Avocado, take 2

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!)

Spaghetti

Buttercup is mainly eating the same dinners as Hubby and I now. When we first started baby-led solids we would give her a single food item to work on. Now she happily chows down on complex meals. For example, I like to make a healthier version of spaghetti bolognese with: whole wheat noodles, Morning Star crumbles (meat alternative), spinach, mushrooms, garden tomatoes, and cream cheese. We gave some to Buttercup 's. The only difference I made to her portion was that I threw in some avocado, because I had to use some up and Buttercup hasn't been too thrilled with avocado lately (see Avocado, take 2). I made a little spaghetti pile on Buttercup's tray, since this is what's worked best with similar items (ex: tabouleh, rice).

Buttercup ate it all with gusto, even the mushrooms and tomatoes. I guess she likes those foods cooked better than raw. Also, this was the first time Buttercup had eaten dairy products that she didn't stink (see dairy posts). It was only a small amount, but maybe her body is getting better at handling it? Anyway, I love that her meals require so little preparation (and virtually no extra cost). BLS is so easy!

PROS: good way to combine lots of healthy foods

CONS: requires a bath afterwards

Spreads

Along with rice cakes, toast makes a good carrier for spreads. Other spreads worth trying are: smashed avocado, smashed banana, cream cheese, and thinly spread peanut butter. Interesting to note that the American Association of Pediatrics has changed their recommendations on delaying giving peanut butter to children under a year. That practice hasn't been shown to reduce peanut allergies in children so pediatricians have lifted the advice. The only thing to keep an eye out for with peanut butter is its consistency. If you put too much on, it can be too thick for your little one to safely manage without gagging and possibly choking.

By the way, we use Smucker's natural peanut butter. One ingredient = good. Although I think cream cheese is a good idea, we are waiting on that one because of the "cheese incident." Since discovering an easier way to serve bananas and avocados we haven't done as much of those as spreads, but I would recommend them to babies having issues with hand-mouth coordination.

PROS: a great way to boost nutritional value of grain foods and add variety

CONS: messy.

Avocado

What an adventure this was! I don't think Hubby & I have ever laughed so hard during a meal. Ok, first I washed the whole avocado with Fit veggie wash (I should get corporate sponsorship, shouldn't I?). I cut the avocado in half, then cut one of the halves into quarter strips leaving the skins on.

Buttercup immediately picked up a slice and put it in her mouth. She was able to suck pieces off pretty easily. She did manage to suck a piece of skin off and had it in her mouth. I fished it out, but that's something to keep an eye on in the future. Another benefit to BLS that I'm noticing is that Buttercup's motor skills, especially her hand-eye coordination, are improving exponentially with each meal in a way that I don't think would happen with just her normal playtimes. I guess food is a good motivator for her. She must take after her dad.

The hilarity of the mealtime came from the fact that once Buttercup started getting the fruit mashed up in her mouth everything within her grasp became very slippery. She'd pick up a slice and it would pop right out of her hand. Then I would try to pick it up and hand it to her and I couldn't pick it up either! Everything was just slip-sliding all over the place. Also, her bib is permanently green, I think.

PROS: high nutrition, good-fat and comedic value, yummy, easy to chew and swallow

CONS: slippery, very messy and staining