Brett & Kirsten: Food: nom nom nom

The idea of starting Brooke on solid food was a little intimidating to me at first. There seemed to be so many things that could go wrong and it is a big step that proves she is growing up. I'm glad to report things have gone great without any major issues and looking back I'm not sure why I was so hesitant.

Her first meal was a little dramatic. She HATED being in her bumbo but was very intrigued at the idea of food. She would go from screaming her head off to happily eating off the spoon. We decided to take a break and she calmed down a bit.

Over the next few days she quickly learned that sitting in her bumbo meant food time and so she was happy to comply.

When we tried out her high chair/booster for the first time she loved it! She'll happily sit in it while I get her food ready and then even stay in it afterwards while I clean up. Sometimes she'll even be content so I can do some dishes/clean up the kitchen, which is amazing!

As far as food goes, I decided to try and make her food whenever possible. For the most part it has been a breeze. I've "made" avocado, bananas, pears, and sweet potatoes and next on the list is green beans. I decided that apples were too much work so I just bought the "adult" organic unsweetened applesauce and that has worked great. Our doctor also recommended starting some meats because they are high in iron. The idea of pureeing meat sounded difficult so I opted for the canned baby variety of chicken and turkey. We haven't done any baby cereal yet. Mostly because I've heard its bland/gross and is essentially just empty calories. Also when we asked our doctor what we should start with she didn't even mention cereal and when I asked about it her response was "you can if you want, but you certainly don't have too."

Brooke has loved trying the new foods and experiencing the different flavors. Her first food was the avocado and she loved it. Next we tried the sweet potatoes and she wasn't as interested in it but still ate it up. She immediately loved bananas, pears and apples. The meats were a little bit of a shock (I can't blame her, them smell kinda funky and don't taste all that great). I usually give her a few bites plain and then she gets bored so I mix in some fruit and she gladly finishes the "flavored" meat. I also recently mixed banana and avocado together and she loved that too. Its fun experimenting with different foods and I'm glad that my baby girl is loving it too!

Her first bite at every meal usually results in the same face. It a face of confusion like "what did you just put in my mouth." I can't blame her though, can you imagine someone sticking something in your mouth without knowing what flavor to expect? I'd be shocked too! After bite two or three though she is loving it. She usually tries to help feed herself and gets on hand on the spoon to help me guide it into her mouth faster.

We started off with eating once a day after her morning nap. And we have worked up to twice a day and I'm thinking of adding in a third "meal". She still nurses a ton though which is great. It is important to me that she doesn't eat too much that she doesn't want to nurse (I want her to get the nutritional benefits provided in the milk).

Our doctor also recommended introducing the sippy cup and water. Brooke is more interested in chewing on the cup and doesn't really like the idea of water. I've given her a bit of water (to help digest her food and get her used to it) via bottle and she'll take a drink or two before realizing I've tricked her and it is not milk.