Isaac eats! The other day, I broke down and bought some organic jarred baby food and some organic rice cereal. I thought I might compare the jarred stuff to my homemade sweet potatoes and, if all else fails, break down and give cereal a shot. I gave Isaac some carrots for the first time yesterday morning, and he actually seemed to like them! He ate about a third of the jar, and he finished it this morning and evening. I think, at first, he was a little put of by the texture and consistency of the carrots, and I noticed that, while my sweet potatoes were as runny as his commercial carrots, they weren't quite as smooth. (I was happy to find, though, that they did actually taste like carrots.)
I think I've figured out that the trick to getting Isaac to eat is to feed him while I'm eating as well. I started introducing solids in the first place because of his interest in what was on my plate, and tonight I discovered that putting his food on my plate, next to my salmon and rice, made him my more amenable to eating them. I didn't have to cajole the carrots into his mouth--quite the opposite! If I took too many bites of my own food without giving him one of his, his little hand would reach out to grab my arm or, if it happened to be within his reach, something off my plate. Every time I directed the spoon toward his mouth, he opened it wide and swallowed his mush without spitting any of it out!
Okay, so I know not everyone (or anyone) will find this as exciting as I do, but that's okay, I don't expect you to. Perhaps I should have titled this post "Only read if EXTREMELY bored!" :)
On a side note, Isaac bit me with his new tooth tonight while he was nursing. It still hurts! I tried to remember what Dr. Sears says to do when this happens, but I was so startled and distracted that I couldn't do anything but yelp. We're going to have to put a stop to that before I-Man gets any more teeth.
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4 comments:
This boring mom likes your post. Miles LOVED carrots. That was, by far, his favorite beginner food. He won't touch them NOW, but he loved them back when he was my good veggie-eating baby.
Not trying to be bossy, and there really is no good advice for feeding babies/toddlers...I think you just have to find what works for them, and then when they change their minds, you have to figure out what works all over again...HOWEVER, grains (cereal) is not easy to digest. Shannon suggests waiting until the 9 month period, or beyond, and Dr. Wootan (along with many of the holistic moms) suggest a gluten-free diet, or waiting until they are several years old before introduction, at least. I introduced grains at 9 months. Miles loved rice cereal, and it became his favorite food. However, he soon became very constipated (almost took him to emergency room because he was shaking and screaming), because he was not digesting it properly. I cut him off, completely for a while, then slowly introduced them back into his diet. He now has grains at least twice a day and seems to be fine with them, but it was hard on his tummy at 9 months.
Also, are you using a food processor for his homemade foods? I used the Bullet, but I was not pureeing Miles' foods fine enough, in the beginning. When I eventually compared our homemade food with a jar of 1st step baby food, I realized how chunky mine was. So, I began processing it longer, and mine ended up as runny as the jar food. Also, I would make up batches and pour it into ice trays to freeze. That was before I was into the plastic crusade, but it worked well. I would pop one/two out, for the day, and they thawed fairly quickly.
Like I said, you have to find what works best with Isaac, and everyone has their own success/failure stories. Just remember, that a baby will typically do fine without much food, for the first year. Forcing food, or trying things just so that he is eating can start poor eating habits. I introduced solids, at 6 months, but Miles did not really start eating on a daily basis, until 9 months, and he was approximately a year old before he began wanting 3 meals a day, with snacks in between. I think Dr. Sears, along with most of the nutritionists I've talked to, say that the first 6 months of solids (6-12 months old) is for experimenting, playing, and getting used to foods, rather than gaining needed nutrition...he should be getting much/all of what he needs from breast milk and/or formula. You will know what he is ready for, and I think the best advice is to listen to your baby. If he seems interested and is having no issues with allergies/digestion, then you're probably ok.
You are such a great and healthy eater, I'm sure that your son will mimic your good food habits!
Sorry for rambling, but I know that it's easy to get frustrated with feeding, it's been one of my biggest obstacles...just remember that picky eating is completely normal! Best of luck to you, and happy eating to Mr. Isaac!
Wow, sorry about all of those gramatical errors...
Just one example: '...grains is not easy to digest'!
Wow...too little sleep, too much coffee!
I forgot about Miles and his scary constipation episode! I remember you telling me that.
I'm hoping to avoid feeding Isaac the cereal any time soon. I think I broke down and bought it because I've been getting so much pressure from my parents and grandparents to give him cereal. I don't know why they're so persistent about it. My grandmother, especially, keeps telling me that giving him cereal will help him sleep longer. I've tried telling her that I'm not feeding Isaac to get him to sleep longer! But everyone in my family seems convinced that cereal is the way to go. I'm glad Isaac is liking the veggies because now I can at least show them that I am attempting to give him food. I'm not sure if they were worried I was going to starve him or what!
Anyway, thanks for the advice and the reassurance that there's no need to rush. Could you call my mom and dad now, please? :)
Our doc says the same thing... at this age, it's just for exploring and not really for nutrition. It has been extremely stressful for me too because everyone keeps asking what she's eating and has she tried this etc. etc. etc. Oy. And she has been constipated w/o cereal just FYI. I think any new solids can have that effect and it is scary. :(
Orange foods are def. her favorites though none of it is really exciting at this point. She'd just as soon have her bottle. :)
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