We are EATING now!

As you all know, Caleb is now 6 months old, which means we are now EATING!

He has gobbled up everything so far:
Organic bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, green beans, squashes, peaches, apple sauce, prunes.

He EATS heartily from a spoon, opening his mouth wide as the spoon nears and chomping down on it, similar to how he used to chomp down when he was first learning to nurse. It is very cute. The very first bite is usually tentative, and he has a funny expression on his face, as he tastes the food for the first time. By the second bite, he is fully into the experience. He has been convinced. This stuff is GOOD!

He also feeds himself sometimes from a mesh feeder, which allows him to take an active part in EATING. He gets to experience what it’s like to feed himself and practice his motor skills. The food goes behind the mesh cover, so it keeps him from choking on small pieces. So far, I’ve only put peaches and bananas in it, but as he grows you can pretty much put any adult food in there (age appropriate) for baby to chew on without any hazard to him.

I did a lot of research on first foods and I’ve opted to skip the rice cereal and go straight to whole foods. Rice cereal is a highly processed food with little nutritional value (that’s why it’s fortified with synthetic vitamins after the natural vitamins have been processed OUT). It’s also a simple, refined carbohydrate, which is NOT the best food for baby (or anyone). They recommend it as a first food mostly in Western countries. Other regions of the world have other first foods, as varied as coconut, bananas, fish, egg yolks, artichokes, meats (liver!), tomatoes, etc. It seems that the recommendation of rice cereal is mostly cultural, not scientific. It is touted as an easily digestible food (but so are simple vegetables and mild fruits) and rich in added iron (but sweet potatoes are high in naturally occurring iron – shockingly, a fact that the nurse at my pediatrician’s DID NOT KNOW!). There is also some evidence that rice and other highly processed grain cereals actually could be among the worst foods for infants. Everything I’ve learned about nutrition in the last years tells me that this is indeed true. These foods digest very rapidly in the body into sugar, raising blood sugar and insulin levels, which could contribute to later health problems. Since we try to reduce our own intake of highly processed foods, why would we want to give that nutritionally deficient stuff to our baby? Caleb will have plenty of opportunities to try these foods as he grows. It's best in my opinion to start with the best foods that nature has to offer for his little tummy - naturally vitamin-rich organic vegetables and fruits. Rice cereal is also very constipating, and since babies tend to be constipated anyway when they first start solids, we don't need any added help with that!

So we are happily EATING avocados, bananas, sweet potatoes, etc. I fix homemade food for him most times. I bought a little food mill, but many foods can just be mashed up with a fork and diluted with a little water or breastmilk. It makes me happy to know where his food is coming from and to be able to give him the freshest foods by making my own. Occasionally, I will use Organic Gerber or Earth's Best baby food for those times when I don't have time to fix it myself (or those items that are more bothersome to fix at home, such as prunes, apple sauce). In a couple of months, I will also attempt to make my own brown rice cereal by grinding up the unprocessed grains myself, which is much more nutritious than commercial rice cereal. We'll see how that goes and if it's too much trouble. (Otherwise, I may use Earth's Best whole brown rice cereal, which is not refined and processed.)

At this point, Caleb usually eats solids once a day. He really does love it. He often sits at his highchair when we have dinner and takes part in our meal. I know he feels like such a big boy! Of course, we are still nursing, since solids are not supposed to replace breastmilk, only complement it. Breastmilk will remain the most important food in his diet until his first birthday. He hasn't been sick at all yet (though he's been around sick people) and I'm sure that the immunity he receives through me has a lot to do with it!

Many more goodies are on the repertoire of foods to come. Mommy is preparing a feast for you, BabyCakes! You have many more adventuresome, fun EATING experiences in your future! La'Haim!!!