Last night there were a couple of firsts in our house. Alexis had her first "real" food. Of course as soon as I sat down and lifted that first spoonful, it all came rushing back to me. The sticky, runny rice cereal, the jars of gross smelling baby food, the mess...And what else should follow this lovely first than Alexis' first bath in the big girl tub? It was also the girls' first bath together. They had a blast splashing each other, although Tom was not as excited about the splashing. I got a really cute video, but needless to say, I won't be posting it on the web. I did send it to the grandparents and godparents though, and it will probably show up again in about twenty years when the suitors come around. Did I say twenty? I meant forty. And then just a few minutes ago, my darling husband lowered the crib mattress because my baby can now pull herself up on the side. It's all going so fast. (Yes, I'm getting a little sentimental here.) What's a mom to do?
Making Kids’ Faith Come Alive
3 days ago
5 comments:
Ahhh, real food! My personal recommendation? I know you are so eager to have it! Mash your table food. Forget the baby food. Just my opinion.
I agree with Kristina about mashing table food and not buying all those jars.
As for buying formula for your trip just in case...yes, difficult. Motherhood is difficult. Life is difficult.
{sigh}
But hey! You and hubby get away with no kids! That's great!
Thanks for your comments ladies! And advice on the mashing of table food would be appreciated. I think the jars were so easy with my first because they were nicely measured out and to be honest, provided more variety than what my husband and I were eating fruit and veggie wise.
After reading my post again, I realize that it may have come off sounding a little ungrateful for the new stage my daughter is entering. That was so not the point. I actually am excited, although still feeling like it's going so fast this time. But it's also amazing to see her grow. Please, I hope no one thought I was complaining...
Oh, no, no, no! I didn't think you were compaining! I just found that table food was easier for me! Most people I know say that baby food is easier, but I found just the oposite.
Okay, some ideas. If you want to offer your kiddie some variety in veggies, get canned veggies. Drain the water, run it through the blender, then freeze it in an ice cube tray. After it's frozen, pop it out, put in a freezer bag and you've got good portion sizes ready to go.
For fruit, you can gently bake apples and do the same thing. If you want some more ideas, shoot me an email.
By the way, in my personal experience, it is much easier to switch your children to table food if they've been eating mushed table food, because they are used to the texture of real food.
Oh, yeah, after that initial learning to swallow stage, I just mashed whatever was on my plate with a fork and stuck it in their mouths.
I don't think you were complaining either.
I would feed my kids baby cereal and some of the snack foods (for convenience), but after my first 2 kids, I stopped buying the jars. Canned veggies are good, and green beans, even unmashed, are very easy for babies to eat. Rice, pasta (cut up really tiny), and mashed potatoes are staples. Ground beef (meatloaf, meatballs, taco meat, etc) are good. Chicken cut up really tiny (older babies - 10 months or older). Be careful with bread - it sticks to the roof of their mouth.
The whole point is getting your kids to eat YOUR food. Bland jarred baby food doesn't taste like your food, so forget it. My 2 oldest are really picky. The others are MUCH better about eating what I serve. It's really not much extra work, especially by the time the are a year old.
P.S. I don't do this, but I know a woman who exclusively breastfed her kids until one year of age - and I mean EXCLUSIVE: NO other food. So, it can be done. If the child can't eat chicken, don't feed her chicken. She'll be fine.
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