Molly Anne's Meals

Thought I'd give a little update on how Molly Anne is doing with eating "real" food!  

A short recap - at four months old, our doctor said GO on eating one veggie or fruit a day.  At five months old, our doctor said GO on eating two veggies or fruit a day.  At six months old, she said GO on all food except milk and honey and she gets three meals a day plus a sippy cup of water.  She wanted her to eat whatever we ate just pureed.  

Kevin and I talked about it and got some advice from Mama and Ms. Becky.  They still thought we should go slowly (like in the olden days!).  Ultimately, we decided to go somewhere in the middle.  We aren't giving her spicy Mexican burritos but mostly she gets what we have for meals.  As she gets older in the next few months, we'll give her more complicated stuff but for now, we are sticking to the basics to confirm there are no food allergies.

Also, the pureed versus baby led weaning.  Doc said no to the baby led weaning and I agreed because I would be so incredibly paranoid about choking.  We've already had one freak out when I gave her chicken parm and I didn't get it pureed well enough (stay tuned, I've learned) and she coughed and got herself back together.  No thank you, we will puree.  Plus I think the Doc likes puree because she knows it's getting in Molly Anne and she's actually eating a good amount.  I don't know, to each their own. We're on the puree train at our house, for now!

When we started at 4 months, she had lots of fruits and vegetables that I roasted or steamed and pureed in the blender.  Now that she is 6 months, we're experimenting more.  A couple weekends ago, she had chicken for three days in a row and oatmeal for three days in a row.  All went well.  Her little tummy was in good shape and she ate it all.  The doc said to do each food for three days in a row to confirm no allergies.  It's kind of hard for me to introduce a lot of different foods during the week because we don't want to do it at night then her go to bed and we may not know if she had a reaction.  The weekends are pretty much my only time to try new stuff with her.  

This past weekend I quit freaking out and got up the nerve for her to try eggs.  Please don't laugh but she had them at Dean and Deluca which is conveniently located directly across from an ER.  I did plan this.  And she was fine.  I'll be doing the same with peanut butter though I'll probably sit in the ER parking lot and give her that.  Haha.  Our Doc did say the earlier in her life the better to try this stuff and it avoids food allergies.  And yes, I believe every word she says.  We LOVE her doctor! 

Oh and I haven't bought any pre-made baby food.  I know, I know, I'm crazy to not be using the little pouches or jars of food.  I've just always said I wouldn't give Molly Anne anything I wouldn't eat and I wouldn't eat those (just being honest!).  I may end up trying a pouch at some point just for convenience but for now, this whole food thing isn't that hard so I may as well keep on.  

Here are some sample meals.  Rotisserie chicken in tiny pieces (via my regular blender which I won't use any more, see below), organic vanilla yogurt and peaches pureed through the garlic press.   

Apple sauce, avocado (through the garlic press) and spinach.

Chicken parm (not small enough pieces) and pears (through the garlic press)

Eggs and an entire banana pureed in the Baby Bullet.

Yes, I got smart and quit using my huge blender.  This has made the BIGGEST difference for me and cuts the time by a ton.

I scored a Baby Bullet off of a local Facebook group in Charlotte called Moms In Charge for $10.  I looked on Amazon and it's more expensive than Babies R Us.  Mine didn't come with all the extra containers but I didn't care about that stuff - I just wanted this below and the mini container that you can also use on the bullet.  

I finally got it out this past weekend and it's so easy to use.  Just like the regular Magic Bullet for smoothies but this bad boy purees things in point two seconds.  And the parts go in the dishwasher.  It is worth every penny.  Now I'll just put everything in this (separately) then pour it on her plate (that you see above which I got at Wal-Mart) and dinner is served!  I usually feed her at the same time I'm eating.  Kevin cleans up the kitchen while I finish feeding her.  

Now that I have this little contraption, it doesn't feel like I'm feeding her 8 times a day like I am (5 bottles of 7 ounces each plus three meals a day).  This is obviously only on the weekend.  Ms. Becky feeds her breakfast and lunch at her house.  

We started yesterday eliminating her 4pm bottle.  I only gave her 3.5 ounces so we'll do that for a week or so then that one should be gone as her food intake is going up.  It's all a process but it's fun seeing her grow and learn new things!

Oh the sippy cup...that was an interesting thing our Doc suggested we start.  I'm sure she wants her to start getting used to it so come one year, she only uses that and no bottle.  I ordered a few options off Amazon then picked up a couple at Wal-Mart while I was there.  So far MA likes the one that has a nipple like her bottle.  The same sippy cup comes with a regular top too so I will switch it out soon after she gets the hang of drinking water with her meals.  

As I've learned throughout this whole "being a mama thing," it's all a phase and everything is constantly changing!  

Tell me your tricks of how you've done food for your baby!