Adventures in Trying New Foods!

The day your baby starts trying solid foods is SO much fun. Then every time you introduce a new one every few days, it becomes even more fun because you get to see that they literally already have their tastes for things. What they don’t have down is the coordination, or really realize that they can be fed not only from a breast or a bottle, but from a spoon as well. (What IS this thing with all this goop on it going in my mouth?) You can see when they learn that spoons feed them too, because they start opening their mouths when you present them with the spoon, like little baby birds. I just love it!




Anyway, we started Jake on rice cereal right after we got the go ahead from his pediatrician (July 15th) because had been displaying the “readiness signs” for a couple of weeks already. He sits with support, chews on EVERYTHING, and seems interested in our food when Ryan and I are eating. The first few times were so funny… he would just twist his face into this little yucky grin, almost as if it was sour, he’d swallow a couple of drops, then the rest would just dribble down his chin. (I mean, think of when you try a new food. You analyze the taste and texture. Imagine how that would be if EVERYTHING you ate was foreign and unfamiliar! I’m pretty sure that we’d want to do the same thing a lot of the time, although we as adults have developed manners and tact, so our reactions are a little different!) Anyway, as I thickened it over those next few days, he did much better. Once he was eating cereal like a champ (pretty dang quickly!), we decided that veggies should come first so that he doesn’t get used to the sweetness of fruits, and prefer those all the time. So, first we tried sweet potatoes (pass), then peas (major FAIL, he gagged), then carrots (pass), and then last night we tried green beans (pass). So far, we know that he doesn’t seem to be very picky. I mean, what kid likes peas anyway? The sweet potatoes he’s not super into, but he will eat them. The carrots and the green beans, on the other hand, he LOVES. It’s obvious because between bites he beats on his tray with his hands, keeps his mouth open as if to say “More, mommy! More!”, and smiles after he swallows. So cute. Next on the list to try is squash. Then next week I can start introducing fruits, and then he can be eating a more “normal” diet every day of breast milk, rice cereal, fruits and veggies. Oh, and small amounts of water of course!




Bon Appetit!