...Taking First Bites

Back when we had our first baby, a friend of mine had asked me about when/how we started feeding her solids. I felt terrible that my foggy mom brain was totally useless to her. By that point, it was a complete blur and I wasn't able to be as helpful as I would have liked to be.

So this time round, I have decided to write down my process for the benefit of myself (like I said, "Baby Fever" is a solid nickname for this kid), but mostly for others. If this information isn't of interest to you, feel free to skip to the end.

The two most helpful resources I was given in the course were This Pamplet from Ottawa Public Health and this Meal Plan from Dietitians Canada.

Here is the general outline:

1. Start feeding your baby solid foods around 6 months of age. Some may be younger and some may be older, but as long as they show some kind of interest in grabbing the spoon and are able to sit upright in their chair, you should be good to go.

2. You will start by offering solid food after breastfeeding/ formula for one of the meals in the day. We started with breakfast. This "meal" will likely only be a teaspoon of a single food. The portion sizes will increase with time.

3. 2 weeks later you will introduce a solid at two of the mealtimes in the day - after breastfeeding/ formula. We added lunch.

4. 2 weeks after that, you will be giving solids at all 3 meals - after breastfeeding/formula. This will likely land around 7 months of age.

5. Around 8 months of age, your meals will start to become a little more complex, offering different textures and foods (think finger foods, grated foods, mashed, finely minced).

6. Around 9 months, you will choose to drop one breast milk/formula snack for a "big kid" snack.

7. By 10 months, you will be giving two "big kid" snacks and full "complete" meals (containing a starch, a protein and fruits/veggies).

8. By 11 months you will be offering breast milk/formula after meals as a "top up". You will notice breastfeeding/formula amounts drop as more solid food is consumed.

9. By 12 months you will be only offering breast milk/formula once per day either as the bedtime snack or an early morning snack before breakfast. By this time the O.G. BabyK had actually weened herself.

Tips and Suggestions:

• The first solids to introduce should be rich in iron. We started with a Gerber rice cereal and added thawed breast milk I had pumped and frozen months before.

• Iron in meat and eggs is absorbed more readily. If offering fortified cereals, lentils, nut butters, beans, prunes, peas, spinach, quinoa or oatmeal try to avoid offering calcium rich foods at the same time as they hinder absorption. Consider offering foods rich in vitamin C instead; squash, red peppers, sweet potato, citrus fruit, blueberries,etc.

• A cup of regular cows milk can be introduced at 9 months.

• Raw honey should be avoided until 12 months.

• Choking hazards recommended to avoid until 4 years of age are: gum, cough drops, whole grapes, cherries, raisins, fish with bones, sunflower seeds, popcorn, nuts, whole veggies.

• Allow your baby to decide IF and HOW MUCH they want to eat. If baby closes her mouth, turns head away or spits food out, they are likely done. If baby is opening mouth, leaning to or grabbing the spoon, they likely want more.

• YOU decide WHAT, WHERE and WHEN they eat.

• Its advised to have baby eat with the family at meal times and be consistent/predictable.

• Do not add salt to Baby's meals. Flavour can be achieved with spices, herbs or other foods (i.e. garlic, onion).

• Healthy fats are important (avocado, nut butters, chia seeds, fish, full fat dairy).

• Don't be discouraged if your baby doesn't seem interested in food. It takes time for them to learn what food is, what it tastes like, what it feels like.

Please NEVER TAKE MY WORD OVER THAT OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. This is my "Coles Notes" version of what I have learned so far, but that does not make me an expert. Are you an expert? I'd love to have your input! Feel free to share a comment!

This process seemed to work well for our first. Here's hoping it's as smooth with the second! It's easy to get caught in the moment of worry that she isn't eating enough, or second guessing what to feed her. I don't quite understand this internal need for my babies to eat and to eat lots (perhaps my Italian friends can enlighten me). There is so much joy watching BabyK discover food. If she's anything like her sister, with a little time, she will love it! If not, we will have another adventure to add to our story. As long as we keep trying, we will get there eventually.

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Luke 12:22-23

"Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes"