BABY FOOD. Who knew this was going to such a catastrophe. Just kidding, it's not that bad...but I'm still trying to figure it out.
I have some excellent guidance from my many friends re: THE INTRODUCTION OF SOLIDS. Madelyn was sitting at an early age, and started to show some serious fascination and interest in food at 4 months, so we actually started at 5 months.
First off...the highchair. I'll be honest, this was like the ONLY thing I didn't research extensively like a crazed maniac mama. I picked the #graco #duodiner 3 in 1 Milan Highchair basically because it was on sale. And talk about perks of writing a blog...I JUST REALIZED THIS THING IS 3 IN 1 AND CAN BECOME A BOOSTER (even though I have the cutest bumblebee booster...bring on the battle). I knew I picked it for a reason...well kind of. But we're super happy with it. It's well padded, and the there's a 3 way strap to ensure miss Maddie is safe because GIRL LOVES HER FOOD. And she moves...like A LOT. The highchair is able to recline (3 different positions), and has 5 different height settings which is fantastic as she continues to grow. Speaking of growing, it can sustain a nice 40lb'er, which is great news because she's almost halfway there (WHAT). There are two pieces to the tray table, which makes it easily wipeable for those big messes (which happen on the daily). It can easily fold for travel if needed...all around a very solid buy.
Dishes. I swear I may be the only person in the world that writes about these things, but why not. We chose the #greensprouts brand, earth friendly. We were graciously gifted the single bowl, the compartment bowl and plate. In pink AND blue...talk about spoiled. All the products are silicone based, and therefore heat resistant, slip resistant and can sustain whatever this little baby throws at them. At 8 months, we've started to use the single bowl and try some more "solid" food, so she can practise using the pincer grasp and feed herself. It's going mediocre if you ask me. PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT RIGHT!
Baby food maker. #beabefoodcook
I could be lazy and write please see my instagram post. BUT I won't be mean and I'll just retype it out. I must say it, and the Kitchenaid are my favourite appliances of life. Nothing even comes close to comparison. Just pick your fruit, vegetable, meat, ANYTHING...throw in the steamer compartment and it'll steam it. After, simply throw it in the blender compartment and BAM...friends you have puree. One easy button, you can't go wrong. It is BPA, and lead free. Staying true to theme, we use the #greensprouts silicone freezer trays. Super bendy, twisty, turn, heat resistant and good for the Earth.
Sippy cups and utensils.
Pretty straight forward. #munchkin soft tip infant spoon. BPA free. WILL survive in the dishwasher (but put them in the top rack friends). Soft on the gums. AND HECK...THEY'RE RAINBOW. Sold.
We have only recently started the sippy cup. Madelyn loves to drink water some days, and other days drink it and spit it out.
We started off with the munchkin 360 trainer cup (7oz size) First off, there are handles...so helpful. The entire top of the sippy cup has a valve that allows infants to suck on the soft material, but also automatically seals to avoid spills when they stop drinking. Madelyn struggled a bit with this cup, but in fairness we started early and haven't given it a fair shot since. NOTED. Get on that. Also, this will survive the top rack of the dishwasher.
Next sippy cup was the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature First Sips Transition Cup (whoa that was a lot to type) I found these at Winners in a cute little two pack of pink and purple unicorn theme (#girlmom). This sippy cup has a legit straw, and Madelyn easily caught on to the suck technique to retrieve her water. There are handles so she can easily grasp the cup solo, but I've also read you can remove the handles to help with transitioning to more advanced sippy cup (we're not there yet).
And then...there's the actual food bit! I'm not gonna lie, I just wing this everyyyyy day. I was blessed with a child that likes food, SORRY, LOVES FOOD. Everyone tells me it's a blessing, and I am truly grateful that she does like to eat and doesn't put up a fuss. BBBBUUUUUTTTT. I also do not enjoy not being able to eat in front of her, or show our faces in a public place with any food visible to the naked eye. SHE WANTS EVERYTHING. We're not in the toddler phase yet but the girl can SCREAMMMMM.
We started off easy. Cereals to ensure she has adequate iron intake (along with other nutrients that are added in fortified cereals...we used Gerber for no particular reason) and because of it's texture. We experimented with rice, then oat, then wheat cereals. Every new food introduced was given for three consecutive days to ensure no allergies or food intolerances were present. As time went on, we started to make her cereals thicker and thicker to give her different experiences with different textures.
Next up we started with the veggggggies. We knew food wouldn't be a problem and lets be real. FRUIT, sugar, this girl was going to demolish them. So we introduced every vegetable known to man kind (that's exaggerating..the main staples in this household). Carrots, broccoli, green peas, green beans, beets, butternut squash. Broccoli was her favourite...not sure if she's my child or not?
Then came the fruits. Easy peasy. Bananas (mushed with a fork) apples, pears, mangos, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, kiwi, peaches...THE WORKS. Not one that she turned her nose up to.
We're currently in the combo feeding phase. When we first started solids, we kept it very simple. Cereal in the morning one hour after her first feed of the day (7:00am), and then one vegetable after her afternoon feed (4:00pm). She was really enjoying her food so we gradually just started adding a few additional ounces at both meals. She loved a fruit with her cereal in the morning, and a fruit and vegetable in the evening. At 6.5-7 months we started introducing meat and protein purees. Black beans, chickpeas, lentils. chicken (yes it will puree), ground turkey were the staples we started with. Hoping to introduce fish, shellfish (hold your breath) and ground beef soon. Now that she's tasted and experienced all the foods, I try to ensure that she has something different every day of the week. This is why the puree cubes are a LIFESAVER. And did I mention super DUPER convenient?
Madelyn is now 8 months, and we still breastfeed four times in the day. This is typically what our schedule looks like on a given day.
7:00 am - breastfeed
8:00 am - cereal or yogurt and 1oz of fruit
10:00 am - breastfeed
11:30 am - mum mums to practise our pincer grasp
1:00 pm - breastfeed
4:00 pm - 1oz veggie, 1oz fruit, 1oz protein and a few licks of peanut butter (her demands)
6:30 pm - breastfeed before bed
We'll be introducing lunch very soon (once I get my act together...who knows how long that will take) and apart from that...I really have no idea where we'll be heading next. I love hearing about other's experiences with feeding, and what they did. PLEASE share your experiences, or just let me know I'm not crazy when I say I really have no idea what to do! I swear if I left it to her she'd eat us bankrupt, and she's only 8 months old. When did you start transition to solids and phase out breastfeeding?
If you read this blog post, YOU'RE NUTS, but i LOVE you. Thanks for sticking by me in this wild journey and seriously, please help a girl out with any ideas. I dread when I hear stories of babies who LOVED food and then turn into the toddler that refuses anything and everything. Bear will love it, but I may go nuts.
LOVE YOU ALL xoxo
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