# 34: A Solid 2 Months of Solids

The first year of life is basically an incessant transition (for baby and parent alike). With some feeling like a bigger shift than others. Transitioning into solids was a Saint-Bernard-size adjustment. To prepare, I refreshed my memory on infant CPR and choking and purchased a new food processor since we are opting to make all of G's food ourselves. Like any transition, your mindset, basic knowledge, and the learning you pick up along the way will assist you as you bring up baby. 

Mindset
My general attitude when it comes to teaching something new (whether this is to a child, adult, or dog) is "trimming the fat." This means I do not lead with the expectation of perfection; instead, I try to hold realistic expectations (we must start somewhere, and the process will improve).  I don't expect the chicken breast to be ready to eat right out of the package; I need to mindfully cut off the undesirable stuff before seasoning it and throwing it onto the grill. 

I take this same approach with Genevieve and food. I focus on introducing G to a variety of different foods and give multiple opportunities to try each one. I read--and can say that my experience with Genevieve supports--repeat exposure to the same food promotes liking the food (in the ballpark of seven attempts before a kiddo may begin liking a food). The first time G had a banana she coughed and immediately vomited twice the amount that went in (to the amusement and slight horror of Andrew and me). Now she goes crazy for banana with oats or avocado.  Giving G exposure to foods again and again--and sometimes in different forms--helps expand her palette. 

I do not expect Genevieve to eat without making a mess. In fact, we embrace the messiness of this phase. While stripping her down for every feed, cleaning up, and multiple baths (or water wipe baths) a day can be annoying: 'tis the season (and just like the obnoxious stripping for newborn skin-to-skin feeds: it will pass). My priority is to teach G independence by allowing her to take the lead, develop motor skills, and learn food is fun. There is a time for making a mess and a time for being clean. I do not believe we are establishing bad habits because as she gets better at feeding herself, we will naturally "trim the fat" and the size of the mess (and amount of time cleaning up) will decrease. In fact, I have already noticed a significant improvement. 

We also found that Genevieve does prefer her food (oatmeal and veggie purees) heated slightly rather than cold. Several sources expressed that 'babies don't care about temperature' but I found that not to be consistent with Genevieve's personal preference. Also, texture can play a role. Genevieve wouldn't touch scrambled eggs, but she loves eggs pureed; she prefers her oatmeal cooked and then pureed, not the dry oats pureed and then cooked--which was the way presented in our cookbook. I share these examples because I want to make the point: experiment, get creative, and don't just rely on recommendations you find. Food before one is just fun and you can have some fun too by getting creative to see different ways you can introduce foods. Genevieve is getting what she needs from breastmilk (though of course now she needs additional vitamins and iron once she hit the six-month mark) but I don't need to stress Genevieve will starve if more is scrapped into the dogs' bowls after a feed than into her belly. 

I am very mindful about my emotions related to food. So, I do not force G to eat as much as I think she needs. I instead trust her cues to turn her head away or open wide for another serving. I want her to learn when her body says she has taken in enough.  I also do not want her to see me stressed at a mess (I instead want her to feed herself based on her current ability to aim and swallow). As parents we set the tone of an experience. 

I would be lying if I said I wasn't terrified of choking. Regardless of being CPR certified or countless times rewatching a demonstration video there is some anxiety. We are going the puree route because of this. While we have introduced shredded cheese, chunky oatmeal, brown rice, scrambled eggs, and salmon we have yet to introduce real baby-led weaning style foods. This is of course a personal preference (and there are pros and cons to each approach and camps who swear by one method or the other). Go with what makes you the most comfortable. Genevieve has a bigger tongue, and her thrust reflex only recently really went away. This is an additional reason for us taking it slow and leading with purees.

I also introduce potential allergens on weekends: when Andrew is home. That way I have someone else to rely on in case we needed to go to urgent care due to a reaction. We have baby Benadryl on hand as well for milder reactions. My advice is simply to be aware of the elements of feeding that make you nervous, stressed, or tense. By being aware of them, you can give yourself grace and also work to improve your reactions--and replace them with responses. For example: I play Jack Johnson's Curious George Movie soundtrack during feeds because it makes me feel upbeat and relaxed. Genevieve smiles every time the bongo drums start with "Upside down."

Gagging is also incredibly common (though stressful) experience with solid feedings. I have taught myself to smile and laugh through this (though I am sure there is a slight discernible fear in my large, round eyes). Andrew laughs at me every time I do this because he knows the internal stress I am feeling. I know babies are empathetic. I do not wish for G to think that when she is gagging (normal and natural) that it is something to fear--therefore I need to model it is okay and will pass--I promise this is easier said than done but an important practice regardless. 

Andrew and I are no stranger to meal prep, so we are not preoccupied with the extra prep work that goes in to making Genevieve's purees ourselves or the fact that she isn't eating what we are. In fact, just about everything we eat is pretty heavily seasoned and salted. Sodium needs to be low for the first year of life because it can cause pretty significant problems on baby's developing organs. Therefore, if we have chicken, we portion off a piece for her that remains unseasoned and cook it separately. Making our own purees is surprisingly fast and easy and definitely cost effective. But if the idea of adding this to your plate is too much, opt for pre-prepped baby food instead. 

Expect your little one to go through phases with food (and try not to stress when they are wasting food during a hunger strike). When we first introduced food to Genevieve, she would open her mouth for every bite. Most of the food popped back out and she was more interested in her spoon than the food. Then Genevieve entered a phase where she would shake her head and refuse anything if you tried to feed her. However, if I loaded the spoon with something and set it down, she might scoop it up and "feed" herself (scraping most food off and gnawing on her spoon). Of course, there were full days or meals where Genevieve wouldn't want to eat anything at all--but made a mess anyway. (Food is fun I would chant in my mind, reminding myself this was a meaningful way to spend time whether the food was going into her belly or not). 

About two weeks before Genevieve turned eight months, she entered a new phase and really began eating more food more efficiently: hallelujah. This was a gradual progression where she ate the most at her first feeding. Her third feeding improved next.  Her second feeding of the day improved last. We share the responsibility of feeding: sometimes I am the bearer of the spoon and other times I let her do it. Usually, I start the feed holding the spoon but as she fills up and loses interest, I hand it over. There are still meals (and days) where G eats less, and I don't stress about it. 

Mapping Out the Introduction 
I will share what the progression of food introduction looked like for us from a high level. Honestly, I do not keep a detailed log about what we did. In fact, I started a mini notebook with the intention of keeping a catalog and quickly abandoned it because it felt like too much (and just not helpful). I do not use a specific app to track baby details either (though many exist if that type of thing helps you). Instead, I use a shared note with Andrew on my iPhone. I keep a log for Genevieve's eating, my pumping, and 'other' (sleeping, appointments, and any extra details I want documented). Sometimes I just add the time and 'solids' but if I introduce a new food I will explicitly write in that meal for reference. This way if she breaks out into a rash or has painful gas, I can look back to see what may be responsible. 

Before solids were introduced, I spent about a week letting G sit in her highchair. I would give her a wooden spoon and plastic cup to explore. Then I would allow her to interact with her own plates, cups, and utensils. I wanted her to get comfortable wearing a bib and just being in her highchair. When I got the green light from her pediatrician to introduce foods, we began gradually. 

I started by incorporating one solid meal into our day. I chose to start in the evening when Andrew was home--again, I just felt more comfortable having him there. We introduced one food every three days. With the hopes of diminishing pickiness and a sweet tooth, we chose to lead with foods that were less sweet. We introduced oatmeal mixed with breastmilk first. This seemed like a good first mix because she already was familiar with the taste of breastmilk. Then over the next few days we introduced sweet potato, avocado, zucchini, and banana. After we got into a groove with feeding in the evening, I added another meal in during the day without a locked-in time. Sometimes it was in the morning and other times it was in the afternoon depending on our schedule that day. When I sought to add in a third feeding, I then locked in a morning, afternoon, and evening meal of solids. 

Now that we have a variety of food exposures under our belt, I introduce foods with more fluidity. For example, when we first started, I introduced one new food every three days. This allowed me to determine whether or not we had an allergic reactions, gas, or stool issue, and could more easily pinpoint the culprit. It also allowed several introductions for G to get used to the flavor. When we introduce an allergen, we do not add any other new food for three days. Though if we aren't attempting a new allergen that week, we will simply introduce new foods a day or so apart. I document what the new food was, but that's all. When I make my grocery list (another shared note between Andrew in myself) I use the baby head emoji to notate this is a new item I want baby to try. This helps me consider items she likes, hasn't yet tried, or has tried but doesn't love. Having this plan in my mind is very helpful when it comes to prepping her meals for the week. I will save the specifics of that process for another post. 

What works best for me is not adhering to a specific time schedule with Genevieve. I focus on the pattern of wakefulness for the day. I do not feed her solids at 10 am, 2 pm, and 6 pm every day. Rather I feed her one hour after her bottle during a wakeful period. Our "schedule" looks something like this: 

• Wake for the day 
• Drink bottle of breastmilk 
• Morning walk/ play
• Eat solid meal #1 (usually oatmeal, fruit, peanut butter) 
• Play/ vacuum while in carrier 
• Nap # 1 
• Wake- drink bottle 
• Sitting up activities/ reading/ play 
• Solids #2 (usually veggie puree mixture, protein, avocado/ butternut squash, fruit) 
• Errands/ play 
• Nap # 2
• Wake- drink bottle 
• Outside time/Play 
• Family Walk 
• Solids # 3/family dinner (usually rice or quinoa, veggies, sweet potato or squash, protein) 
• Bath 
• Snuggle/ lap time/ calm play 
• Bottle--Bed 

After two months of solids, we are in a solid (haha) groove. While there is a huge benefit to winging it with solids, I would definitely recommend intention for a few things. The first is consulting your pediatrician on when your little one might be ready. Also research the items babies should not have, for example honey is very dangerous (cooked or not--something I wouldn't think about since it is a 'healthy' food) until after twelve months of age. You'll want to introduce allergens like nuts, soy, and fish earlier rather than later based on current research. This transition definitely calls for a balance of winging it and intentionality and *sometimes* the reminder to relax.