Muffin is nine months old and a voracious eater; I've been meaning to sit down and keep track of everything. I'm fascinated watching her try new foods and even more fascinated by the happy faces and yummy sounds she makes when she absolutely loves something -- which is almost every time she eats.
On Christmas Eve, on her five-month birthday, we gave her rice cereal mixed with formula for the first time. She'd licked pieces of fruit that we held up to her mouth before, but this was her first official meal in the high chair. We tried putting her in the chair several times in the weeks leading up to then but she just wasn't ready to sit up and eat yet.
I did tons of reading to get ready for Muffin to start eating. The books I read include Hungry Monkey, My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus, and Super Baby Food. I went back and forth on cereal or not. Ultimately we decided to use it as her gateway food. She loved it but tired of it quickly. She moved on to mushed fruits and veggies, then chunkier mixes through the food grinder. We've done all the mushing and grinding ourselves rather than buying "baby food." As soon as she showed an interest I started introducing finger foods. We're not completely going with the Baby-Led Solids movement, but we are taking cues from BLS and from Muffin herself. She lets us know what she wants. She loves yogurt, so why should I deny her that just because she can't hold a spoon? She also loves being so proud of herself when she picks up a piece of food and is rewarded with a delicious taste. Two meals a day are generally a finger food combined with a spoon-fed food. She has another two or three meals a day of finger foods. (And between three and four eight-ounce bottles daily.)
Muffin's foods:
oatmeal with vanilla soy milk
rice cereal with vanilla soy milk
raisins
dried apricots
apples
pears
bananas
oranges
edamme cheese
parmesian cheese
cheddar cheese
gluten-free cheerios
gluten-free bread
yogurt
tofu stir-fried with ginger and garlic
paneer (ricotta-like cheese) in spinach curry
refried beans
plain rice
risotto
broccoli stir-fried with ginger and garlic
broccoli steamed and doused with lime juice
lamb
chicken
goat
beef
chili beans
cornbread
polenta
strawberries
cantaloupe
pineapple
watermelon
spicy dahl (lentils)
hummus
macaroni and cheese (both home-baked and gluten-free Annie's)
avocado
salsa
tomato soup
carrots
roasted potatoes
tomatoes
red pepper
yellow pepper
cucumbers
ground flax seed meal
almond meal
quinoa
chicken soup
scrambled eggs
gluten-free pancakes
green beans
dosa (a rice pancake stuffed with spicy potato)
gluten-free banana muffins
New foods on the menu for this week include potato-leek soup and gingered carrots. We are stuffing her with as many different flavors as we can now, before she becomes a picky kid. I was a picky eater so I'm prepared to face it with Muffin.
On Christmas Eve, on her five-month birthday, we gave her rice cereal mixed with formula for the first time. She'd licked pieces of fruit that we held up to her mouth before, but this was her first official meal in the high chair. We tried putting her in the chair several times in the weeks leading up to then but she just wasn't ready to sit up and eat yet.
I did tons of reading to get ready for Muffin to start eating. The books I read include Hungry Monkey, My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus, and Super Baby Food. I went back and forth on cereal or not. Ultimately we decided to use it as her gateway food. She loved it but tired of it quickly. She moved on to mushed fruits and veggies, then chunkier mixes through the food grinder. We've done all the mushing and grinding ourselves rather than buying "baby food." As soon as she showed an interest I started introducing finger foods. We're not completely going with the Baby-Led Solids movement, but we are taking cues from BLS and from Muffin herself. She lets us know what she wants. She loves yogurt, so why should I deny her that just because she can't hold a spoon? She also loves being so proud of herself when she picks up a piece of food and is rewarded with a delicious taste. Two meals a day are generally a finger food combined with a spoon-fed food. She has another two or three meals a day of finger foods. (And between three and four eight-ounce bottles daily.)
Muffin's foods:
oatmeal with vanilla soy milk
rice cereal with vanilla soy milk
raisins
dried apricots
apples
pears
bananas
oranges
edamme cheese
parmesian cheese
cheddar cheese
gluten-free cheerios
gluten-free bread
yogurt
tofu stir-fried with ginger and garlic
paneer (ricotta-like cheese) in spinach curry
refried beans
plain rice
risotto
broccoli stir-fried with ginger and garlic
broccoli steamed and doused with lime juice
lamb
chicken
goat
beef
chili beans
cornbread
polenta
strawberries
cantaloupe
pineapple
watermelon
spicy dahl (lentils)
hummus
macaroni and cheese (both home-baked and gluten-free Annie's)
avocado
salsa
tomato soup
carrots
roasted potatoes
tomatoes
red pepper
yellow pepper
cucumbers
ground flax seed meal
almond meal
quinoa
chicken soup
scrambled eggs
gluten-free pancakes
green beans
dosa (a rice pancake stuffed with spicy potato)
gluten-free banana muffins
New foods on the menu for this week include potato-leek soup and gingered carrots. We are stuffing her with as many different flavors as we can now, before she becomes a picky kid. I was a picky eater so I'm prepared to face it with Muffin.
