First Foods

Anna started solid foods in December and now she has moved on to finger foods!

The very first thing she had other than breast milk and formula was Rice Cereal.  It took her a few trys to figure out how to keep it in her mouth and swallow it but she got the hang of it pretty quickly.  We still try to have cereal everyday.  Anna's doctor said that cereal helps her feel full longer so it is a good thing to eat later in the day to help her sleep all night.  We try to give it to her a few times a day, but it is hard to fit it all in.

Her first real food was peas, they took a few bites of uncertainty but then she got used to them.  It is recommended to start with vegetables because babies can develop a preference for the sweetness of fruits and then refuse to try new vegetables so we did all vegetables for awhile.

Next were Carrots and then Sweet Potatoes.  We also wait 3 days in between introducing a new food just in case she has a bad reaction or allergy, then we will know right away what the source of the problem is.  However I am starting to relax on this a little because it is really hard to keep up with once you get into the combination foods in Stage 2.

Since the new year we have been incorporating Stage 2 foods as well, this is more of the meals in a jar, combination foods.  Babies can start having Stage 2 when they can sit by themselves.  We waited a little longer just because we were trying to get her introduced to a bunch of basic foods first, that makes it easier to give her combos.  She is starting to develop preferences!

Just this week we decided to give finger foods a shot.  I put a few Cheerios on her tray one night during dinner.  She is still developing her pincher grasp (putting the thumb and index finger together to pick something up) so she struggles getting them to her mouth but she seems to realize that is what she should do with them.  I put a few in her mouth for her and, like anything else, I think it is going to take a few tries to get the hang of it.  She had a hard time keeping them in her mouth at first but it is already getting better.

We had some cut up pears last night and she liked those so we are on our way to table food in a hurry!!