Solid Foods

(written by Meggan)
Rachel recently turned six months... this means FOOD!!!  Thank goodness, too.  Rachel ate so much and all the time when we were in Virginia that we were very anxious for her to start trying solids.

There is a lot of information on solid food out there, but few sources agree on the best foods to start.  I read quite a bit, came up with a plan, and started making food.  We took the advice of our local nurses to encourage starting with iron-fortified cereals and iron-rich foods such as beef and chicken.  We also liked the concept of trying vegetables before sweeter fruits in hopes to reduce a sweet tooth (like Mommy's!)

We knew that April would be a busy month for us, so in March we started making baby food.  We made pureed squash, chicken, beef, and sweet potato.  We bought rice cereal and pumped extra breast milk to add to the purees and to freeze in ice cube trays to add to the cereal.

pureed chicken

We have friends who have picky eaters as children and some friends who can't seem to force food down their baby's mouths... so we were wondering what Rachel would be like.

The big day arrived and we started mashing up avocado for Rachel to try.  She took it down like a starving girl and wanted more and more and more!  She grabbed the spoon and shoved it in her mouth greedily.  Green goop was everywhere and we were proud parents... until the next day when she broke out into a full body rash.  Oops.

After two days break we started again with rice cereal.  This was a big hit and easy for everyone.  She developed the method of spoon goes in, then suck the thumb right away to help swallow.  When hungry, she will literally dive her whole body forward over the spoon.  Soon she took down all the foods we had pre-made, and we were looking to find more finger foods for times on the go.  Sadly, starting solid foods has not helped Rachel sleep better but it has decreased the frequency of her feeds.

We love the idea of making our own baby food and avoiding buying jars from the store.  It's easy to do when we're at home.  Last summer we got extra local pears and peaches and canned them in water without any additives... now Rachel is eating that local Okanagan fruit!

We tried to take our frozen ice-cube-tray-size foods with us on our Easter trip to Vancouver.  It worked out fine, but I wouldn't choose to travel with frozen food again.  I debated canning my own baby food size jars, but I was talked out of this by anyone who had ever tried it, warning me of loads of work and botulism risk.  So I have moved to the dehydrator and snack foods.

dehydrating pureed sweet potato

This weekend we'll be going on our first camping trip with Rachel.  Of course it won't be a regular trip.  We'll be leaving late after work on Friday during Rachel's fussy time, get to the campsite late, wake up early Sat morning, and run in a trail race.  Should be no problem!  I am bringing cheerios, rice cakes, dehydrated sweet potato, green beans, pears and peaches.  Plus, I'm going to buy some jars of store baby food and have them on hand if need. 

Like our pride in our cloth diapers, I find making Rachel's baby food and feeding her very fun.  It feels good to provide good food for her... cross your fingers that the camping trip goes well for us all :)