I now have a freezer full of tasty baby food ranging from pureed organic sweet potatoes, organic butternut squash, organic pureed pears, and more. But what about "the others" out there? All the jars, packets, boxes and tubes of organic this and that for baby? What's good and what's "eh?"
Mia's has grown to love what Mommy gives her, pears and avocado are two of her favorite, and shockingly enough she is not a banana baby! She likes applesauce and loves carrots and butternut squash. But on the go it's hard to always pack the food you are sure will keep, or not end up with some not-yet-thawed fare when you're in the middle of the food court at the neighborhood mall. So what are some great products? We took a few for a test drive.
I decided (after a day or two on rice cereal) to steer clear of grains for Mia at this point. I have such difficulty with grains myself, and I noticed that even with a couple days of grains in her diet, Mia was showing signs of digestive distress, gas, increased fussiness, but not constipation, which is a common side effect of starting on grains. I switched immediately to quinoa flakes:
I cooked them on the stove, added a pinch of sea salt and a drop of gluten free organic vanilla, then I poured into my blender, added some of my homemade organic pureed pears, blended until smooth, and fed her about a tablespoon or two mixed with a bit of breastmilk (you can use formula if that is what baby is on). She loves it! She also loves it mixed with organic applesauce or organic pureed prunes. This is a wonderful alternative to rice, oatmeal or other baby cereals, and both my pediatrician and naturopath backed me up.
If you are not of the mind to avoid grains and would like to feed baby some rice cereal to start, this is what I used for the first two days and really liked the quality of the product, and Mia ate it up and loved it:
So when on the go, other than cereal, we test drove several jars and brands, and I'd like to introduce you to a few of Mia's favorites:
We have fallen in love with Ella's Kitchen, organic pureed baby food in these handy-dandy pouches that travel great, and taste fabulous! These are her three favorites (we try and stay away from giving Mia just fruits, and lean more towards vegetables only, with the occasional vegetable/fruit blends). Her number one favorite is the Broccoli, Peas & Pears pouch, followed by a close second with the Carrots, Apples & Parsnips. She also loves the Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Apples & Blueberries one. Pack a spoon, or pick up a pair of the easy twist-on-top spoons, and you are set to go! These packets will last 48 hours in the fridge after being opened, and Mia loves them warm or cold. These recipes are also fun to recreate at home with your blender or food processor, and the combinations are inspirational. They use only lemon juice as a preservative, so your baby is getting all wholesome goodness and no additives or preservatives at all.
I don't know how it happened, but I have the baby who's favorite fruit so far is pureed prunes! Which is great for Mom, because constipation has not yet been a problem in our household! I mix the prunes into her cereal, or with her pureed butternut squash, or with spinach. She also loves them plain, but I try and avoid giving her straight fruit. The prunes we love most are from Plum organics:
Mia also loves the Plum organics flavor or Spinach, Peas & Pears.
So from pureed butternut squash, to mashed avocado, Mia is also loving watermelon chunks (I pinch off teeny-tiny pieces) or I let her go at a whole piece, of which she mostly sucks out the juice, but has a blast holding the slice like a "big girl" and isn't thrilled when I take it away.
There are some great books out there on baby superfood recipes and more, found on Amazon.com or at your local Barnes & Noble, Buy Buy Baby, or a million little boutiques out there. Two of our favorites are Petit-Appetit Organic Cookbook and Top 100 Baby Purees, both found on Amazon.com:
Thoroughly enjoy this first eating experience with your little one. And when those mixed feelings come up of baby's getting bigger, just experience them, and then let them pass. Each day is a unique one, filled with a million amazing memories and moments. It is so hard to see them grow, and yet a fascinating and priceless journey at the same time. Being an exclusively breastfeeding Mom has brought up many mixed emotions for me as my daughter has started on solids. I feel some days like she doesn't need me as much, and a little sore that I am not her total food source anymore. But it is bound to happen, and even though I wanted to go as long as possible without introducing solids, I have to give myself credit that I was able to go 7 months. Mia has a wonderful foundation, and no matter how long you were able to breastfeed your baby, any amount at all has given them an edge in the growth and development department, so good for you!
I am still breastfeeding Mia 6 times per day, and she her best feedings are her first one in the morning and her last two at night. The rest are kind of touch and go because she is such a busy and active little girl, so she is easily distracted. Breastfeeding out and about has become a true challenge, so bringing a bottle of breastmilk in a little cooler pack is a good idea. Remember that breastmilk and/or formula are baby's number one source of nutrition for the first year, so keep up a good schedule and make sure that you offer breastmilk or formula before every "real" food feeding.
Namaste,
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