{Baby Talk} Solid Foods

Now that Ethan is almost eight months, we are really getting into a groove with this whole solid food thing.  I thought I would recap our experiences up until now and share what has worked for us and what hasn't.  So raise a glass (or sippy cup!) and let's dig in!

When Ethan turned four months we were given the green light from our pediatrician to start introducing solid foods.  While we were excited for E to try new things and experience flavors other than formula, we didn't really push solids at the beginning.  Every few days, we would let Ethan try a new flavor from a pouch (Ella's or Plum Organics), and just let him explore the taste and texture.  At first, we would just feed him in his bouncer, since it was easier and he was really only eating a few spoonfuls at the most.  He did well, and had no problems.  He would open his mouth for the spoon, and really a majority of the food did end up in his mouth.  The flavors he liked best were apples and strawberries.


 Between four and six months I would really just give him a few spoonfuls each day, going off of his signals on when he wanted more and when he was done.  Up until six months, we were really just giving solids as fun, and not part of any nutritional plan.  All of his nutrition was still coming from his formula, so we weren't pushing the solids too much. As we moved closer to six months, however, I really felt like we should start to be more consistent with giving solid food.

At the six month mark, I began to try and give E solid foods more regularly, aiming for a good four ounces every day.  We introduced new foods and texture, started sitting in the high chair for meals, and got on a pretty good routine.

By seven months, I really started pushing more regular feedings with solid foods.  We began switching out meals for solid foods, and E began to eat enough solid foods that he didn't have to consume as many bottles.  He eats about 8 - 10 ounces of solid food a day, on average.

This is where we are now with eating solid foods in terms of quantity.  In terms of flavors, textures, and supplies, here is what we've been doing.

I started Ethan on the pureed stage one foods from Ella's Kitchen and Plum Organics.  He liked them, they were convienent, and for the quantity he was eating they were perfect.  I have to say, I still feed E these pouches.  The cost and ease of use and clean up are excellent, and they are all natural with no preservatives.  Our pediatrician also encouraged us to feed Ethan regular food, food that you or I would eat, just as long as it was a smooth texture with minimal chunks.  I started with greek yogurt (Chobani or Oikos), and Ethan just loved it!  I also give him soups, oatmeal (thinned, of course), and Mike and I let him try anything and everything we have that he can manage.

So far, Ethan's favorite foods are greek yogurt (especially mango flavor), pear oatmeal with cinnamon, carrots (pureed, in soup, or in juice), soup (tomato or cream based), apples, mangos, and the apple and carrot pouch from Plum Organics.  He also loves ice cream, natch.

In terms of products, we had a little hit or miss as we were figuring out the differences between bottle feeding and solid food feeding.  His terry cloth bibs could really not stand up to the onslaught of solid food purees and drips - they would be soaked in an instant.  We switched over to the waterproof bibs, and found that Bumkins Superbibs worked the best.  The food that hits the bib slides down into a little pouch, and, best of all, they are machine washable.  Other waterproof bibs that have a clear plastic pouch work well, too, but they can't stand up to the washing machine - the plastic pouch starts to warp and crinkle.  You could hand wash them, I suppose, but ain't nobody got time for that!  Bumkins Superbibs are really the way to go for us.  We pop them in the washer on a quick cycle with other kitchen towels and small loads and then let them air dry on a clothes rack.  I will also admit that on occasion a Superbib has ended up in the dryer from time to time, and they held up perfectly.

Our high chair seems to be great, and I have no complaints.  I don't have anything else to compare it to, but I really like it and it seems to be a good value.  We went with the Graco Blossom 4-in-1 system (in the Vance print) because it had high ratings on Amazon, we liked that it would grow with E, and it seemed to match the style we were looking for at a decent price.  At first I had the extra padding and everything on the high chair, but by now I've taken the extra padding off of the back to give E a bit more room in the chair.  He doesn't mind the high chair at all, and it is easy to get him into and out of it.  The chair is on wheels so I can move him around the kitchen, and the trays pop off easily for clean up.  A bonus, too, is that the straps can easily be removed and thrown in the washing machine, because let me tell you, they get super gross.  The "leather" back is also a nice feature, since it wipes down easily and doesn't seem to stain, despite the onslaught of carrots and such E smears on it.

While bibs and the high chair were pretty easy picks, we struggled with sippy cups over here.  It was really hard for me to find a sippy cup that Ethan used with relative ease and that didn't spill all over the floor.  Finally, after trying about 5 different types, we went with a Nuby.  It has handles, which are good for early sippy cup users, and the spout doesn't spill when the cup gets turned upside down or pushed onto the floor.  Also, liquids seems to come out of the spout fairly easily, so E won't get frustrated trying to use it.  He isn't a master at it yet, for sure, but I feel that this sippy is giving him the most success.

Solid foods have been an adventure so far, and really so much fun.  I can't wait until Ethan enjoys eating things with more texture, and eventually all of the foods we eat.  It is exciting to see which flavors he enjoys and which he doesn't; things like that are some of the first little peaks we get at his ever-budding personality.