Saturday, December 3, 2011

BABY FOOD

Hello? Is anyone out there? Aside from my husband and neighbors? Probably not. But just in case . . . allow me to tell you about making baby food.

So, when I first found out I was pregnant I knew there were a few things I wanted to do with Baby Wall. Cloth diapering and making his baby food were two big ones. Well, cloth diapering didn't happen, despite the fact that I have plenty of cloth diapers. I think after having a baby you are trying so hard to just figure out the baby. Adding the learning curve of cloth diapers didn't interest me at all. I suppose I could pick it up now . . .

But I digress. I am really pleased to say I have made all of the food that Elliott has eaten (aside from a few banana Puffs). I thought it was going to be so difficult, but it isn't! We don't even have a microwave, so I can only imagine how much faster it is for people that do.

When the time rolled around that we decided to give Elliott food (about 5 1/2 months) we happened to meet up with some friends, Sharon and Matt, and their 1 year old daugher, Isabelle. Sharon is a nutritionist so it was really interesting to talk to her about baby nutrition. She said that they had opted to not use the cereals that all books, Doctors, parents, and friends recommended. They skipped that step and went straight for the actual foods. After asking some more questions, Sharon told me that they decided to do this because, especially if you are breast feeding (which I am), then eating at 6 months is not a necessity, per se. Introducing foods to a baby at 6 months is more a matter of acclimating your baby to being able to eat. Additionally, the box cereals are fortified and processed - and not necessary.

Dave and I have gone to great lengths lately to improve our diets by eating whole foods, and less processed foods (pay no attention to my Junior Mint habit). So why not try the same thing with our baby?

Elliott's first food was sweet potatoes. I roasted them in the oven, then put them through a sieve to keep them super smooth. The potatoes were still really thick so I opted to thin them out with breast milk (which also helps your baby recognize the taste and encourages them to keep eating). It went great! He gobbled up an entire serving with no hesitation.

Elliott enjoying some sweet potatoes.

Because I am a stay at home mom, I obviously have the time to make him food. It also makes me feel more comfortable introducing foods every few days. So, these are all of the foods Elliott has tried within the last month and a half:
  • 10/22 - Sweet Potatoes
  • 10/27 - Apples
  • 10/28 - Apples with Prune Juice
  • 10/29 - Bananas
  • 11/2 - Pears
  • 11/5 - Carrots
  • 11/8 - Peas
  • 11/14 - Peaches
  • 11/17 - Oatmeal
  • 11/19 - Acorn Squash & Cinnamon
  • 11/21 - Avocado
  • 11/24 - Butternut squash
  • 11/27 - Green Beans
  • 11/29 - Barley & Prunes
  • 12/2 - Zucchini
Wow. That's a lot of food. He has loved everything, and only refused too-ripe bananas (which I was warned about). He eats oatmeal or barley with almost every meal, although I prefer the barley because it doesn't get as gummy as oatmeal does. He normally eats 2 or 3 different things at each meal, just to make sure he is getting a good combination of nutrients. For instance, I try to give him something with vitamin C when he eats an iron rich food to help with iron absorption.

When he isn't enjoying food, he likes to eat his toes. If he has socks on, all the better!

Stay tuned for my favorite recipes and things that I have found really helpful in baby food making!