Motherhood

Starting Solids, Sippy Cups and Everything In-between

Introducing solids was both exciting and scary for me as a first time mom. Before I had Holden I was a nanny to a baby and had gotten some experience with feeding her solids, but I still felt like I was in brand new territory. Since we added solids into Holden’s diet two months ago, I have learned a lot, and am much more confident when it comes to giving him anything other than my milk. Here’s a little bit of what I’ve learned. As always I have products that I use and love linked throughout the post.

Firstly, there are various routes to take. Two are: puréed baby food and baby led weaning. If you’re unfamiliar with baby led weaning like I was, it is basically defined as letting the baby self feed by hand as opposed to being spoon fed. There are benefits to BLW, and some believe it helps babies adapt to new tastes and textures better than strictly using purees. I decided to a mixture of both because why not? I got the go-ahead from my pediatrician to introduce solids at his 4 month check-up. He showed all the signs of being ready for food like sitting up on his own, showing an interest in foods we ate, and had great head control. He suggested I start with cereal. I ended up buying this HappyBaby organic oatmeal cereal, thinking it was just oatmeal, but I rarely used it. I kept my son exclusively on breast milk until he was 6 months old because breast milk is the ultimate baby food. It has everything he needs, and after research I had done I decided to wait on solids, and ended up skipping the cereal all together. Cereal is just a filler food and lacks any nutritional value. After waiting until Holden was 6 months old I started with sweet potatoes.

I prepared for introducing solids for weeks because I was so excited. I’m not trying to be that mom that makes all organic homemade baby food, but I am the mom that makes all organic homemade baby food. And honestly it is really not that hard. I started by baking sweet potatoes, carrots, and apples, and steaming peas. This prep was easy and the cooking took maybe 45 minutes. I layered the sweet potatoes, carrots, and apples in a casserole dish with foil in between each one, and baked them until they were soft. I put each food into my blender (a fancy and expensive baby food maker isn’t necessary- I just use my Nutri Ninja) with some breast milk (or formula or water) and voila! Homemade baby food. That way I know exactly what is in the food, how fresh it is, and it’s much cheaper. I put the purees in glass jars to freeze (because I try to avoid plastic as much as possible now. Being a mom makes you paranoid about the dangers of everything), and used them one at a time to ensure there were no allergic reactions. After about three days of sweet potatoes I tried peas, and then carrots, etc. I have heard it is best to start with veggies because they will only want sweet tastes if they get a fruit puree first. I am not sure how true this is, but I saved apples for last.

After that I began to branch out into more “stage 2” foods too adding banana, avocados, beans, mashed potatoes, green beans, and squash. Even little pieces of chicken, too. I hesitate to claim some foods are stage one and some are stage two because almost any chart or graph you find will have slightly different lists. To mix in baby led weaning as well, I would just mash food or cut it into tiny pieces, and put them on the high chair tray for Holden to feed himself instead. I started this with green beans once I saw him really gumming his food. I still spoon feed depending on the food, but Holden eats everything and so far has liked it all. I just try to stay away from breads, sugar, and foods like peanuts, eggs, and honey. Dairy is a tricky one because some say it is ok to introduce yogurt and cheeses before a year, but wait on cows milk until the full 12 months. I did begin to introduce yogurt at 8 months. I am trying to breast feed as long as possible, so I will hold off on other milks until breast milk isn’t an option for us any longer.

Although I do make the majority of Holden’s food homemade, I do have a few favorites that I buy at the store. We absolutely love Mum-Mums and Yogurt Melts. These are perfect for baby led weaning, and when you’re on the go. As far as I’m concerned the ingredients are great too. Another great on-the-go item are those pouches. I see them everywhere, but I have my reservations about them as well. For one, they are non recyclable and terrible for the environment, but once I saw the video of the mold inside of them I swore them off for good. Fortunately I found an alternative! These reusable pouches that you can fill with homemade purées or applesauce called WeeSprouts! They are also dishwasher safe. Now we can have the best of both worlds! Holden loves them because it gives him something to hold onto. When I spoon feed him something like yogurt he is always fighting me for the spoon.

In addition to the pouches another favorite of ours are the Munchkin Mesh Feeders. I fill them with bananas, watermelon or breast milk ice cubes and they keep Holden busy and satisfied, which is perfect while I wash dishes or make dinner. I love that there is a ring, as opposed to a stick for the baby to hold because it is easier to hold onto that way. The downside is they are messy, but all baby eating is from what I can tell. My experience being a nanny served me well as I carried over a few items that I used then because they are so useful. The first of which is the Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair.  It straps to the chairs at your kitchen table, so it takes up less space and allows little ones to sit at the table too. I also am obsessed with the Munchkin Easy Squeezy Spoon  for feeding puréed food. This is perfect to take to restaurants because you simply twist the top open and closed, which for me is much better than packing a bowl and spoon in my already full diaper bag. No mess. No fuss. Unfortunately, I think it has been discontinued, and we use this spoon serving spoon instead, but it has a lid that covers the spoon instead of a twist locking top.

For baby gifts I got a ton of bibs. I thought surely I will never use all these bibs, but I was wrong I use them all and often. I love cloth bibs for the ease of it all. I flip them up to wipe off Holden’s face, and toss them in the wash. I have bibs that velcro, snap, pull over his head. Bibs made or terry cloth, or plastic wind breaker material. I use them all and found soft bibs helpful for soft, runny foods. For more substantial food I prefer this Bella Tunno bib though. It has a catcher, so I can keep more food off of Holden and the floor. I simply can wipe it off when finished, and it catches all the food the misses Holden’s mouth. I just pull it out of his bib and put it back on his tray.

Speaking of substantial food, utensils and products to help feed your child easily change a little once they are no longer eating strictly pureed fruits and veggies. Now that Holden is 8 months old I am leaning more toward baby led weaning practices. For example, instead of blending his peas, I just steam frozen peas and put them on his tray. Sometimes I mash them a little, but I let him feed himself, which I love because it keeps him busy while I clean the kitchen.

What didn’t work for us were those popsicle molds that I mentioned in my Summer Must Haves blog. I did actually buy them and they worked great, but not for babies. I pulled out a perfectly shaped pear and breast milk treat, but Holden’s hands are too small for the mold stick. He held onto the frozen parts and licked it but quickly got upset because his little hands were basically just holding ice. I’m glad I have these, but will have to hold on to these until next summer to actually put them to good use.

Once I began giving Holden solids, I also started giving Holden water. I would fill a sippy cup with water and usually have to hold it up for him. Sippy cups aren’t something all babies take to right away, so don’t stop offering just because they may refuse it at first. I started with the Avent My Natural Training Cup because I love Avent (I use Avent bottle, bottle sterilizer, and warmer too.) I also had read they are highly rated and are great for introducing to babies because they have little handles to grab onto. In addition to that, you can take the sippy cup nipple out and put a regular bottle nipple in the cup instead. Since Holden is breastfed he has only used slow flow nipples when he drinks from a bottle, Sippy cups spout have a fast flow that would often cause Holden to choke.

Avent is my go-to, but we have tried a few others now too. This Munchkin Miracle 360 cup is awesome! It doesn’t spill and is easier for Holden to drink out of since it doesn’t have a spout. I accidentally bought one without handles, but they make them with handles too. We also like the Munchkin Click Lock Weighted Flexi Straw. It is easier for Holden to use and get just enough from, without being overwhelmed, but it does leak. The straw is weighted though, so babies can still drink from any angle. I love that aspect. I have also been using the Nuk Learner’s Cup too, and we love it. So far, no spills and pretty easy for Holden to hold onto.

Here are all my test subjects. I will undoubtedly add more to my collection.

I often hear that “food before one is just for fun.” But I’m not sure I believe that is ALL true. Yes, most of Holden’s nutrition is still coming from breast milk. I still nurse on demand and nurse him to sleep, but those nursing sessions continue to become less and less frequent. Introducing solids is important because it is letting your baby learn about new textures and tastes, and experiment with new flavors. They get an opportunity to practice using their hands and can actually keep whatever they put in their mouth in there. I don’t stress about how much Holden eats, or how often, but we sure are having fun with this new stage.

Eating is such a big part of family life, which I think is the main reason why I was so excited to introduce Holden to food. Now he can sit at the table and share meals with my husband and I. We can enjoy watching him discover new tastes, flavors, and feelings for the first time. There is just so much joy in sharing meal times with him now. Enjoy those first of everything and don’t stress about the mess!

If you’re interested in any of my favorite baby food items I have them inked below: