Soup (with a spoon)

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?")

Broccoli, take 2

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

Broccoli and green bean

I decided to do some green veggies for this meal. I don't want Buttercup to have a sweet tooth. I've read that babies are actually hard-wired to prefer sweets (especially if they've been breastfed), but I still want her to have a good balance in her diet.

Secondly, I'd read that broccoli makes for a really good first food, as it has built in handles. Also, it's also a good source of iron, which is of some consideration if you're passing on baby cereal (check out the FAQs page for a blurb about baby cereal and iron). I grabbed a green bean out of my garden as an afterthought, mainly to see what Buttercup would do with it. My poor little lab rat...heh heh

I pulled 3 frozen broccoli florets out of the freezer and steamed them along with the green bean.

Before you think I'm horrible person for feeding my baby frozen broccoli I think it's worth noting that most of the time frozen veggies are actually better quality than fresh. They are picked at peak ripeness and frozen within hours, whereas fresh veggies are picked under-ripe and shipped halfway across the country (sometimes world) and sit in the back warehouse of Walmart for several days before the customer brings them home to sit in their fridge for several more days...I digress...Anyway, I let the broccoli and green bean get just soft enough that I thought they'd be easy to gum up, then I let them cool off.

Ok, so I held up a broccoli floret and Buttercup promptly wrapped her fist around it, and shoved it in her mouth. She definitely has this game figured out! But, I was amazed when the broccoli reemerged several seconds later with many of the green knubbly bits missing, presumably down her gullet. When she dropped it she made little frustrated yelling noises until I helped her get it again. I never knew my amazingly calm content baby had an impatient side until we started "real" food! The bean wasn't as much of a success. She chewed on it a bit, made a horrible face, then dropped it. I offered it back and she refused to touch it.

I found little tiny broccoli "leaves" in Buttercup's diaper the next day, which made me chuckle. This is a good time to mention that it is perfectly normal to find seemingly undigested bits of food in baby's diaper when introducing foods. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your baby's digestive system (much to Hubby's relief).

Broccoli -
PROS: very easy to manage and eat, and high in iron
CONS: none!

Green beans -
PROS: nice built-in BLS shape
CONS: a bit difficult to gnaw on