The Order of Solids Part 2

Back in November I started a log of what solids our little man was enjoying those first few weeks he attempted to eat solids. It definitely look us a good month (or more!) to get going but he’s finally up to eating 3 solid meals a day and loving it.  Here’s my updated solids list, broken down by age, as recommended by Sage Spoonfuls.  I still highly recommend this book for anyone looking for any easy resource on how to make their own baby food and what order to introduce each food safely.

Foods safe for 4-6 month olds (we started at 6 months):

  1. Organic Oatmeal mixed with breastmilk served warm
  2. Banana – yellow, ripe with some brown spots – mashed and warmed
  3. Sweet Potato- firm – steamed & mixed with breast milk or formula served warm
  4. Apple- fresh red – steamed and pureed
  5. Avocado- even green color and give a little when squeezed – pureed
  6. Carrot – organic, orange, without cracks- steamed and pureed (The Favorite so far!)
  7. Peas – frozen- steamed and pureed
  8. Zucchini – organic, medium sized and even green in color  – steamed and pureed
  9. Pears – Bartlett or Anjou, slight soft – steamed and pureed (A Favorite!)
  10. Butternut squash – firm to touch and heavy for their size – roasted in oven for 45 min

Also safe but skipped for now: parsnip, pumpkin, potato

Foods safe for 7-9 month olds (we started around 8 months):

  1. Blueberries – fresh, organic – steamed and pureed
  2. Broccoli- fresh -steamed and pureed
  3. Mango- frozen – steamed and pureed
  4. Green Beans – frozen – steamed and pureed
  5. Peaches- frozen- steamed and pureed
  6. Cauliflower – frozen- steamed and pureed

More to come!

Getting Started: Homemade Baby Food

Screen Shot 2015-01-21 at 10.32.53 PMLast night I posted this picture of my latest creation (steamed and pureed broccoli) for my little man’s breakfast and it prompted a lot of questions about my baby food making process. I’ve found it to be a pretty easy process so far (once I figured out his schedule with both bottles and baby food) and so I haven’t found the need to buy baby food yet which has saved us a ton of money in the long run. Besides, don’t you wonder what they put in those baby food jars which make them last so long? I think I’ll stick to giving our baby pure nutrition and simple ingredients for now. So to get started I usually make and introduce 1-2 new food items a week (depending on how much I have in the freezer and what I have going on that week). Last week was blueberries. This week we are introducing broccoli! Here’s a quick look at everything I use to make baby food:

Screen Shot 2015-01-21 at 10.34.16 PMBAEBA Babycook Pro:

Ok so yes, you can use your Vitamix or a regular blender or food processor however most everything I read about making your own baby food encouraged steaming instead of boiling the food to preserve the nutrients. Baking is also another good option but who has time to preheat and use your oven every night? Also when making small quantities it just seems simpler in my opinion for clean up and for blending to just have one small machine that does it all instead of steaming in a basket and then transferring to a large, oversized Vitamix. It took a little convincing to explain to my husband why I “needed” this but now he is 100% on board and we both love it!

Screen Shot 2015-01-21 at 10.34.26 PMSage Spoonfuls Cookbook

I don’t know how I would have even started without this gem! This “cookbook” goes through the order of solids (yes, there are certain foods appropriate by age for your baby), how long they need to be steamed, if you need to buy organic or if fresh or frozen is ok. It also talks about the health benefits of each different food as well.  I literally use this book for every new food I introduce to our little guy. If you don’t want to buy a book I’ve also heard a ton of great things about the Wholesome Baby Food website. It also lists the age appropriate for each food as well.

Screen Shot 2015-01-21 at 10.34.34 PMOxo Tot Baby Blocks Storage Containers – 2 oz

For food storage I recommend these Oxo Tot containers. They are freezer and dishwasher safe. I like them better than ice cube trays because I can grab one for daycare and go and not have to defrost or pop out food and move it to different containers. I can literally store and feed from these plastic containers. Perfect.

Screen Shot 2015-01-21 at 10.52.53 PMMunchkin White Hot Safety Spoon

Ok so yes I do realize that you should be able to judge how   hot or cold your baby’s food is without a spoon that turns white when it gets too hot.. but why guess… why wonder. These spoons are just another added safety net in protecting my baby and helping make life just a little easier.

 

Screen Shot 2015-01-21 at 10.58.42 PMBumkins Waterproof Starter Bib 

We introduced waterproof bibs when we started feeding solids instead of using the cute cloth Aden + Anais cloth bibs I use when giving our baby a bottle. These bibs are waterproof and make clean up a breeze. I simply run them under the sink after mealtime and then hang to drive. They require little fuss, which I love, and still have lots of cute patterns.

Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 7.00.57 AMCulturelle Priobiotics for Kids

About a month after we started solids our little guy had constant boopy diapers (about 6-8 a day) and developed a horrible diaper rash. Our pediatrician recommended giving him a probiotic once/day to help his body process the foods he was eating. This particular probiotic helps to “support a child’s health by fostering the proper balance between good bacteria and the non-beneficial bacteria that resides in the gastorintestinal tract…it alleviates occasional digestive distress while supporting a child’s natural defenses.” This particular type comes in the form of a solid which we mix half of a packet a day in with some of his cold fruit.

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Fisher-Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster.

Last but not least is our high chair. Our kitchen is probably average size but it doesn’t really have a great corner or a lot of extra space for a large or bulky high chair. We have a small, round table with 4 wooden chairs in our kitchen and we decided early on to designate one of these chairs for our little man’s “high chair.” I’ve loved this seat. It’s a great space saver, its plastic (which comes in handy for so many reasons), and its portable. If you have extra guests and need the seat you can just unclick the two straps and voila! no more high chair. We’ve also taken this to the grandparents house and to restaurants. Portable, functional and pretty darn attractive- I’d say that’s a win!

4 Hour Feeding Schedule with Solids

IMG_1184Around 22 weeks our little man began a 4 hour feeding schedule which was great for me while I was breastfeeding and great for daycare (less bottles to pack). Now at 35 weeks we’ve adapted our 4 hour bottle schedule to also include solids. I had the hardest time trying to find the perfect time to feed our little man solids so that he would actually be hungry enough for them but not exhausted and ready for a nap. So of course there is no perfect time for everyone but there is the time that works best for you and your baby. Since your little one is still getting their nutrition from their milk/formula you don’t want to decrease their bottles but you still need to find a time when they are ready to eat and not ready to sleep. For our little guy an hour after starting his bottle is best when trying to get him to eat solids. Not right before, during or after his bottle (we tried all of that!), not right before nap time (again a big failure), but 1 hr after he starts his bottle which is right in the middle of his current 2 hour wake time. He didn’t eat much at first but he’s slowly eating more and more and those solid meals are become more of a norm and less of an optional part of our day.

4 Hour Schedule (with solids) – At Home / Weekends

  • 7:00 Wake him up and Eat – 7 oz bottle
  • 8:00 – baby food (usually 1 fruit and 1 veggie)
  • 9:00-11:00 nap
  • 11:00 Eat – 7 oz bottle
  • 12:00 baby food (usually 1 fruit cold with probiotic)
  • 3:00 Eat – 7 oz bottle
  • 4:00 – baby food (usually 1 fruit and 1 veggie)
  • 4:30-5:30/6:00 – nap
  • 6:45 Bath, Bottle, Bed by 7:15 – 8 oz bottle

4 Hour Schedule (with solids) – At Work & Daycare / Weekdays

  • 7:00 Wake him up and Eat – 7 oz bottle
  • 7:45 – leave for work/daycare (nap in car)
  • 9:00 – baby food at daycare (1 fruit OR veggie)
  • 9:30-11:00 nap
  • 11:00 Eat – 7 oz bottle
  • 12:00 baby food (1 fruit cold with probiotic)
  • 3:00 Eat – 7 oz bottle
  • 4:30 – pick up from daycare
  • 4:45-5:15 – nap in the car on the way home
  • 5:15 – baby food at home – usually a fruit and a veggie
  • 6:45 Bath, Bottle, Bed by 7:15 – 8 oz bottle

*Our little guy is still not a huge solids eater. At 8 months he is eating about 2 oz total of baby food at each meal.

Making Baby Food

At about 7.5 months our little man is starting to get the hang of solids. However unlike his mama he has zero sweet tooth and is loving veggies over fruits! I don’t understand it but hey, I’ll run with it. So far everything I’ve made I’ve steamed in our BEABA Babycook Pro and then pureed. I’ve been using the Sage Spoonfuls book as a guide and absolutely LOVING it. It’s been so helpful in learning which foods to introduce first and how long to steam them and how much it will make.. Seriously its been a great resource. (I’ve also heard http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com is a great resource as well however I haven’t used it much yet.)

IMG_2842Today I decided to try making butternut squash using Sage Spoonfuls as a guide. Unlike the other fruits and veggies I’ve tried so far you don’t steam this one, you roast it. It takes a more time but the prep is minimal and its overall very simple to do. Here you go:

 

 

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Cut butternut squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds.
  • Lay cut side down on baking sheet and roast in oven for 45 min
  • After you remove from oven let cool for 5 min and then remove outer skin (it peels off pretty easily- use a fork or wear oven mitts)
  • Puree until smooth, cool and serve or store.

 

IMG_4468 IMG_5868

 

 

The Order of Solids

There are so many different thoughts on which solids you should introduce to your baby first.. rice first because its non allergenic or oatmeal first because rice has no nutritional value. Fruits first so they like the taste, veggies first so they don’t get spoiled by the sweetness of fruit, both first and alternate between fruits and veggies.. but then you still have to decide which to start with. It’s a bit exhausting! Ultimately you just have to decide what you want to do and go with it. Give each food 5 days to make sure there are no allergies and then move on to the next, no matter what your little one will be just fine..

I eventually decided to start with oatmeal (our little one was a week away from his 6 month birthday when we gave him his first taste) and then alternate between fruits and veggies (orange and yellow veggies before green veggies.. last comes meat). For simplicity I also decided to try each for 1 week so I started the new food on the same day and wouldn’t lose track (I’ve got enough to keep up with these days).  If you decide to make your own baby food I found the book Sage Spoonfuls to be a helpful guide to teach you how to buy, prepare and store baby food.

So here’s our baby food list so far:

  1. Organic Oatmeal mixed with breastmilk served warm
  2. Banana – yellow, ripe with some brown spots – mashed and warmed
  3. Sweet Potato- firm – steamed & mixed with breast milk or formula served warm
  4. Apple- fresh red – steamed and pureed
  5. Avocado- even green color and give a little when squeezed – pureed
  6. Carrot – organic, orange, without cracks- steamed and pureed (The Favorite so far!)

 

Introducing Solids

Introducing solids has been a bit of a mini research project.. what to do first, second, third, for how long, how much, at what age. It’s a bit stressful. Here’s my recap on how we started solids..

Who: Our sweet boy and mom or dad. Our plan is to wait as long as we can before asking his teachers at daycare to start feeding him solids. I want to see what he eats, how long it takes him and how much. I’m not ready to turn over the process yet.

What: Starting with organic oatmeal before adding fruits and veggies. From what I can tell it doesn’t matter what order however there are recommended fruits and veggies for each age. We skipped rice because of the zero nutritional value associated with rice and honestly we are just ready to get this party started.

When: After he takes a full bottle we are giving him first solids after his first morning feeding (7 am). Once we need to add feedings (goal is 2-3 per day) we will probably try a mid evening feeding (5:30?) or I’ll send his food with him to daycare for after his 11am and 3pm feedings. He is way too sleepy at his 7pm feeding for anything but his bottle. Also we decided to wait until he was only 6 months old at the recommendation of our pediatrician.

Where: In his high chair in the kitchen- consistency matters.

Why: Cuz he needs to start learning textures and how to eat something other than milk! 🙂 (otherwise I think i’d prefer to skip the whole process!)

Screen Shot 2014-11-09 at 6.31.33 AM

So here we go..

  • Day 1: 1 tablespoon of oatmeal mixed with about 3 oz milk
    • This amount was based on the recommendation of the baby oatmeal box
    • This made WAY to much food- especially for his first meal which hardly any of it made it into his mouth because he cried the whole time (as noted by the picture to the right.)
    • Regroup and get ready for day 2.
  • Day 2: 1 teaspoon of oatmeal with enough milk to make it liquidy
    • Much more successful – no tears- still trying to figure things out!
    • Rewarding him with a little more from his bottle after the oatmeal
  • Day 3-6: 1 teaspoon of oatmeal with enough milk to make it liquidy
    • Still getting used to it… and still doesn’t really like it..and he still cries most of the time. Maybe he will like fruits and veggies better.. we can only hope!

* Pediatrician recommends 2-3 TBS cereal twice a day in addition to breastmilk or formula (up to 36 oz). Introduce one thing at a day every 5 days. Cereal first, fruits, yellow and orange veggies, green veggies then meats. At 6 months can increase to half to one jar which translates to 2-4 oz per day.

** Our boy continued to cry and refuse solids until day 9.. so 6 days of oatmeal and then 3 days of bananas and then he finally ate the bananas, without crying.. wow. What an accomplishment! We gave him 3oz of his bottle followed by bananas and then the remaining 3 oz of his bottle. So don’t worry if they don’t LOVE solids right away, if they scream and cry and act like you are doing the worst thing ever to them by feeing them solids- eventually, they will get it, and it will be worth it!

4 Hr Feeding Schedule

Our boy is growing up so fast! We’ve been on a 4 hour feeding schedule the last 3 weeks (22-25 weeks) and we are about to add solids tomorrow (I still can’t believe it!) As soon as I get used to one schedule its time to change it again. He’s such a growing boy.. I can’t wait for this first reaction to solids though.. should be pretty fun 🙂

So here is the 4 hr feeding schedule we did to bridge the transition and get ready for solids..

4 Hour Schedule (22-25 weeks)

  • 7:00 Wake him up and Eat – nurse about 12 minutes
    • usually a cat nap in the car on the way to work for about 20 minutes
    • 9:30- down for a nap, on his back, in a sleep sack with his paci
  • 11:00 Eat – 8 oz bottle*
    • 1:00 – he is usually ready for a nap earlier at this point (less wake time)
    • On his back, in a sleep sack with his paci – even at daycare
  • 3:00 Eat – 8 oz bottle
    • 4:45-5:15 – occasional nap in the car on the way home
    • 5:45 down for a nap regardless if he napped earlier in the car or not
  • 6:45 Bath, Bottle, Bed – usually another 8 oz bottle

Couple of notes:

  • We only send 8 oz bottles to daycare but he can usually eat more at that 11am feeding. At home I usually give him 9 oz. Recommended oz at his age is 32 oz (8oz 4x a day so that’s why I don’t send 9 oz every day- just a little too much milk).
  • Goal is 2 hours of wake time followed by 2 hours of nap time. Doesn’t always happen- especially driving to and from working and other things that happen during the day but its a good goal.
  • At 5.5 months (around 24 weeks) our little man started rolling over on his tummy and is sometimes choosing to sleep that way instead. However his favorite position is still on his back with his hands behind his head! hilarious!

sleep

Sample Schedule 3-5 months

Our boy just turned 5 months this week (22 weeks) and we decided to try a 4 hour feeding schedule instead of his current 3.5 hour schedule. Mainly because of his last two feedings being so close together and for ease in planning our days. Not sure if it is going to stick yet but here is our previous 3.5 hour schedule which he was on from 12 to 22 weeks.

3.5 Hour Schedule (12-22 weeks)

  • 7 Wake him up and Eat – nurse about 15 minutes
    • usually a cat nap in the car on the way to work for about 20 minutes
    • 9- down for a nap, on his back, in a sleep sack with his paci
  • 10:30 Eat – 7 oz bottle
    • 11:30/12 – he is usually ready for a nap earlier at this point (less wake time)
    • On his back, in a sleep sack with his paci -even at daycare
  • 2:00 Eat- 7 oz bottle
    • 3:30-4:15 – short nap
    • I pick him up from daycare at 4:30, occasional cat nap in the car on the way home
  • 5:30 Eat – nurse about 20-30 minutes
  • 7:00 Bath, Bottle, Bed – usually another 7 oz bottle

This schedule was great for our initial school (daycare) and work routine. I would wake up at 5:30 am and get completely ready before waking up our boy at 7. Then I’d feed him and pump (while he sat in his bumbo or played with Daddy) and then be out the door by 8:15 to head to daycare and then work. On days when I had to be at work by 8:30 I’d wake up earlier and pump before feeding him but keep his wake time at 7 am.