For the Mouths of Babes

On the day that Caroline turned 4 months old, I began feeding her “solids”. I know, I know, in many circles it is considered best to wait until baby turns 6 months old before introducing solids, and with Christopher and Maria, I waited much longer before introducing “real food”. But Christopher and Maria were terrible baby eaters – they wouldn’t eat any pureed food, and until they could pick up pieces of food and put them in their mouths, nothing but milk passed their lips. Even then, they weren’t good eaters – all they wanted to do was nurse, which was fine since it worked for us, but frustrating. I desperately wanted to introduce them to the tastes and textures of so many wonderful foods: sweet potatoes, squash, sweet peas, avocado. I tried homemade foods, jarred foods, and the classic Gerber foods, but nothing seemed to fit the bill.

So, this time around, I decided to start at 4 months, and Caroline has been an eager eater! It may just be her personality, but what a thrill it has been for me! I should also mention that thankfully, we do not have any food allergies (yet!) in our family, so I do not feel that I need to be as cautious – if we did, I may have waited longer before introducing solids. Also, Caroline is still getting lots of milk from me, so I feel confident that she is getting the nutrients and protection that she needs.

I have tried a variety of foods with Caroline, and most have been successful. I’ve also done a combination of homemade foods and store-bought foods, and thought that I would do a little comparison, just out of curiosity 🙂 In this picture there are three varieties of carrots: from left to right, we have homemade carrots, then Earth’s Best Organics jarred carrots, and then Gerber carrots. Visually and from a taste perspective (I sampled all three), I must say that (although I am biased!) the homemade ones were by far the best! The puree tastes like carrot and smells delicious, and Caroline liked it, too. The other two varieties were also eagerly eaten by Caroline, but tasted sweeter to me. However, they are certainly good options when I’m on the go or when I just haven’t had a chance to make a batch of baby food.

This time around, I was also very tempted to buy the Beaba Babycook – has anyone had any personal experience with this handy little device? It is basically a mini-steamer and blender all in one, which is appealing on many levels. From a convenience standpoint, you only have one little machine to work with, so mom can prepare the baby’s food much more quickly and efficiently. Additionally, the Beaba comes with a recipe book to ensure the proper steaming and blending time, so novices like me can feel confident that they are preparing the food correctly. Also, even when baby no longer needs foods pureed, the Beaba still acts as a handy little steamer to soften foods for your little one. Sounds delicious and nutritious! The only problem is that the price point is about $140, which seems high to me. I do own a steamer and a blender, after all!

One more product that I may just have to buy: this Baby Dipper baby feeding set looks amazing, what a great concept!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Monday morning! God bless all of you wonderful mothers and fathers as you start this new week!

Mary, Mother most Admirable, pray for us!