available in jarred baby food! Quinoa is a complete protein and rich in essential nutrients. It's also highly tasty! I recently gave some quinoa to Buttercup to sample with her dinner. She ate it in the same manner in which she would eat rice or cous cous. So, not really anything new to report. But, seriously, buy some quinoa for your family. You'll thank me.

PROS: superfood!
CONS: none

Apricot, take 2 (and craisins)

2011-01-04T10:55:00.001-06:00

Another new food Buttercup sampled during Christmas was dried fruit. Snack time rolled around and we were still at Grandma's house, so Buttercup couldn't have her customary afternoon kefir/fruit smoothie. I foraged around and found some dried apricots and craisins that I thought she might like. I quartered the dried apricots to make them more manageable for her, then I put the apricots and craisins in a cup and gave them to her. Of course Buttercup immediately dumped them onto the floor, since she doesn't really understand the concept of eating out of a cup yet. I was happy to let her eat them off the floor, though.

I want to point out that babies on the move (both baby led solids-fed and puree-fed babies) tend to choke more frequently. That is because they find things on the floor while they're playing. A baby who is in a highchair is concentrating more on what's in her mouth than a baby crawling around on the floor. So, if you're going to give your baby food while she sits on the floor - like we did on Christmas - keep a good eye on her.

I found dried apricots and craisins to be good alternatives to raisins, which Buttercup eats somewhat regularly. For more information on how we introduced raisins, check here and here. Also, get the Oceanspray dried fruit, because the Sunsweet ones have high fructose corn syrup. I know. I couldn't believe it either.

PROS: nutritious and high calorie, no preparation, portable

CONS: be careful if you are offering them to your baby while on the go

Grapes

2011-01-03T15:52:00.001-06:00

The Christmas season afforded Buttercup the opportunity to try several new foods that she doesn't usually have at home. One of these was grapes. Now, I know grapes are not particularly special or Christmassy, but I just never buy them. I don't like them that much and they always seem to rot in my fridge; therefore, Buttercup had never had grapes. Her Christmas dinner was at Grandma's house, and consisted of turkey meatballs and grapes. I washed the grapes then cut them in half to prevent choking. Round, hard foods are the most hazardous to little babies (think: cherry tomatoes, grapes, nuts, hot dogs, etc), since they can slip right down the windpipe. If you cut these foods in half (except nuts, because they're just too darn hard) you lower the risk of choking for your little one.

Buttercup liked the grapes. I may have to break down and start buying grapes. Maybe I will freeze half of them and use them in smoothies so they don't rot.

PROS: easy fruit
CONS: I don't usually buy them...?

Orange

2010-12-29T09:58:00.001-06:00

My preference is to always give my baby fresh produce that is in season. This gets trickier in the winter, and I definitely utilize frozen produce. I do love the month of December for the citrus, specifically clementines. Clementines are the ideal citrus fruit, in my opinion: they're easy to peel, have no seeds, are sweet, and a perfect bitable size. What's not to love?

I offered a few segments to Buttercup after her lunch one day. I wasn't sure if she'd like them. Though she'd had little samples of orange in the past, usually as part of a cooked recipe, this was the first time she's really consumed a significant amount of it. She loved it. She used her new teeth to bite the segment in half.

Buttercup liked the clementine so much that I kept giving it to her. I thought it was great that she was getting so much vitamin C. She even ate a whole clementine in one sitting a few times. Bad. Idea. I totally forgot about the whole citrus-makes-pee-acidic thing. Buttercup got a really bad diaper rash from the amount of citrus she was eating. Bad Mommy! We have learned the errors of our ways, and are now trying to find a good balance.

PROS: high in vitamin C
CONS: high in acid (diaper rashes!)

Cracker

2010-12-27T13:57:00.000-06:00

Teeth are definitely not required equipment when introducing your baby to "real" solid foods, but apparently they are somewhat helpful. Buttercup had no problems for the first 5 months she was eating solids with gumming her food into a pulp and swallowing it. I was amazed at the things she was able to eat, actually! But, having two brand spankin' new teeth has made it possible for her to take proper bites out of food. Although her foods are the same I'm finding that her technique has changed slightly.

The other day I was eating crackers with egg salad while Buttercup ate her lunch of tofu and avocado. I gave her a cracker to see how she'd like it. And...she liked it! I rarely have crackers in the house, since most of them are so salty, processed, refined and trans-fatty, but these happened to be somewhat "healthy" crackers, so I didn't mind sharing them with Buttercup. She didn't mind either. I got a kick out of hearing her little teeth snap the tip of the cracker off. Oh, the things that amuse mothers!

I can definitely see the appeal of crackers as an away-from-home food. They are very portable and easily placate small children. I want to be careful not to rely too heavily on them, since there are lots of other foods that pack a higher nutrition punch.

PROS: very portable
CONS: watch out for non-nutritious filler foods

Spinach

2010-12-22T10:56:00.001-06:00

I can never decide what my favorite thing about baby-led solids is. Some days it's the simplicity of it - how I never have to buy or make purees and spend time spooning food into my baby's mouth. Sometimes it's the fact that my little baby eats things like curry, fish, or gjetost. And, sometimes it's the fact that my baby's diet mainly consists of fresh, healthy foods and she loves it!

Whilst making myself a sandwich one day I threw a couple of my spinach leaves Buttercup's way. I didn't really expect her to do much more than play with them. But, being the omnivore she is, she ate them. Seriously, this kid will eat anything. This has its downfalls, especially when she's playing on a not-freshly-vacuumed floor or outside, for example. One of Buttercup's favorite non-foods is paper. She loves tearing apart and chewing on paper. While I don't endorse paper as a good food for babies (and feverishly try to prevent Buttercup from eating it), I guess all of her practice at eating books paved the way for her to successfully enjoy spinach leaves. HA HA!

Buttercup has had cooked spinach mixed into dishes before (and blended into her smoothies), but this was the first time she ate raw spinach. She tore the little leaves apart and ate them much in the same way she eats every little piece of paper she can get her hands on. I was curious how she would deal with the spines, but she ended up tearing the leaves off the spines, and left the spines alone. I was also interested to see if Buttercup would gag on little bits of leaf getting hung up in her throat. While she did cough a few times, she didn't have any problems with it. However, I wouldn't recommend this to babies just starting down the baby-led solids path. Also, I suggest buying organic spinach, as spinach is one of the "dirty dozen."

PROS: great nutritious superfood, no prep
CONS: not for the BLS newbie

***UPDATE: The evening I posted this we gave Buttercup raw spinach leaves again. She coughed a lot more than she did the first time. So, I guess I'm saying "be careful."***

Lessons Learned

2010-12-20T11:10:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I posted a "Lessons Learned." I continue to learn new things about the baby-led solids method while introducing our baby to solid foods:

Of all the objections I've heard to baby-led solids this one is the most ridiculous: "if you don't feed your baby with a spoon he/she won't ever learn how to eat with utensils." I'm not making this up! I've actually heard this on several occasions and from multiple sources. I fail to see any kind of logic with this argument. First of all, do these people seriously think that their sixteen year olds are going to still be picking up little cut up carrots and apples with their fingers? Kids learn by observation. I guarantee you that your baby is watching the big people at the table use forks and spoons, and cataloging that information away. They will learn how to use utensils. In the meantime, if it is something you want to work on with your baby try offering pre-loaded spoons of food. I'm quite happy for Buttercup to keep using her fingers. It's easier for everyone involved. I'm also not in any rush for my little baby to grow up.
Drumroll please...Buttercup has teeth! She waited until 10 months to sprout her first two little teeth, but she's got them. Now, maybe some of you other parents out there are a bit quicker on the uptake than I am. I didn't make the connection that spicy food would hurt little raw gums. I have since learned my lesson (thanks to a little incident involving fajitas and a screaming Buttercup).
I've found that a good way to refresh Buttercup's interest in her meal is to rake all of the food on her tray into a little pile. For some reason it seems easier for her to see and pick up food if it's all in one place, rather than scattered around her tray. This trick seems to work especially well for foods like rice, quinoa, corn, or other smallish foods.

French Toast

2010-12-17T13:07:00.000-06:00

Because Mommy and Daddy generally have more free time on Saturday mornings it provides great occasions for Buttercup to try breakfast foods that actually require preparation. We've recently been making quite the tradition of the family Saturday morning breakfasts, in fact. I'm so glad Buttercup is able to join us in these meals, since they just don't make scrambled eggs, pancakes, brown cheese, or french toast in pureed baby food versions.

This particular morning we made french toast, which was my favorite Saturday treat as a girl. It actually makes a great breakfast food for baby if you leave off the sugary syrup and other toppings. Because of the egg and milk, french toast is high in protein. Depending on what kind of bread you use it could become even healthier. I like flax seed breads, myself. Yummy! I cut a slice of french toast into one-inch squares for Buttercup and gave them to her when they were slightly cooled. She ate about half of the slice.

Because I consider french toast to be a special treat I always forget how easy it actually is to make. There's really no reason to limit Buttercup's french toast eating to Saturday mornings. This would make a good lunch option, too, especially when my pantry is starting to look like Mother Hubbard's.

PROS: easy, high in protein
CONS: not as easy as a pile of fruit or dry cereal

Thai Curry (baby corns, bamboo)

2010-12-15T09:58:00.000-06:00

We continued with our curry theme and introduced Buttercup to the wonderful world of "jungle mixed vegetables curry" from our local thai restaurant. It is my favorite and I order it every time (after all, why try something else when you already know what the best thing on the menu is?). Check out the menu description:

Jungle Mixed Vegetables
slightly spicy a vegetarian delight, snow peas, bell peppers, cashew, tomatoes, bamboo shoots, baby corn, cucumber, mushroom and tofu or chicken, cooked in cream, coconut milk and house spices

I ordered it with the tofu, and while I obviously didn't give Buttercup any of the cashews (hello, choking hazard), I did give her everything else. It was Buttercup's first experience eating baby corns and bamboo shoots, and she adored the baby corns. I always thought baby corns were just a fun-looking filler, but it turns out they are actually quite good for you. They are a good source of folate, vitamin B and fiber, and are also rich in several other nutrients such as potassium, vitamin B6, riboflavin, vitamin C. Plus, there is something about a baby eating baby corns that is extremely cute. Try it - you'll agree.

I think Buttercup particularly enjoyed the variety this meal afforded her, which is exactly why I like it. Well, sorry to cut this short, but I've gotta go and place an order for lunch now...

PROS: nutritious veggies
CONS: none

Chicken Tikka Masala

2010-12-10T13:57:00.000-06:00

Buttercup has had curry before, but it was milder. This time we gave her a medium tikka masala. It wasn't too hot, but it did have some kick to it. She didn't seem to mind the spice, and enjoyed the meal. My recipe contains chicken, onion, potatoes, peas and tomatoes.

Unfortunately, I have discovered that spicy foods do not do well in mouths that have teeth cutting through the gums. I learned this the hard way one evening with fajitas (which Buttercup usually loves). She screamed with every bite until I finally realized what was going on and replaced the cayenne pepper-laden food with banana, but I digress.

I gave Buttercup a mound of the curry mixture over a little pile of brown rice and topped it with some homemade yogurt to cool it down a bit. Buttercup picked through each piece, but ate everything she was offered including the rice and yogurt, which she usually ignores. All in all, I was pretty proud of my little girl for embracing this meal. I didn't learn to appreciate curry until I was in my 20's, but at the tender age of 11 months Buttercup is loving international flavors!

PROS: develops the palate
CONS: stains skin (and bibs, and bathtub, and my khakis)

Oatmeal

2010-12-09T09:29:00.002-06:00

I've said it before, but baby cereal really should not be a baby's first food. In fact, I don't think baby cereal should play any role in an infant's diet. It's full of empty non-nutritious calories, develops a taste for refined starches, increases the possibility of diabetes, causes constipation, and tastes disgusting. Not convinced? Check out this article in USA Today vilifying baby cereal. Also, see the BLS FAQ's for more information on baby cereal.

So, what kind of cereal does one feed their baby-led solids baby? How about oatmeal? Oatmeal is a whole grain, easy to digest, and high in protein, vitamins and minerals, and fiber. I have been hesitant to give Buttercup much "solid" breakfast because I am usually pretty engorged in the morning and want her to nurse really well. But, recently I decided to try oatmeal.

A great way to serve oatmeal to your self-feeding baby is to cook it with less water than usual, then allow it to cool. It is then thick enough that you can roll it into baby fist-sized balls (good for pre-pincer grasp babies) or break it into little chunks.

The first time we tried this, Buttercup ate a good amount of oatmeal. The second time I gave it to her I made the mistake of also giving her blueberries, which are her favorite. The oatmeal was shunned. I don't think oatmeal will ever replace Buttercup's love affair with multi-grain Cheerios, but it is a great healthy morning option.

PROS: surprisingly not messy, nutritious
CONS: none

Smoothie

2010-12-07T09:07:00.001-06:00

I have a wonderful friend who gives her kids smoothies to sneak extra fruits and veggies into their diets.
It's really a brilliant idea, and one I tucked away for future use. Well, the future is now. I made myself a
strawberry, banana, OJ and homemade yogurt smoothie the other day to use up a browning banana. I poured some into Buttercup's shot glass to see what she'd do with it. Well, she drank it, of course! In fact, she wouldn't even let go of the cup.

This was the first time Buttercup has ever liked yogurt. I'd like to ascribe that to my awesome yogurt-making ability, but I just don't know. By the way, making yogurt is a great way to use up the 52,000 gallons of milk WIC gives you a month, and it's super easy to do. Here is a link to a some good instructions: Modern Alternative Mama Blog.

Since Buttercup has decided to officially drop her 4:00 nurse, I've been giving her an afternoon smoothie instead. I throw in a banana, half an avocado (makes it creamy), a handful of spinach leaves, some frozen fruit (great way to use up those sour strawberries), some OJ and some homemade kefir or yogurt. She will drink 1.5 to 2 ounces.

PROS: great way to get extra nutrients in your baby
CONS: parental vigilance required if giving baby a smoothie in a cup

Strawberry, take 2

2010-12-06T17:04:00.000-06:00

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I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of making fruits and vegetables the basis of your baby's diet while introducing solid foods. I read so many things online about people who are doing baby-led solids with their babies, but regularly give them junk food. I think this entirely misses the point of BLS, and I would actually recommend those people give their babies purees. Say what you will about Gerber, but at least that they don't make pureed french fries and pizza! I mean, "special treat" foods are fine on occasion (like pancakes), but try to stick with healthy fruits and veggies for the most part.

Because of my commitment to giving Buttercup healthy fruits and veggies I am extremely thankful for frozen foods. There are only so many apples a girl can eat in a week, so I am happy to buy frozen fruits that are not currently in season (though I'm happier when they are in season). Buttercup enjoyed strawberry during the summer so I recently let her have a thawed frozen strawberry. It was cut into quarters for easier handling. She made her "sour face" and spat out the same piece about a million times (I counted). She kept picking it back up and putting it back in her mouth, so I thought it couldn't be that bad. Then, I tried a piece. oooooeeeeee was that sucker sour!

I've gotta hand it to Buttercup for her persistence. That particular batch of frozen strawberries was not fit for consumption without the aid of much sugar (which I did not give to Buttercup). I guess we'll go back to apples and pears for the time being - good thing citrus season is coming up!

PROS: frozen fruit is always in season
CONS: potential for extremely sour fruit

Goat cheese (Gjetost)

2010-12-02T10:28:00.001-06:00

Buttercup's favorite thing about baby-led solids is getting to eat Mommy and Daddy's favorite foods. She has been initiated into the wonderful world of Gjetost cheese. Gjetost cheese (called "brown cheese" by Norwegians) is a special treat in our family. We eat it on Christmas morning with homemade cardamom buns. In a word, it is amazing. It's made from caramelized goat's milk and is really rich, creamy, sweet with a bit of sharpness. I picked some up recently to celebrate Hubby's new job, and we engaged in some brown cheese family joy on Saturday morning.

I handed Buttercup little pieces of it off my plate since we were all sitting on the couch together. My faithful readers will remember that Buttercup has had some weird reactions to cow's cheese (see here and here for details). I'm happy to report that goat cheese was quite kind to her little system, which is a good thing because she looooooooved it.

PROS: a yummy treat
CONS: expensive!

Tomato, take 3

2010-12-01T14:27:00.000-06:00

I'm fully aware that this post isn't exactly breaking news. But, it was the first time Buttercup actually seemed to enjoy a raw tomato, so I thought it was worth mentioning. You'll have to forgive me if you think I'm being repetitive.

She's had tomato on other occasions, and likes it much better cooked. Raw tomatoes usually inspire Buttercup's "sour" face, which is pretty amusing for her parents. This particular evening, however, Hubby and I were eating salads with dinner so I gave some grape tomatoes to Buttercup just for kicks. I cut them in half first, since hard round foods still pose a choking hazard for babies, regardless of their eating skill.

She ate them! No faces!

PROS: high in vitamin C

CONS: an acquired taste for some

Bell Pepper, take 3

2010-11-30T13:51:00.002-06:00

Variety is the spice of life, or so they say. I like to try different foods with Buttercup, and I like trying old foods new ways. She's had bell peppers before, but this time she had them roasted. I'd made roasted red pepper and potato soup (with kale), so I drained the liquids and gave Buttercup the chunks from the soup. Of all of the foods on her tray she went for the red peppers the most. I don't know if it was because she thought they were the tastiest, or if it was because they were most brightly colored. I have noticed she tends to gravitate towards brightly colored foods. I'm sure there's some natural instinctual lesson to be learned here...not sure what it is, though...I do know that brightly colored foods make for brightly colored diapers!

PROS: high in vitamin C

CONS: none

Tuna salad

2010-11-29T12:22:00.001-06:00

It's important when introducing solid food to your baby that you are making sure to offer her foods that represent a well-balanced diet. I'll admit: sometimes I forget about protein. I am better with Buttercup than I am with myself. I'll find myself going a few days without making a conscience effort to eat protein of some sort. The solution usually ends up being tuna. Firstly, tuna has those super Omega-3s. Secondly, I get it free from WIC (a government nutritional supplementation program for women, infants and children). Thirdly, it's easy - no cooking required!

One day I was making myself some tuna salad for a sandwich and thought I'd give some to Buttercup to try. I left the pickle relish out, since it's mostly salt. So, hers just had tuna and some mayo (I use the olive oil variety). I plopped about a quarter cup onto her tray and she happily shoveled it into her mouth. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, but we'll definitely be keeping this as a protein emergency staple.

PROS: easy protein option

CONS: gives baby fishy breath

Veggie Burger

2010-11-24T14:48:00.000-06:00

I'm sure other babies would love hamburgers, but I don't eat red meat which means that Buttercup doesn't get hamburgers. I do love a good veggie burger, though. Morningstar veggie burgers are my current favorites. They're great because you can stick them in your toaster and they're done super quick! And, check out these ingredients: mushrooms, water chestnuts, onion, carrots, green and red bell peppers, black olives, brown rice, and rolled oats. I cut a patty into squares for Buttercup and gave them to her for lunch.

For some reason, she tossed it overboard first, the little stinker. After she realized it was actually her lunch she ate it like it was going out of style. In fact, she can eat a whole patty! She loves her veggie burgers just like Mommy and will even beg for more if she runs out.

PROS: great, easy, source of protein and veggies!

CONS: a bit high in sodium

Peanut Butter Toast

2010-11-22T10:28:00.000-06:00

I always tell people that if they're going to do baby-led solids then they need to offer their babies nutritious, healthy foods. I'm shocked to hear stories of people who claim to be doing baby-led solids regularly giving their babies junk food. I am passionate about Buttercup loving healthy food. That is why I almost always give her fruits and veggies, and portions from our own healthily prepared meals. Sometimes, though, there is no food in the house. And for those times I am thankful for peanut butter toast. This isn't a regular food of Buttercup's, but I do bust it out when I haven't got much to offer her in the protein department. I use Smucker's natural PB, because it only has one ingredient (peanuts, duh), and I put it on whatever whole wheat toast I happen to have on hand.

I mention in my previous post on spreads that the American Academy of Pediatrics has lifted their allergy "ban" on peanut butter for babies. If you have a family history then be more cautious than I am. I do make sure that I don't spread the peanut butter too thick, as that could gunk up the windpipe.

When Buttercup was 6ish months, I would give her long strips of toast (look how teensy she was!) to make it easier for her to handle. But, now I cut one-inch squares for her. It is easier for her to eat, and less messy since she isn't squishing peanut butter in her fists.

Buttercup does love her peanut butter and will eat 3/4 of a slice of peanut butter toast, all the while making smacking noises with her lips. Very funny. And, in case you're wondering if toast is too hard for babies without teeth? The answer is "no." Babies have so much drool in their mouths that toast instantaneously turns to mush.

PROS: good source of protein and easy to prepare

CONS: messy hands

Kiwi

2010-11-18T10:21:00.000-06:00

Sometimes babies are just confusing. Buttercup loves eating green things. She'll always pick out the peas and green beans first in "mixed veggies." I thought she'd like a green fruit, especially since Hubby loved kiwi as a very young child. Of course, he also liked pickled herring, so maybe he's not the best plumb line. Anyway, I offered some kiwi to Buttercup and she wouldn't even touch it. It was the weirdest thing. Maybe she was in a weird mood, but she literally refused to even look at it. I tried slicing it with the peel on. I tried dicing it. Finally I relented and gave her some roasted pumpkin, which she ate very nicely. When the pumpkin was gone, she picked up a slice of kiwi, kung fu-gripped it in half and sucked on the peel.

The second time we tried kiwi I gave Buttercup peeled cubes of it. She scarfed half of the fruit in a matter of seconds. Even after I gave her a wider variety of food to pick from she kept going back for more kiwi. I would love to know what goes on in that little mind, but I'm glad she warmed up to the green fruit in the end.

PROS: more vitamin C than oranges

CONS: might not be such a crowd-pleaser?

Parsnip

2010-11-17T08:48:00.000-06:00

Parsnips are my favorite thing about British cuisine. Ok, well, maybe chocolate is. But still, the first time I had a parsnip I felt like I was eating manna from heaven. Buttercup recently tried this wonderful root vegetable as a component in a "vegetable cobbler" that included pumpkin. The parsnips were cut in one inch chunks and roasted with some other veggies before being topped with gravy and a savory crumble topping.

Buttercup ate the parsnip, but was much more interested in the pumpkin she was offered. I think it may have been a bit hard/chewy for her. So, maybe she will enjoy them more when she's got some teeth. Or, maybe she just really likes pumpkin?

Did you know that parsnips are a great source of vitamin C and folate, which help keep those winter colds at bay, and it's also full of fiber. Did I mention they are darn tasty?

PROS: taste great, nutritious, non-staining

CONS: a bit chewy

Pumpkin

2010-11-15T14:27:00.000-06:00

It literally causes me pain to see rotting jack-o-lanterns on the curb. I cannot handle it. Call me thrifty, call me cheap, but do not call me wasteful. Last year, Hubby and I rescued 16 abandoned pumpkins. And we ate them. All of them. Pumpkins are such a gigantic, yummy, nutritious food that it's a shame to throw away them away just because you've carved a face on them. Because of our fanatical pumpkin beliefs I have accumulated quite the collection of pumpkin recipes. So, the day after Halloween our beloved Jeffrey the Jack-o-lantern was unceremoniously hacked to 1-inch pieces and frozen to await his rebirth as our future meals. One of those meals is our family favorite, the "Vegetable Cobbler."

Basically, it's a bunch of roasted veggies with some gravy and a crumbly topping. So, Buttercup had her first taste of pumpkin. She's always been a big fan of squash in general, and pumpkin proved no exception. She gobbled it up, begged for more, and ate that, too.

Sidenote: do not give your infant pumpkin seeds. They require much chewing with molars. I thought that seemed obvious, but I was actually asked on a forum a few weeks ago if it was a good snack for babies. Uh, no.

PROS: great texture and nutrition

CONS: labor-intensive, especially if you buy big pumpkins.

Broccoli, take 2

2010-11-12T13:55:00.000-06:00

Persistence and imagination are the keys of successfully feeding babies. If you think your baby "doesn't like" a food, just keep trying to give it to her in new ways.

I've noticed that Buttercup has lost interest in lots of foods that are presented in the classic BLS "french fry" shape. This means she is suddenly blasé about former food favorites. She'll put the whole thing in her mouth then spit it out after a few minutes. Buttercup is still eating little pieces of food with much vim and vigor, so I decided to mix things up a bit. I've been giving her previously rejected foods with a fresh presentation. For example, I tore some broccoli florets into smaller chunks suitable for picking up with thumb and forefinger. It meant a bit more work for me than how I used to give her broccoli, but it was worth it because Buttercup ate tons more of it than she has in quite awhile. Here I thought she didn't like broccoli anymore, but it turns out she just didn't like the method in which I was serving it. I should have known better! Iron-packed food in fun bite-sized pieces!

PROS: easier for older baby to eat

CONS: a bit more prep work involved

Top 10 Things to Love About BLS

2010-11-11T09:55:00.002-06:00

10) it's fun for everyone when baby eats with the rest of the family

9) there are no baby food jars taking up valuable real estate in your kitchen cupboards

8) it's portable - you can go anywhere without having to worry what baby is going to eat

7) it makes for adorable baby photos

6) it requires no 'fighting' with baby at mealtimes, no making airplane noises or silly faces

5) it helps develop baby's motor skills (hand-eye coordination, pincer grasp, holding, dropping)

4) it's super easy

3) you know baby is always getting fresh, healthy food

2) it saves time and money (the cost of baby food has gone up 21% since 2007!)

...drumroll please...

1) babies become confident and adventurous eaters, not picky eaters!

see this wonderful article from the BBC on why starting your baby on table food at 6 months is best

Adventures in Solid Food by Adventures in Solid Food is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.baby-led-solids.blogspot.com

Chili

2010-11-10T15:00:00.000-06:00

Baby-led solids is so much fun. Really! I love that my baby eats the same things I eat. I love that she gets so excited to feed herself. I love that she is learning different foods, flavors, and textures. I love sitting down for meals as a family. No pursed lips to my incoming spoon. Just. Eating.

Buttercup recently tried chili for the first time. My chili is heavy on the beans and veggies, mild-medium on the spice level, and vegetarian (we use Morning Star crumbles in place of ground beef). Buttercup has also eaten grandma's chili, which is more meaty (ground turkey) and less veggie-y.

Unlike her technique with shepherds pie, Buttercup picked through the chili piece by piece looking for specific food elements. She was really quite scientific with it, especially honing in on the beans. But, she enjoyed the entire meal and ate quite a bit.

I have noticed Buttercup has starting to consume more at each "solids" meal. This has coincided with her dropping one nursing sessions a day. She is now down to nursing 4-5 times a day. I've also noticed she is suddenly drinking more water after meals (nearly an ounce, twice a day). I still think most of a baby's liquids and nutrition should come from breastmilk at 9 months. But, hey, I'm no doctor.

PROS: lots of nutrition and variety

CONS: none

Mango

2010-11-09T12:19:00.000-06:00

Mango is one of those foods I've heard a lot of buzz about in the baby-led solids internet circles. While it does seem like it would be an ideal early food, I just never got around to purchasing one. I rectified this laxity and finally brought home a mango for Buttercup to try.

On the first attempt I cut it in slices and gave it to her with her lunch. At first she didn't seem too interested, and kept going after her tofu instead. Eventually she warmed up to the new orange squishy objects on her tray. She even busted out her 'excited face' and begged for more when the first slices were all gone. I gave her one piece at a time to prevent her playing with it.

I did try giving Buttercup diced mango, too, which seemed to work well for her. Also, mango does get slippery when it warms up, and I would imagine the cheerio dust trick (that I used for avocados) would help littler babies hold on to it better.

PROS: yummy, nutritious, easy texture for babies

CONS: slippery

Lessons Learned

2010-11-05T09:53:00.000-05:00

Some random thoughts for you on the topic of baby-led solids:

In case there were any doubts, our pediatrician confirmed that Buttercup is doing just fine with baby-led solids. At her 9 month appointment her weight gain proved to be consistent, and she is healthy. The interesting thing to me is that her fine motor skills were more developed than most babies her age. I definitely think this is because she feeds herself. Food is a great motivator.
One of the questions I hear regularly is, "how can my baby eat table food if she doesn't have teeth?" My response is, "you have obviously never been bitten by baby gums." Buttercup is still toothless and still happily chomping away at her food. If babies really needed teeth to chew their food, it would stand to reason that they would get their molars first rather than last. Those little bitty front teeth that babies get first are useless for actually grinding food down.

So, be encouraged - baby-led solids is healthy for your baby and makes sense!

Cottage cheese

2010-11-04T09:58:00.000-05:00

Cottage cheese is one of those foods I keep hearing suggested in the world of baby-led solids. It's touted as an ideal early food since it's super high in protein, easily digestible, and soft enough for the tooth-deficient. Before I got pregnant I loved cottage cheese, but after a few very unfortunate incidents in my first trimester I went off it. I decided it was time to give it another try, and let Buttercup have some, as well.

I just gave her about a quarter cup scoop for lunch. She wasn't overly thrilled about it, but did eat most of it, using the same 'scoop and suck' method she devised for refried beans. If I had it to do over again I would look for a low sodium variety (do they even make that?).

Also, maybe I'm being paranoid, but I really think Buttercup might have some kind of weird intolerance to cow's milk. Even though the enzymes in cheeses have eaten up the lactose which is the culprit for many with proper dairy allergies, some people can still be intolerant to different components in cow's milk. I've been suspect of cheese since Buttercup's first experience which left her stinking like sour cheese all day. This time, she became insanely hyperactive after eating cottage cheese, which can be a symptom of a milk intolerance in small children. I tried it again a few days later with the same result. It made for very difficult afternoon nap times. Very suspicious, but luckily many children outgrow these kinds of things.

PROS: good source of digestible protein

CONS: high sodium, possible intolerance??

Tomato, take 2

2010-11-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

When introducing your baby to solid foods, it's important to keep periodically retrying previously rejected foods. Buttercup seems to have a love/hate relationship with tomatoes. She's not a fan of them raw, but likes them in sauces or mixed in with other foods. I thought we would try to find a middle ground by giving her roasted tomatoes. These tomatoes were grape tomatoes cut in half and roasted with a bit of olive oil (with chicken and butternut squash).

These got mixed reviews from Buttercup. She made her usual "sour face" that she reserves for tomatoes, lemons and yogurt. But, she did keep trying. She also kept gagging on the skins, but eventually learned to spit them out after sucking out the insides.

PROS: high in vitamin C

CONS: not Buttercup's favorite food

Winter squash

2010-11-02T09:34:00.000-05:00

The great thing about not using commercially made baby food is that each change in season brings new fresh foods for your baby to try. Colder weather brings with it winter squash. There's not really much difference between summer squash and winter squash, except the hardness of the skin and seeds. Buttercup has always been a lover of squash, and I figured winter squash would prove no exception. I was right - she loves it.

This particular meal consisted of roasted chicken, roasted butternut squash and roasted tomatoes. Roasting is my new favorite cooking technique. It's so easy to just throw everything in the oven with a bit of olive oil and spices then walk away! The squash was roasted in long strips with the skins still on. When we gave one to Buttercup she put it in her mouth then promptly spat it out. While the roasting produced a peel was soft enough for the tooth-endowed adults, Buttercup liked hers much better with the peels removed. She ate gobs of it after we peeled some for her.

PROS: yummy, nutritious seasonal veggie

CONS: peeling is a necessity

Refried beans

2010-11-01T14:16:00.001-05:00

Thinking outside the box is great, when I remember to do it. I don't know why I didn't think of serving refried beans to Buttercup when she was 6-7 months old, as I have discovered it to be a great early baby food.

I gave her the vegetarian version, which is low in fat (and does not contain lard, unlike the regular version). I've never really understood the name "refried" beans, since this mexican staple hasn't been fried once, let alone twice - they're just mashed pinto beans. Tis a mystery, but I digress.

Buttercup enjoyed this food, though it could partly be because she enjoyed the process of eating them: she scooped up fistfuls and then sucked it off her hand, the dirty little piglet!

I will keep this in mind as a quick and easy lunch option, since these beans are a good source of protein, manganese, magnesium and fiber. Lots of great bone and muscle-building nutrients! I'll keep a wet washcloth handy, though, as this was messier than our usual BLS fare. Even after a thorough hand-washing, I found it impossible to entirely remove the beany smell from between Buttercup's fingers.

PRO: good nutrition, easy to eat, easy to prepare

CON: messy

Pancakes

2010-10-28T12:49:00.002-05:00

One of the things I've enjoyed most about using the baby-led solids method to introduce solids to my baby is having laid back family meals together. That doesn't mean that Buttercup always eats everything that Hubby and I eat, but for the most part I prepare one meal and everyone eats it.

One recent Saturday morning Hubby and I were in the mood for pancakes, and that is one mood that should be indulged occasionally! Buttercup had already had her breakfast of raisins (and mom milk, of course). Since we were already strapping Buttercup in her highchair to eat with us, we thought she might as well enjoy a Saturday morning treat, too.

I make my pancakes from scratch; a habit I began while living in a country without pancake mix. It's a lot more economical, and you can tailor it to any dietary needs your family might have (substituting different flours, dairy, sugars etc). I might also add that making pancakes from scratch is so quick and easy I don't know why I would ever buy the boxed mix!

I'm sure it goes without saying that Buttercup loved her pancakes. I didn't give her much - maybe half a small pancake torn into smaller pieces, sans butter or syrup. While my standard practice is to give my baby healthy foods that will make her brain grow big and strong, I think it's important to have a healthy relationship with 'naughty' foods, as well. Besides, everyone deserves a treat now and again, especially when you're as sweet as Buttercup!

PROS: babies love them, literally no mess

CONS: not an 'everyday' food.

Meatloaf

2010-10-27T09:40:00.001-05:00

With as much as Buttercup loves fruits and veggies, I'm always a bit surprised at how much meat she will eat in one sitting. She is a big fan of meatloaf. My meatloaf is made out of ground lean turkey meat, with onions, celery, oatmeal and egg. There is a sauce that I put on top, but I left that off of Buttercup's portion, since it contains honey. I might as well take this opportunity to mention that you should never give your under 1-year-old honey. It can potentially have spores in it that produce neurotoxins in little bodies with immature guts. This makes for very sick babies. Public service announcement over.

So, I sliced the "safe" end off for Buttercup and she ate it. A lot of it. Quite happily.

PROS: good lean protein

CONS: don't give baby the yummy honey/ketchup/mustard sauce.

Kale

2010-10-25T15:10:00.002-05:00

Just because we aren't spoon-feeding our babies doesn't mean we can't still offer them soup, right? Chunky soups make a great meal option for the self-feeding baby. Just leave out the liquid and give them the soft chunks. In this case we had zuppa toscana on the menu (think 'Olive Garden,' but vegetarian-ified). I drained the liquid and dumped some kale, potatoes, and vegetarian "sausage" onto Buttercup's tray.

I knew she wouldn't have a problem with the potatoes and sausage. It was interesting to watch her eat the kale, though. I never noticed before how stringy kale is! I even got some stuck in the not-quite-up/not-quite-down area of my esophagus. For Buttercup there was a lot of this going on: pick up, chew, spit out, repeat. I was amazed at how persistent she was. She just kept trying to eat those darn leaves. Eventually she succeeded; I just didn't think she would be that motivated to eat something that was putting up such a fight. I guess Buttercup's inner dietician was telling her she needed some vitamin A (hello, 354% RDA!).

PROS: power-packed nutrition

CONS: hard to chew and swallow

What's YOUR eating routine?

2010-10-22T19:32:00.004-05:00

Hey, BLSers!

So, let's start a dialogue! Tell me what your feeding routine is like. Let's put our heads together, help one another out, and have a friendly chat about our baby-led solids experiences. Here is Buttercup's routine:

7:00am - nurse
8:00am - a small pile of Cheerios
9:00am - nurse
11:30am - solid meal (leftovers from dinner or veggies or fruit)
1:00pm - nurse
4:00pm - nurse
5:30pm - solid meal (whatever we're having for dinner)
6:30 - nurse
10:00pm - "dream feed" nurse

Leave your comments below. And...GO! GO! GO!

Lentils

2010-10-22T14:36:00.000-05:00

Lentils are a great solid food for babies! Not only are they easy to eat, but they're chock full of nutrition. Lentils have the most iron of any vegetable, and they are full of other vitamins, minerals and fiber. They're a great substitute for red meat, for those like myself who are withholding red meat from their babes.

I'm sure Buttercup didn't know how good for her these little gems were when she was eating, though it might explain the little 'happy dance' she was doing while eating this meal. I have a recipe for slow cooker lentils that has lots of other veggies and savory goodness. It's one of our family's favorites, and Buttercup concurred.

We noticed a few new developments during this meal. Firstly, Buttercup now only picks up as much in her hand as she can comfortably chew. This means much less spitting food back on the tray. Also, she is getting much better at moving food around with her tongue and chewing it up. She even chews with her mouth closed. Watch out, Miss Manners!

All in all, this will be a great staple to add to Buttercup's diet.

PROS: great nutritional value

CONS: none

How-To Video (pincer grasp)

2010-10-20T09:55:00.006-05:00

When starting baby-led solids it is recommended to offer your baby "french fry-shaped" foods. That's because anything smaller than that: a) is nearly impossible for a baby to successfully pick up and put in their mouths, b) could pose a choking hazard. Once your baby has developed a pincer grasp, however, a whole new world opens up to them. When babies fingers can pincer small items it's a sign that their mouths have also matured to the point where smaller foods become safe. You obviously want to still avoid hard, round items (candy, nuts, hot dogs, whole grapes, etc).

Here is Buttercup demonstrating the pincer grasp:

Eggplant

2010-10-20T09:23:00.002-05:00

Buttercup's global food education continues, this time with french food. On 'le menu du jour': ratatouille. I'd neither eaten nor made ratatouille before, so this was a first for our whole family. Food adventures indeed!

Eggplant was the only ingredient in the dish that was new to Buttercup. It was cut into one-inch squares (with skins on) and cooked down. The consistency of the eggplant was quite nice: a bit meaty, but still easy to squish between a pair of little gums.

It was interesting to see Buttercup maneuver the skins, first using them as handles, then spitting them out when the fruit was gone. Parents may worry about babies choking on skins, but Buttercup never has problems with them - she just spits them out!

Buttercup ate 3 squares of eggplant, along with the other veggies in this meal.

PROS: what's not to like about ratatouille?

CONS: none

Lessons Learned

2010-10-19T09:20:00.004-05:00

Throwing food from the high chair is a common parental complaint. It is something all babies do, it's just that baby-led solids babies start a little earlier. Here are some things we have done to cut down on the delightful dropsy game:

Only offer a little bit of food at a time. We usually offer a small heap at the beginning of the meal, then only offer one or two things at a time after that's gone.
Watch for "done" cues. Some of Buttercup's are: peering over the side of the high chair, spitting food out of her mouth, banging her hands on the tray, squishing handfuls of food, and picking up food and dropping it overboard. Watch your baby's cues in the same way you do when you're breastfeeding.
Don't leave your baby in the highchair too long. I heard one mom on a parenting forum complaining that her baby threw a lot of food on the floor. It turns out she was leaving her baby in the highchair for over an hour! Babies have tiny little attention spans. Buttercup's meals usually last 15 minutes at this stage. Either she's going to eat in 15 minutes or she's not. Leaving her there longer is only going to make her bored.
Use sign language so that your baby can "tell" you when she's finished eating. It was a proud day when Buttercup signed "all done" two weeks ago. My little genius!

Onions

2010-10-15T10:06:00.003-05:00

You just never know what foods a baby might like unless you try them! For example, Buttercup likes cooked onions.

She has had finely diced onions mixed in with other foods before, but never larger chunks their own. So, as part of our hawaiian chicken meal, I put some onion strings on her tray.

I was surprised at how much Buttercup ate. She seemed to really enjoy them! She ate them in a similar fashion to the steamed green peppers - she kinda flossed them through her mouth. But, she did eat three or four strings.

In the past I've always considered onion a flavorful filler in foods. But, it turns out they are chock full of goodness. Onions contain natural antibacterial properties, they support the immune system, and they're high in vitamins A & C. Slam dunk!

PROS: nutritious and delicious

CONS: a bit stringy

Rutabaga/Swede

2010-10-13T09:03:00.004-05:00

A great thing about using the baby-led solids method is that your baby can take advantage of yummy seasonal produce. The fall-ish weather has inspired me to buy more root vegetables, including one of my favorites from my time living in the United Kingdom: swede (known as rutabaga on this side of the pond). Usually I mash rutabaga/swede and serve it as a side dish, but I made fries out of them one night. I've recently discovered that you can make oven "fries" out of pretty much any root veg - taters, sweet taters, turnips, beets, carrots... These are a healthy alternatives to deep-fried french fries, and are also a great shape for little baby hands! Just make sure you leave off the salt for baby's portion.

Buttercup loved her rutabaga fry and gobbled it all up. Out of curiosity I looked up the nutrition benefits of rutabaga: it is really high in vitamin C and also a handful of minerals. Interestingly enough rutabaga also helps with milk production, so this one is a great option for mommies, too!

PROS: easy shape for BLS

CONS: none

Pineapple

2010-10-12T10:03:00.003-05:00

Buttercup is really making her way around the world, food-wise. She's had Mediterranean, Moroccan, Indian, Japanese, Mexican, and now Hawaiian flavors! One of Hubby's favorite dishes is Hawaiian chicken. It contains pineapples (naturally), so Buttercup got to try a new food.

The pineapples were already in chunks, and I just cut them into smaller chunks (maybe 1/2 inch by 1/4 inch?). On a sidenote: Buttercup has been enjoying smaller pieces of food, rather than the classic BLS french fry shape. I wouldn't recommend doing this in the first couple of months of solids, but Buttercup has demonstrated that she's mastered the pincer grasp and is able to move food in her mouth and chew it up really welll, so that's what we generally do now.

So, Buttercup loved the pineapple. I think she ate the equivalent of a third of a "ring" of pineapple during dinner, along with chicken and onions (stay tuned for more info on onions).

PROS: tasty vitamin C food

CONS: none

Raisins, take 2

2010-10-08T09:22:00.002-05:00

Buttercup has graduated to straight-up raisins.

When I first started giving raisins to Buttercup, I would soak them for a few minutes to soften them a bit. Maybe I'm an over-imaginative first time mother, but I kept visualizing a hard raisin torpedoing into Buttercup's windpipe.

Anyway, Buttercup now eats the raisins fresh from the box, sometimes with her breakfast cereal. These are proving to be a super easy and portable snack. They are also a good pooping food - a good tip for those of you out there with constipation-prone kiddos. In addition, raisins are high in lots of vitamins and minerals, most notably: potassium, iron, manganese, and copper.

PROS: easy, quick snack with a nutrient-packed punch

CONS: don't go overboard unless you really enjoy changing poopy diapers

Vegetable Curry

2010-10-07T08:37:00.002-05:00

A great thing about introducing solid foods to your baby using baby-led solids is that you can develop your baby's flavor palate early. Example: curry! Don't be nervous to give your baby spicy foods. If you regularly eat spicy or strong flavors, then your baby has already tasted them via amniotic fluid and breastmilk. Besides, have you ever thought about what Indian babies eat when they're starting out on solid foods? I'm sure they don't even bat an eye at curry!

Our vegetable curry recipe comprised: tofu, cauliflower, chick peas (very soft), onions and sweet potato. Though I didn't know it at the time, I made the mistake of trying this meal when Buttercup was in a crabby mood. At first she wouldn't even touch the pile of food I gave her. I gave her a slice of banana try and pique her interest in food, and suddenly she was sampling all the food on her tray.

Buttercup ate leftovers for lunch the next day and ate a ton of it. Of course, everyone knows that curry is always better the next day.

PROS: great for building adventurous eaters

CONS: somewhat messy/staining

Apple, take 2

2010-10-06T07:44:00.003-05:00

Now that apples are in season (and on sale!) we have been stocking up on them.

I was never completely satisfied with our previous experiences with apple, as Buttercup would get little tiny bits stuck in her mouth. But, a brainwave came to me one day: steaming the apple slightly!

So, here is the new procedure: I peel an apple (which is a lot easier than trying to wash off the waxy coating they put on them), then rinse and cut into slices or chunks. I steam them for just a minute, until they're semi-transparent. This yields apple chunks with a similar consistency to raw pear, which Buttercup can't get enough of. These squishier apples are also easier for her to hold. BONUS!

By the way, I've also heard that shredding apples (or carrots) is a great option for youngish babies just starting out BLS.

PROS: easier to handle and eat

CONS: requires a bit more prep work

Shepherds Pie

2010-10-05T09:56:00.005-05:00

Happy Autumn! I'm very pleased to be making comfy fall-like dinners again. One of my standbys is shepherds pie, in which I use Morning Star Crumbles, mashed potatoes (made with natural yogurt in place of milk) and frozen mixed veggies (green beans, carrots, peas, corn, lima beans). Obviously, there is a lot of room for customization with this meal as you could use any kind of meat or veggies.

I plopped a mound on Buttercup's tray and said/signed "hot" to her. She does really well at waiting for her food to cool down. I used to wait to serve food to her until it had cooled, but that got to be a nuisance. I don't think most babies would purposely hold on to something if it was uncomfortably warm, but maybe Buttercup is just a genius.

Anyway, she loved this meal. I've noticed that Buttercup has no qualms with foods being mixed. She will happily pick through it for specific items, or shove a handful of mixture in her mouth, depending on her mood. She ate this meal hand over fist, using both hands to move food to her mouth really quickly like a little machine. By cleanup time she had eaten roughly half a cup, and there was absolutely no fallout on the floor which made mommy very happy. For the record: Buttercup doesn't usually eat that much food during her solid meals.

PROS: great way to combine yummy foods

CONS: none

BLS Poem & Some Stats

2010-10-04T11:03:00.001-05:00

I can't give due credit for this poem, as I haven't been able to find the origins of it. But, it is helpful:

Up till one it's just for fun!

From one till two, they'll copy you.

From two till three, just let them be.

From three till four, worry no more.

From four till five, just watch them thrive.

Also, the following stats will really reassure you that your baby is getting all the nutrition he needs during the beginning phases of introduction to solids. I've been wondering about this info for awhile, so was happy to stumble upon the information:

Age	Nutrition & Calories from Breast Milk	"Solids" calories needed
0-6 months	100%	200
6-8 months	95%	200
9-1 months	93%	300
12-24 months	66%	550

This means that for the first 8 months, your baby could eat just a slice of bread with butter and still be on target for caloric needs. Cool, huh?

Blueberries

2010-10-01T08:37:00.002-05:00

Blueberries are not for the immaculately dressed infant!

We never got the chance to introduce Buttercup to fresh blueberries, since they were in season before she was capable of safely handling them. However, now that her pincer grasp skill is firmly developed I got some frozen ones and they have proven to be a huge hit. If you are going to use frozen blueberries for your little one I'd recommend going organic, as frozen blueberries can pack quite the pesticidal punch (even more than your average non-organic produce).

Anyway, because they had been frozen these berries were quite soft when thawed, so they were really easy for Buttercup to chew. In fact, I've never seen her eat anything so fast. She was literally eating them hand over fist. I am thankful that I put two bibs on her, though, because her outfit would have been destroyed by the purple juice.

PROS: high nutritional value (antioxidants!)

CONS: non-organic is high in pesticides, very messy

Washing Produce

2010-09-30T10:05:00.000-05:00

So, I know I've talked about Fit Fruit & Vegetable Wash somewhat regularly. I have used the product to wash the outside of all Buttercup's produce. Buying organic would be my first choice, but as that's not in the budget for now I wash with Fit. With baby-led solids it's important to wash the outside of produce, since babies will be putting pieces of food (peels and all) into their mouths. A 2008 study showed a definite link between pesticide consumption in children and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Tragically, retailers in my area have stopped carrying Fit or any type of produce wash. Apparently there is little demand for health products in my town. But, being the resourceful DIY-er I am, I decided to make my own. Here is the recipe I used:

1c vinegar
2 Tbsp baking soda
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 c water

Mix the first three ingredients together in a large bowl (there will be significant foaming as a result of the chemical reaction among the components). Mix well. Add water. Put in a spray bottle.

There's a part of me that would prefer to be using a store-bought variety of produce wash, since this is my baby's health we're talking about. However, I do feel very self-satisfied whenever I make something myself and "stick it to the man."

Bottom line: clean your produce. Your child's brain will thank you for it.

Salmon

2010-09-29T09:31:00.001-05:00

You'll have to take my word for it, but that really is a chunk of salmon in Buttercup's fist. I broke the fish into quarter-sized pieces. She loves fish, and although she's had it several different times, the only salmon she'd had up to this point was canned salmon and smoked. For this meal, the salmon had been pan-fried in olive oil (with some pepper, garlic and lime juice). She gobbled it all up!

This was a great meal for her because the fish was a nice consistency to hold on to. It was also flaky so she could chew and swallow it easily. I've mentioned it before, but fish is an extremely healthy food for babies (and adults for that matter) because of its high Omega-3 and protein content. Other health benefits of fish, especially salmon, is it has essential vitamins and minerals that promote healthy tissue growth, lowers cholesterol, regulates metabolism and is good for eye, brain and nerve development. Sounds like a super-food if you ask me! I’m so happy Buttercup has a love for fish!

PROS: Multiple health benefits
CONS: Maybe watch out for bones (depends on the cut and species of fish)

Couscous

2010-09-28T08:39:00.003-05:00

I don't feel any pressure to give Buttercup a starch with every meal. I know they are the least nutrient-dense food I could offer her (next to things like candy and potato chips, ya know). I also feel totally secure knowing that she is getting all the nutrition she needs from her six nursing sessions a day, so I don't feel bad letting her experiment with these flavors either.

Buttercup has had similarly textured food items, including rice and bulgar wheat. We served this in the same way: in a little heap on her highchair tray. She took one bite and didn't really seem that interested after that. I am not sure why. Maybe she knew her body needed the salmon and veggies more. I just don't know. I thought it was really tasty, though.

I think it's important to continue to offer Buttercup whatever I'm making Hubby and I for dinner, so we will be trying this again in the future.

PROS: an easy starch option

CONS: didn't care for it

Carrot, take 2

2010-09-27T09:49:00.003-05:00

Carrots were the second food Buttercup chose in this multi-food meal. In this picture, she is actually working on carrots. Click this post on carrots to see our first attempt using the traditional baby-led solid "french fry" shape. She has no problem wolfing these down. But, I know moms might be looking for other preparation options for veggies and this is a good alternative. These carrots were shredded (I used a carrot peeler) and sauteed with green beans in a bit of olive oil.

Shredding or peeling also works well with apples. Just make sure that you don't make the "strings" too long, or they could be uncomfortable going down a throat unchewed. That reminds me of the time I swallowed a long hair - YUCK!

At any rate, Buttercup ate the carrots in their new format and didn't bat an eye.

PROS: an alternative to the "french fry" shape

CONS: make sure they're not too long

Green Bean, take 2

2010-09-24T10:00:00.004-05:00

Although Buttercup is only 8 months old and still has no teeth, she has already graduated to eating "proper" meals, meaning she pretty much eats the exact same things Hubby and I eat for dinner (see latest tweet about importance of family meals). The only exception to Buttercup eating what we eat is if there is a milky sauce of some sort (milk can cause all sorts of problems until baby's guts mature near age 1). My next four posts are all from the same dinner. She had:

salmon, pan-fried in olive oil, garlic, black pepper, lime juice
sauteed green beans (from the garden)
sauteed carrot shreds
couscous, with red onions, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and olive oil

Her first experiment with green bean was not too successful. It was difficult for her to bite the bean apart. Also, it was her third meal, so it's not like she really knew what the heck she was doing yet. I've mentioned green beans in passing since then, but wanted to do an official post on this great veggie.

These green beans were from my garden, but the difference is that they'd been blanched and frozen, whereas the others were picked fresh and steamed. I think that combined with the sauteeing made them more squidgey than other green beans I'd given Buttercup. At any rate, she ate 2 or 3 full beans in addition to her other offerings.

PROS: sauteeing makes for softer beans

CONS: none

Lessons Learned

2010-09-22T09:39:00.005-05:00

Strikes: the second-most frustrating things for mothers (next to sleep issues). They leave you feeling so helpless and bewildered. I mean, what do you do when your child just won't eat? There are three kinds of strikes related to the introduction of solid foods that I want to talk about.

Nursing strikes: Nursing strikes often happen before the introduction of solid food. While they are perplexing to say the least, they become even more confusing when you throw solids into the mix. You think, "Am I giving too many solids? Do I cut back on solids to make her want to nurse more? Do I give her more solids to make sure she doesn't starve to death?" Buttercup went through one of these phases two weeks ago. Fortunately for us, we have an extensive network of "been-there-done-that" moms we can use as a resource. Between asking around and reading every forum in the universe I came to this conclusion: you should not offer extra solids. This could lead to premature weaning, and I am definitely not okay with Buttercup weaning before one year. What we did do was to identify which nursing sessions were the least successful for us, then tweak our solid meals accordingly. For example, Buttercup suddenly refused to nurse before her morning nap, so I stopped offering her morning breakfast cereal. After a few days she started nursing again. Ultimately, I think we'll never know why babies go on nursing strikes, but with perseverance they usually come around within a few days.

Food strikes: In all my talking to other moms about introducing solid foods (purees or BLS), it seems like just about every baby goes through a phase about a month after successfully starting solids where they just don't want anything but their milk. For us it happened exactly at 7 months. After packing away the meals, Buttercup suddenly started only eating a bite or two before playing with the food. Prior to age one babies aren't depending on solids for nutrition anyway. So, just relax, follow baby's cues and keep making healthy food available without pressure to eat it.

Specific food item strikes: Apparently, it's really common for babies to suddenly start rejecting some foods that they previously liked. Who will ever know what's going on in those little noggins? Don't despair, though. Just because your little one turns up his nose at carrots (or in our case avocado) one day doesn't mean that he'll never eat them again. Offer the rejected food periodically and don't force the issue. By letting your baby maintain control over what goes in his mouth you are making him more likely to enjoy different foods, even ones he's previously rejected.

Brussels Sprouts

2010-09-22T08:51:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe my child likes brussels sprouts. They are one of those foods that kids stereotypically hate! I always knew Buttercup was special, or maybe doing baby-led solids really does make babies more adventurous eaters.

The sprouts were part of a stew that I'd made in the crockpot, so they were "well done." I just read today that cooking sprouts actually increases the absorbable nutrients. Something about fiber, phytonutrients, DNA and cancer protection, but I digress. I cut the sprouts in half for easier handling. Buttercup put the entire half in her mouth, chewed and swallowed, though not without incident: she had some spectacular gags throughout the meal. I think maybe the leaves were getting a little hung up in her throat on their way down. At the risk of sounding like a broken record: remember that gagging is normal and not cause for worry. Gagging prevents food from going down the wrong pipe. It involves the throat, while choking involves the windpipe. And, Buttercup was definitely not put off by her gags. She ate two whole sprouts during the meal.

PROS: nutritious veggie

CONS: a bit gaggerific

Confident "Baby-Led Solids"

2010-09-19T18:32:00.001-05:00

When I talk to people about introducing babies to solid food, I'm keenly aware that most have not heard of the concept of baby-led solids. Baby-led solids is a commonsense method of introducing solid foods to babies without pureeing, mashing, grinding, spooning, or making humiliating airplane noises. Simply wait until your baby is 6 months old and hand him appropriately shaped foods, letting him feed himself! Tons of new research proves the benefits of this amazing method, and one advantage is that it encourages your baby to become a confident eater. But what about mom's confidence when faced with skeptics?

Everyone who's ever known the joy of handing a slice of pear to a 6 month old and watching him pummel it into his eager face has also dealt with these skeptics. They can come in the form of your sister, who has six kids and clearly knows all there is to know about child rearing, or the random stranger who has an overwhelming urge to contribute his two cents to your child's upbringing. If you're ever in a position where you are tempted to question the sanity of baby-led solids here is an insanely logical argument to bring you back to firm footing: babies naturally put things in their mouths. That's right! Nature intended babies to eat "real" food from the age of 6 months onward, which is why they desperately want to chew on anything within reach, especially if it smells like food.

As anyone who has ever been within a fifty foot radius of a 6-month old knows, everything goes in the mouth. Babies don't know they're "not supposed to put things in their mouths." That's the great thing about giving them real food - they automatically put it in their mouths. They don't worry about whether they're getting enough iron, or if they're going to choke. I'm not saying to disregard reasonable care in these things (see FAQs page of blog). Babies come with all sorts of nifty safety features: they have hands that are incapable of picking up most choking hazards and they have gag reflexes, to name a few. I am suggesting you remember that babies are hardwired to do things that benefit them. Just as "demand-fed" babies are rarely undernourished, self-feeding babies can automatically balance their diet if given a healthy selection of food to choose from.

Imagine all of those moms out there who spend all of baby's playtime preventing things from going in the mouth, then spend all of mealtime repeatedly shoving a spoon into said mouth...Why fight nature? Let them chew broccoli!

Spaghetti squash

2010-09-17T09:49:00.002-05:00

Because we've chosen to introduce solid foods to Buttercup using the baby-led solids method, she's had many foods that I didn't have until I was an adult. For example: spaghetti squash. I love spaghetti squash. Absolutely love it. I scoop out the "guts", bake it til tender, fork out the strings, and liberally apply butter, parmesan, salt and pepper. So good! Someday Buttercup will get to eat it the naughty way with me, but for now she gets it plain jane.

I set some squash aside for her before I doctored it all up for myself. I did cut it up a bit so that the strings weren't so long. I plopped a little pile in the middle of Buttercup's tray and she grabbed fists full and put them in her mouth. She made some weird faces at first (probably because of the strings going down her throat), but ate a laudable amount of the stuff.

PROS: yummy and nutritious vegetable

CONS: none

Avocado, take 2

2010-09-15T08:13:00.001-05:00

I finally got around to trying the Cheerio-dust-covered-avocado trick. I've been seeing that tip floating around the various forums I am a part of, but haven't really needed to try it. Well, we seem to have hit a wall with avocado. Buttercup has been rejecting her once favorite food. I thought maybe she just didn't like picking it up in the big long slices like she used to, as she has been favoring smaller pieces she can pick up with her forefinger and thumb. I tried cutting small pieces of avocado, but they were too slippery for her. So, I rolled them in multi-grain Cheerios. They were definitely easier for her to pick up. The problem was that she kept sucking the Cheerio dust off then discarding the avocado.

I know that babies can reject a food and then later fall back in love with it. The key is to keep occasionally trying and stay calm (that advice could be helpful in so many aspects of life!)

Watermelon

2010-09-14T09:18:00.002-05:00

Watermelon is a great first solid food for baby, as we recently discovered at a family cookout. I gave Buttercup a few delicious cubes as the other kids (22 months and older) were eating. I was very proud of her ability to self-feed like a big girl!

Did you know that watermelon is the leader in lycopene content among fresh fruits and vegetables? It's also high in vitamins C, A, B6 and potassium. Who knew? I always just thought it was water and sugar.

PROS: good consistency

CONS: very drippy