I blogged briefly about starting Fighter on solids before and I thought I should update a bit more about it.
As blogged previously, I started with rice cereal as recommended by the pediatrician. Seasoned it with lotsa breastmilk and tried it out and he readily ate it up for a few days.
Then it was time for different foods!
At the start I read and researched about baby foods. It was a momentous decision! It’s a major milestone for Fighter so the first food must be majorly marvelous. Hahaha. I finally decided on…
Jeng jeng jeng. Avocado. It’s like a star fruit (no pun intended lol), full of nutrients and extremely healthy, mild tasting so it won’t be jarring for baby’s tastebuds yadda yadda.
I got a ripe one and mashed it with a fork then added a few teaspoons of breastmilk for a familiar taste.
I know it looks damn gross right. Honestly I can’t blame Fighter; if someone served this to me I’d puke it up too wtf.
To my delight he ate most of it!
I was prepared to go into battle wtf. Prepped myself with an arsenal of helicopter noises and plane announcements to pretend the spoon was a plane trying to get into the airport of his mouth WTF. Totally learned that from Fat Her.
But he did pretty well! Once he got over his tongue stick reflex the I think out of curiosity more than anything else he quietly enough ate it up.
Then I progressed to other fruits and vegetables. But before that I added one crucial tool to the kitchen.
Baby food processor!
I tried using a regular blender but it was quite tricky cos baby food portions are obviously small. So when you put it into a regular sized blender which is way too big, cannot blend anything! At first I was reluctant to get a food processor cos I checked out Phillips Avent one and holy mama at that price I’d pray my baby doesn’t grow teeth for at least ten years to maximize the usage for the price I’m paying WTF.
But a reader told me about this Little Bean food processor and it’s only RM100+! Can steam AND puree some more so I fasterly bought it. And I love it so far it makes making baby food so simple even a kitchen noob like me can operate it!
First puree I tried was apple. Cut the apple into small cubes and steamed it. When I took out the steamed apple to put into the blender I nearly vomited WTF.
Did you know steamed apple smells daaaaamn weird!?!? I felt sure Fighter would reject it but already steamed what to do! So I puree-d it.
And got this nice yellow thick sauce. I tried it and…oooh really quite yummy wtf.
Fighter loved it! He ate the plate clean. And I was ecstatic because it’s so easy to get apples and so easy to prepare them too. This would be Fighter’s staple food wtf.
Next I tried papaya. Total failure wtf.
He took one spoon and then refused the rest. T_______T I was super surprised cos papaya seems like the type of food that babies would love – soft, sweet and juicy.
But he really didn’t want it. Then grumpy for the next two days wtf true story. The second time I let him try papaya, he was grumpy for 1-2 days too! I dunno if papaya gave him a tummy ache or what. :X
Pear also strike out. -_-
Banana is a go!!
Very weird this baby. Cannot predict his tastes.
Hmm lemme try…
I LOVE IT!
HEHEHE.
Tried pumpkin and sweet potato also didn’t want.
So okay fine I stuck to apple and banana. Sometimes pure puree, sometimes mixed with rice cereal.
And then….
There was a dark period.
When Fighter didn’t poo for four days. T____________T
He never had a problem with constipation before this so I had no idea what it was about. But friends I talked to told me about BRAT, the four enemies of baby constipation wtf – Banana, Rice, Apple, Toast.
FML 3 out of 4 are the only foods Fighter will eat. And probably only cos I never fed him toast before wtf.
I waited for three days and all he gave me was wet diapers wtf. So on the fourth day I fed him a dose of lactulose and three hours later…
Sorry AHAHAHAHAHAH.
I swear when I picked him up he was twice as heavy as normal wtf.
To my disgust (and fascination) there was so much poo it had seeped up to his belly button WTF.
I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see poop though wtf.
After that incident, thankfully his digestion and waste system went back to normal. I kept in mind the P saviors of constipation (pear, papaya, plums, prunes, etc) and also gave him a bit of apple juice after every solid meal to to help with his pooping and so far all is well.
Right now I’m still having trouble getting him to eat. ;____; I think he only ate well the first couple of weeks because it was a novelty and then he got bored and stopped. -_-
Yesterday he ate all his banana, but otherwise every meal is a hit miss. T_____T Apple, pear, plum, avocado all also sometimes can sometimes cannot.
Today I broke out this pacifier/feeder thing that Jammie gave me.
It’s like a gigantic teether except it has holes in it and you can fill it with puree. When baby bites on it, the puree squishes out through the holes and he gets to eat in a way he can control.
Fighter chewed on it and of course the puree (apple + cereal) squirted out. He chewed on the puree thoughtfully for a while (because new experience I guess) then lost interest.
*controlled breathing
This is the only thing he’ll eat happily. Egg Bolou wtf. It’s just round egg biscuits from Kewpie (got them from a supermarket in Tokyo) but he loves! I wondered if he liked it because he just didn’t like eating mush.
So I’ve been reading up on baby led weaning and yesterday I attempted to try it. Cut up an apple into miniscule pieces and steamed it. He readily took it into his mouth but he couldn’t manipulate his tongue and lips enough to properly gnash it between his gums! The apple pieces kept falling out wtf. So that’s a dud.
So that’s the story of Fighter’s food and poop wtf. If you’re a mommy, what are the problems you’ve faced with your child’s feeding and how did you solve it?
Comments (24)
Funny! Am a first time mom and weaning my baby too. He didn’t poop for a day n I got super stressed, can’t imagine how you must have felt when your sweetie finally poo pooed! Solids n my baby are hit or miss too.. Been feeding him organic yogurt mixed with purees, so far so good. Perhaps you can look into it? I bought the annabel karmel book with recipes for baby n toddlers.. There’s an app too but the book is much more informative IMO.. The website momtastic is great too with lotsa useful info. I love reading bout your mommy updates cos our kids are around the same age and I can relate v well.. Don’t have any mommy friends so it kinda sucks.
Hey! My D is 13 months and he still doesn’t take to solids as much. I read xiaxue’s blog n her Dash eats way much more! Anyway, when he was 6mths+, i nvr get it wrong with apples. Bananas are great but i read that it makes babies constipate. I know some mummies will cringe but jar foods are great if u wanna see if Fighter really doesn’t like solids. Heinz is always foolproof for my D. And Nestlé’s cereal range, Cerelac. Since Fighter’s still less than a year old, i wldn’t worry. I think he still hasn’t mastered the art of chewing yet. Some say a sign to look out for is when babies can sit upright on highchair on their own. Not sure how true. Anyway, some “wise” person told me: Food before 1 is for fun. Breastmilk/milk is still their essential.
so sweet to have readers helping you along the way with helpful kitchen tools/equipment for baby! 😀 win for food processors! is it too hard to mash everything up to a puree manually? sorry, i’m not a mommy nor a kitchen goddess so that might’ve been a bit of a “blonde” question to ask. that poop photo threw me off but made me LOL. i really have to say you’re mad brave— possibly the only blogger i’d know to ever post a diaper full of poop!!!!nnand interesting how babies get constipated on bananas. every time i have bananas, number 2 is easy peasy. learning something new every day! (and so glad i’m reading a bunch of mommy blogs so i’m now fast becoming a “baby expert” wtf. lol!) nnfighter looks so cute in his lil bib. haha. HAPPY NOM FACE!
Hey Audrey! My Little J had problems starting solids too. He started with mash potatoes or mash sweet potatoes but didn’t eat that much. But then I mixed them together – mash potato + sweet potato + carrot and sometimes pumpkin.. and he eats them like a champion! So what I’m trying to suggest is perhaps try mixing the vegetables instead to get a mixture of tastes. OR start with the food that he likes most (eg banana) and mix it with something else so he gets something familiar. Good luck! 🙂
Audrey, I read somewhere that some babies need to try a food on 10 separate occasions before you can know for sure that he doesn’t like it, so don’t be too discouraged. My first daughter was an easy eater and would eat pretty much everything on offer, second daughter was very difficult, mealtimes were very frustrating for both of us until I found out by chance that she loves rice. At this stage she was about 7 months and had no teeth and the rice she likes is proper rice, not soft porridge like rice. I fed her rice in chicken soup with variations of vegetables and mealtimes became a delight. I think she just didn’t like the mushy texture of pureed food. I say just keep exposing him to new things and at the very least you’ll enrich his experience.
Hi Audrey! I’m the one who suggested little bean processor! Glad that you like it. I’m doing BLW as well. Apple don’t need to be steam before giving fighter. Steamed apple is mushy and not easy to hold. Try cut into long shape that he can hold to give him. Try celery, zucchini etc, maybe he likes crunch 🙂 he’s still newbie with food, do try to still give him even sometimes he doesn’t like. So that he won’t be choosy with food next time.
If you wanna start fish, try Threadfin first. Very recommended first fish for baby. Fighter can also take yogurt now. Try to find original yobaby yogurt for him. Try original taste before intro other flavors. Helps with the poo poo too. Now that he start solids, do give him plenty of water. Also helps with poo poo. Try straw cup as most babies aren’t good with sippy cup. Mine likes to drink direct from adult cup. Oh and for porridge later on. You can intro mixed grains. Like quinoa, millet, barley and chia seed. All are super nutritious for him. So much I wish to share more 🙂 ganbatte mama Audrey!
Hi Audrey, my boy is 7 months + and he hates pureed food. lol nI started with Avocado too and he liked it so much I tot our solids feeding journey is gonna be smooth! I was so so wrong, he rejected it after few feeds..The only food he likes now are cereal and pumpkin, he rejected all pureed food after that. I have to offer him fruits ‘in a piece’ then let him chew. Funny enough, when he sees the whole piece of papaya/banana, he’ll open his mouth big big to chew on them. It’s really really messy but he likes it, poor mama 1 day dunno gotta shower him how many times.. lolnFighter looks so cute with the kidsme feeder, Imma try it soon!!
thanks! his cereal is actually rice + quinoa 🙂 I tried yogurt too but he totally refused 🙁 maybe too sour for him?
Hi Audrey:). I remembered that my girl only accepted bananas. So I mixed whatever I prepared with bananas. Even porridge with bananas. Now, she’s 3 years old and refuse to eat bananas. Telling me that the taste is disgusting.
icic! quinoa soaked until they sprout has best nutrition! nohh maybe he don’t like now but will like later? hehenYou can try eating together with him, show him you eat a spoonful, then his turn. Its fun too 🙂
Oh yah… I am working full time. Baby gal still on full breastfeeding plus solids now. Normally weekend I will cook a big pot of veggies stock and freeze them up in batches. I throw in chinese nappa cabbage, carrots, turnip, celery. Anything that you like… boiled them till their natural sweetness comes out. Then I will use these stock when cook porridge, or make puree (instead add water when blend, i use this stock) or even steam fish. Just suggestion for you 🙂 No need to add any flavoring. All natural sweetness and goodness
Hi Audrey, just wondering is that little bean food processor BPA free? nThanks 🙂 nMel
I never thought of it wtf bad mom. but I Googled and it is BPA free hehe
Hi I agree with Emily below. With BLW apples are definitely for later on – too hard to chew, and small pieces can’t be gripped and chewed on.nFor BLW, the best for our two was to start with steamed broccoli and carrots – steamed more than usual so they’re quite soft but not mushy. Big enough to grip in one hand with about half poking out the top. Bananas are good too.nAlso – one of the principles of BLW is don’t stress if they eat or not. Until one year they can survive on breast milk in theory (though the possible lack of iron is an issue), and the rest is just supplementing.nIt’s very usual to get consipated when they first go on solids, the body is adapting.
you mean when you puree veggies right? 🙂 using veggie stock to puree fruits sounds hilarious hahahah. but I dunno much about cooking la
I’m not a mother but I still find it strangely interesting to read about Fighter’s food adventures…
Hi Audrey! Have you checked out Ruth Yaron? I never fail to recommend her to other mommies. She has a nutrition based approach, and I love her sound thorough advices. I know how it feels when your LO doesnt eat as well as you hope. There are various things to experiment with, texture, temperature distraction on one food item before moving on. nnI am not a fan of baby led weaning, please google intussusception and baby led weaning.
Hey Audrey, my daughter, who is 11 months old, started out loving all foods (vegetables and her fruits!). After a while she refused to eat her veggies so now I mix apples, pears, carrots, pineapple, strawberries, melons, brocoli, cauliflower and bananas and she loves it. It’s sweet because of the fruit and you can’t taste the veggies, which she hates for some reason. I put it all in the blender and she has enough puree for about a week or so
I haven’t! is she an author? I briefly tried baby led weaning but it didn’t work for us. Fighter doesn’t know how to manipulate and gum solid pieces yet so I gave it up
hahaha preparation for future!
oh good idea with the broccoli. Fighter doesn’t seem like he knows how to mash food in his mind though
hi, Aud, i hope fighter isnt teething at the moment, because if he is, feeding him with the feeder/pacifier is probably going to lead ‘nursing caries’. which kinda set a ‘not-so-good’ start for the subsequent teeth when they do come out as well la. btw, im a dental student.
Hi! Would you still recommend little bean food processor? Tried finding reviews on it but couldn’t. Thanks!!