Not Nice Spice
Motherhood has shocked me. When my stud and I found out I had a chickadee growing inside of me we were speechless. Everyone said to start trying early because it could take years to get pregnant, yet it seemed all the stars aligned and WAM-BAM we were pregnant on try one. Certainly not complaining; trouble was that we weren’t nearly as prepared as we thought. Thankfully I was teaching at a high school in Long Island City and a fellow teacher was also a doula. She started asking me questions about what am I going to do about this or that—truth is I didn’t even have a doctor or a lady doctor for that matter! I truly was thinking, unless something is alarmingly wrong, you just go in and deliver. Well, this is not the wild frontier apparently! This started me on a long road of research, research, research. I couldn’t be happier when it was time for my chickadee to start solids, and I found what fit our family. Before starting Baby Led Weaning, I checked that she was on track: 1. Chickadee demonstrated interest in food. 2. She could sit up. 3. She could swallow (instead of just being a pool of drool) 4. She demonstrated her gag reflex (pushing food/pacifier/chew toy/bottle out of her mouth). 5. She could grab hold of large items (think baby board book). Even though just before 6 months she demonstrated interest in food while we were eating, she wasn’t sitting up on her own, so I delayed until that stage (she had all of her other ducks in a row). In the meantime we moved and had to do quite a few days eating takeout; I delayed a little longer, until she was at just over 7 months. Baby Led Weaning has changed my life! Initially I was set to be the queen of purees, but I stumbled upon BLW and couldn’t get enough. In short the baby eats when you eat and what you eat, starts solids after 6 months (under Dr. recommendation), you give concern for any family allergies, and present food that is ideal for sucking and “gumming,” usually in long strips and will squish with a slight touch. I crossed my t’s and dotted my i’s preparing for BLW—I wanted to be sure I knew how to respond to any choking, unforeseen allergies, or any other conundrum. I read Baby Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods- and Helping Your Baby to Grow Up a Happy and Confident Eater. Chickadee is coming up on her 9 month now and is killing the food! She has had a few gag moments, but was able to spit the food right out. I’m the ultimate helicopter mom and if anything turns too stringy or whatnot I take it away. She seems to learn from these experiences and understand how her mouth works. Her first foods were banana, sweet potato and avocado. Here’s a list of her foods at this point: 1. Banana (1/4 of it and left in the skin) 2. Sweet potato (hyperventilates when I’m cooking or prepping it) 3. Avocado (loves the pit!) 4. Green and Red Apple (I bite off parts so that she can suck out juices) 5. Pears (Started with strips, after 2 times I halve and remove center—she downs the whole thing in about 5 minutes) 6. Nectarines (I take a few bites and she goes to town!) 7. Peaches (I take a few bites and she goes to town!) 8. Watermelon (this is the one food she actually hovered too fast and started chocking. I put it in a mesh foodie or blend into popsicles) 9. Honeydew 10. Mango (usually frozen chunks in mesh foodie) 11. Butternut Squash 12. Carrots 13. Cucumber 14. Green beans (extra long ones and fresh is best for cooking) 15. Zucchini 16. Grapes (mesh foodie) 17. Kale (in mesh foodie with a juicy fruit) 18. Spinach (in mesh foodie with a juicy fruit) 19. Chicken Leg & Breast 20. Ground Beef Burger (made with Sweet Potato) 21. Steak 22. Unsalted Butter 23. Allspice 24. Whole Milk Yogurt (I gave her about a teaspoon mixed with homemade cherry butter and she had a green stinky dark poop within a couple hours. Everything about her was normal—playing, temp, wet diapers. Thankfully her next BM was back to regular. No more diary for some time! We rarely have any diary in our diet.). 25. Ground Oat Pancakes (recipe on post: Pancakes, Please!) ***To learn more about BLW I recommend researching, talking to other moms, and most importantly your child’s doctor. You should always consult your child’s doctor. I am not a licensed physician and I am not giving medical advice. This is my own personal experience.***
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Kate FrancesWhen you don't know what else to do, then it's time to write. Then write a little while longer for good measure. Archives
February 2020
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