Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Food Before One... Just for Fun


Here's something that's sure to spark a debate if you're into that sort of thing:
 "When to introduce food to your baby". 

If you were to ask, 10 different moms, I can almost guarantee the answers will be all over the map. There will be a handful that will say "I gave my baby food at three months and he/she is just fine." Then there will be the ones that swear by the "no food before 6 months 'rule'". And of course others that will say "Food before one is just for fun". This is one of the beautiful things about being a mom. The kids are YOURS!! You get to pick when it's right for your own child, and not have to worry about what the "rules" are. (Seriously though, why are there even still rules? Can't we get past those?)

I'm here today to share my experiences with both kids, because quite honestly... both kids were fed very differently.

Zander was a "jar- food" baby. He had the baby cereal / baby oatmeal mixed with the jars of baby food. Baby mush. He was also my formula-fed baby. I tried to breastfeed him, but I was a first time mom, I wasn't properly informed, and it just didn't work out. YES, I was super guilty about it then, but now (looking back), at least he was FED! Baby's gotta eat, right? Right.
When he was three months old, Josh and I realized he was drinking a LOT of formula. We also thought this meant he was still hungry. So ignoring everything the doctors said, we fed him some baby cereal and veggies. HE LOVED IT! Sure, it took a few weeks for him to get over the tongue reflex where all babies just push the food right back out, but he eventually figured it out.

Here come all of the nasty comments about how "he wasn't ready!" Trust me, I've heard them all... give me your best shot! lol.
1 year old Zander enjoying some peas. 
Ainsley was a completely different story. She was my breastfed baby. We exclusively breastfed for 7 months. At 7 months, pumping at work got a little more difficult for me and we had to introduce formula; at that point she was combo fed with formula and breast milk.

We waiting to introduce food to Ainsley until she was 6 months old. We also didn't introduce baby cereal or jars of baby food. We went the "baby led weaning" route. It's a common way to introduce babies to food in the UK and overseas. In my mind, I wanted to go this way because I didn't want to buy extra food, and if she could eat what we ate, then all the better!

I read a TON about baby led weaning before we reached the 6 month mark. I started with softer foods, but from what I read I didn't have to. Again... all about your gut and your choices, moms.
Ainsley was fed avocados, sweet potatoes, etc. Just not in the jar form.
8 month old Ainsley munching on a waffle
In Ainsley's case, the "food before one just for fun" was definitely the case. She was NOT interested in food. She mostly played with it when we offered her anything. Occasionally, like the pictures above and below she would eat something, but it wasn't always the case. We also learned that she had a slight egg allergy at 6 months old when we tried scrambled eggs. This was also something she grew out of. Now she just doesn't like eggs at all. Stuff like that you can't learn from books or doctors. You learn by doing.
It's just like I continuously say in here. You have to go with your gut. For Zander, he was (and still is) my food baby. He rarely turns anything down. Ainsley just isn't that interested in food. Then, or now.
10 month old Ainsley eating a burrito. 
I'm just blessed that we were able to do what we wanted with both kids. Both kids are happy and healthy. I'm not trying to say you have to do what we did. I'm only sharing my experiences and hoping that y'all realize it's OK to do different things with different kids... even when those kids are your own! HA!
20 Month Ainsley enjoying Banana ice cream
If you're a mom - when did you introduce foods to your kid(s). I'd love to hear!

13 comments :

  1. I can not remember exactly though I have a video on youtube of Kenzie first tasting cereal. But I am sure it was between 4-6 months. I love that picture of Zander eating. I think I look like that everytime I eat, I love food way to much! Ha. Kenzie was fed both baby food & regular food. More baby food earlier on though just because I was scared of her choking.

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  2. No joke, that picture at the top (venison, Sweet potatoes and Brussels) Ainsley ate that at 11 months! Just go with your gut is all you can do though. Lol

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  3. I LOVE BRUSSEL SPROUTS. I was really hungry until I saw the baby food pics after hahaha- saving this post!

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  4. that face Zander is making though, he's all about those peas!

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  5. hahaha saving it for advice for kids later or saving it to remind you to eat brussel sprouts? hahaha ;) We're a big fan of brussels in this house!

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  6. he still is!! peas and brussels are about the only green food he'll voluntarily eat without me having to hide them in things. haha.

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  7. Oh my gosh... Zander eating peas might have made my entire day! You are totally right... different plans for different kids. My two were totally different too!

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  8. haha! I have a picture of him eating peas right out of the can somewhere on the hard drive. LOL. Good to hear we weren't the only ones to go different routes with the two kids. :)

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  9. I'm not a mom and now I'm totally overwhelmed by all of the options out there! LOL! I love the idea of tweaking the rules so your family is taken care of the best way you know how! You go girl! And both of your little ones are adorable!

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  10. it can be very overwhelming. that's why you just have to go with the flow and trust that you know what's best for your family <3 :) And thank you! They're a mess but they can be cute. hahaha

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  11. Both of mine started purees around the 4 month mark, maybe a week or so later with the second one because I kept forgetting to buy or make any (I did a bit of both). I didn't feed them much food until 9 or 10 months when they started really getting into it. They both dropped one bottle per day at that point, in favor of food, but I was concerned about them still getting the bulk of their nutrition from milk, so I didn't let them drop more than that until 11 or 12 months. The firstborn ate purees and baby things like puffs for about 6 months before moving on to table foods. The second one had purees for less than half that time. At 6 or so months old, he took something off his brother's plate, chewed it properly, and swallowed, like he was proving himself. I let him have real food after that.

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  12. My son was begging for food around 5 months. He was 2 weeks overdue so I know that's a factor too. We have done a mix of baby led and purees. It's basically whatever is easiest at the moment. He's an eating machine just like his dad!

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