We Started Solids!

Last night was the big night...we started solid foods! We started with the recommended rice cereal mixed with warmed breast milk. In the beginning, it is suggested that you serve up smooth and fairly runny foods so I am not sure whether my daughter realized there was rice cereal in there or if she thought I was just feeding her breast milk with a spoon! Anyway, Lilah gobbled it right up (about a tablespoon) while her daddy caught it all on video. I had a hunch she was going to be an eager eater...she didn't even make any strange faces!

I had originally planned on lunchtime feedings for the first week (it is suggested you offer solids once a day for the first week), but because both my husband and I wanted to be there, we decided to start out with dinnertime feedings. The literature out there is somewhat confusing when it comes to the timing of starting solid foods. Some books note that you should wait until after a milk feeding so as not to reduce the amount of milk baby is eating. Others suggest feeding before milk so baby is hungry (but not too hungry). I didn't do either. I breastfed Lilah and served up the rice cereal about 45 minutes later. The rice cereal must have kicked her metabolism into high gear because she wanted a top-up of milk shortly after the cereal. Introducing the cereal certainly did reduce the amount of milk she had because she then fed again at bedtime as usual.

We are going to stick with rice cereal for the next couple of days and then move on to carrots, sweet potato, rutabaga, pears, and applesauce. I plan on making all of my own baby food and can't wait to get cooking!

Getting ready to start solid food!

The countdown is on! We are only a few short weeks away from the big day...the day Lilah starts solid food! I am very excited about the big event.

This past weekend, I did some on-line shopping for the supplies that we are going to need. Any day now, infant spoons, bowls, sippy cups, ice cube trays with lids, and snack containers will be arriving at my door! Yes, I do get excited about the little things in life.

I plan on making all of Lilah's baby food and I can't wait to get started. My mom gave me a great book, The Healthy Baby Meal Planner - Mom-Tested, Child-Approved Recipes for Your Baby and Toddler. It was written by a woman named Annabel Karmel. She is a mother of 3 and has written 16 bestselling books on cooking for babies so she knows what she is talking about (www.annabelkarmel.com). The book has a very thorough introduction that talks about the best first foods, nutritional requirements, allergies, and preparing baby foods. Chapters on first-stage weaning (the 6th month), second-stage weaning (7-9 months), feeding your 9-12 month old, and feeding your toddler follow. There are over 200 recipes in the book as well. The thing I love about the book the most is that it includes meal planners (The First Tastes Meal Planner and The First Tastes Accepted Meal Planner). Our debut foods are going to include rice cereal, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, and butternut squash! SO EXCITING!

Now, if only Lilah could be as excited about this as I am!