Jack enjoying his first smoothie!
I introduced Jack to solid food 2 months ago, and it’s been an interesting experience so far. I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to try and avoid purees (as per the Baby Led Weaning method), but I’ve discovered over the last couple months that it’s not up to me – Jack’s the one that has to eat it.
In the beginning I tried to feed him avocado & banana pieces, but he definitely preferred smooth purees probably because it’s similar in texture to breast milk. I introduced different fruits & vegetables (jars of PC Organic baby food) & brown rice cereal (Organic Healthy Times) with mashed banana, and he liked it all except for avocado. Interesting fact about picky eaters – apparently you have to introduce food to your baby 15 times in order to determine if they actually don’t like something. I’m not giving up on avocado especially since we’re heading to Colombia in February and avocado is a food group over there!
As he started getting used to the idea of eating, I fed him homemade purees that had a bit more texture – peas, sweet potatoes & carrots roughly blended with coconut oil (to enhance nutrient absorption) and water. He enjoys the texture, and has started to “chew” his food. Even though he only has two tiny teeth that just popped through, it’s important for babies to chew so they can develop their jaw muscles, and eventually eat bigger pieces of food.
Now that I’ve gained some confidence with feeding Jack solids I’m starting to have more fun with it – if I’m having something, I break off a little piece and let him try (provided it’s not a chocking hazard of course). The other day I made him a simpler version of my morning superfood smoothie (see recipe below).
I’m now adding chia & hemp seeds to his brown rice cereal, and giving Jack “Chia Squeeze” pouches (available at Costco right now), which is easy when we’re on the go. Chia is an awesome alternative to dairy because it’s a source of calcium & healthy fats, (I’m going to avoid giving Jack cow’s milk because in my opinion it does more harm then good. There are plenty of other foods out there that will provide him the calcium & fats that he needs) and hemp is a great source of vegetarian protein.
Speaking of vegetarian protein, lentils & quinoa are both great sources. I’ve been adding organic quinoa flakes to his jars of peas & beans, and mixing pureed lentils with jars of pear or apple.
He’s had some organic chicken & turkey from the PC Organic jars (I can’t be bothered to prepare pureed meats), and I plan to give him egg yolks soon (egg whites are a common allergen, and should wait until they’re over a year old). Free-from eggs are a great source of protein & healthy fats. In fact, eggs are considered the perfect protein; our bodies use the protein from eggs more efficiently than any other protein source. And, it’s a source of choline; a healthy fat that is important for proper brain & nervous system function.
One thing I’ve noticed since being a new mom is that you can go in with a plan & your best intentions to do things a certain way with your baby, but you never know what you’re going to end up doing until you’re in it.
Every baby & mom is different, and you just have to figure out what works best for both of you. That goes for breastfeeding, sleep training, naps, daily routines, feeding solids, daycare, staying at home, going back to work…and the list continues as you’re faced with more decisions, as they get older. I’ve learned not to give unsolicited advice to other moms, and to take advice as information to make a more informed decision. I hope my information on feeding Jack solids has been helpful for other moms out there who are going through the same stage.
Baby Superfood Smoothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp. hemp seeds (healthy fat & protein)
2 tbsp. chia seeds (calcium & healthy fat)
1 tbsp. organic coconut oil (healthy fat & enhances nutrient absorption)
½ ripe banana (potassium & natural sweetener)
¼ cup frozen organic blueberries (antioxidants & fiber)
1-cup organic baby spinach (iron, vitamin C & fiber)
1 tbsp. organic brown rice cereal (iron & B vitamins)
Blend & serve!
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