Apricot, take 2 (and craisins)

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

Raisins, take 2

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

Beans & Raisins

I thought since Buttercup was doing so well with her cereal I'd try some other small finger foods. I'd made a moroccan dish that called for beans and raisins so I pulled out a few of each and put them on Buttercup's tray for her. I gave the beans a little pinch first to soften up the skins, but the raisins were already soft from being cooked.

I was so impressed with how well Buttercup did! She hasn't mastered her pincer grasp skill, but I have noticed with her breakfast cereal that she has devised her own method of getting small food items into her mouth: she rakes them into the part of her fist by her thumb then shoves that part of her hand in her mouth while simultaneously opening her fingers. That is what she did with these teeny foods, as well. She enjoyed both of these new foods.

I can see both beans and raisins becoming good staples for Buttercup in the future. And beans are the magical fruit, after all...

PROS: good nutrition, no preparation!
CONS: baby must be able to handle small items