Can We Talk About Baby's Food? - NON BLW

maryoosa · February 2014

So maybe this is a 5.99 but I think it actually might be a fruitful discussion--- I've got a bunch of questions and I'd love to hear thoughts from everyone here!

Our bean has been eating since 4 months old- purees.-- single foods at first. When we moved to Stage 2 we noticed that all of the Stage 2's included at least 2 items he hadn't had before- like there would be something like Apricot, Pumpkin and Peaches- and he'd have not yet eaten Apricot or Peaches as a single food--- do you give those to your kid? Or somehow find single introductions of Apricots/Peaches etc.

Also--- are you giving your kids puffs or mum-mums? Water?

Are you giving a sippy cup?

Is formula/bm supposed to be the most substantial food for the first year? Or by 8 months is there some sort of equal food/formula balance?

I just feel like I read all kinds of conflicting info (surprise) so I'd like to crowdsource my answers!

Oh- and if you were going to buy a special babyfood maker- which one would you buy?

hollandmama · February 2014

We do both BLW and purées.

I am not so careful in giving singles first, I give him the combinations even if he hasn't had some of the ingredients before.

I don't give puffs because they don't sell them here haha but I'd like too. I give cereals and he loves them.

I got him to drink water today! (He hates it) by making him drink from a normal cup like mommy

he downed around 1 oz! (He hates the sippy cup)

My doc said that BM is the main nutritious source until 9 months.

I make baby food when I can (usually the days I don't work) using a thermomix (blender that cooks). I combine 2 or 3 veggies cooked in my BM, then I add some rice powder and Parmesan cheese. He prefers my own baby food than the one you buy but probably it's because the flavor is familiar to him.

I'll be following this thread because I'm curious about what other moms are cooking

Edit: typo

chiboo9 · February 2014

We've only been doing solids since LO turned 6 months. So barely a month. It's a mix between BLW/purees.

We're currently only introducing 1 food at a time, and trying to follow the 3-4 day rule of introducing a new food. I'm a nervous FTM, so I would only introduce a single food before mixing it in with something else.

I haven't introduced puffs or mum mums yet, but I probably will be doing so in the next week or two.

We introduced the sippy cup to LO as soon as we started her on solids. We give her 1oz of water with each solid meal, but she rarely ever finishes that 1oz. NBD. Right now, she's only eating 2 solid meals a day, which is probably 1oz of solids each meal.

From what I know and what the pedi has told me, formula/bm is the most substantial food for baby's first year. And that food under one is just for fun.

Right now, I only use my blender and DH's magic bullet to make LO's baby food. However, this is currently on my wish list. @lizabethann06 has it and swears by it.

https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-BFM-1000-Maker-Bottle-Warmer/dp/B009L1VWCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391808511&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+food+maker

Lelo2006 · February 2014

I am giving my 7 month old level 2 foods. The only thing I don't like about them is it seems like there aren't any pure veggie level 2s. Seems like there is always something sweet in them.

We are giving puffs and a sippy cup as well. He seems to really like the sippy cup. He only drinks water out of it - I haven't tried breastmilk yet.

I've always heard that breastmilk/formula should be the primary source of nutrition during the first year. My pediatrician said this as well. I'm confused about this, though. How does it work? I'm sure they don't wake up and stop taking as much breastmilk at age 1. It has to be gradual, right?

I've head good things about the beaba baby cook food maker. I don't have one, though. The times I've made baby food, James hasn't been a fan.

Pink724 · February 2014

(a) I'm not too careful with the introduction of foods, but I'd think if there were just one new ingredient (and others he's had before), it would be ok. You'd know that any reaction came from the new ingredient, right? However, I've been making my own food and give them to her as single flavors before mixing them.

(b) There was a puffs discussion a couple of days ago. It seems the consensus is yes. I just bought some and she is having some fun trying to pick them up (unsuccessfully so far).

(c) Yes, we give water in a straw cup. She usually drinks about 1/2 an ounce at each sitting. We use this one, and she loves it:

https://www.amazon.com/Zoli-Baby-BOT-Straw-Orange/dp/B00BH0P1E2/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1391808671&sr=1-1&keywords=zoli

(d) Formula/BM is still the primary source of nutrition for the first year, but my pedi said that consumption of it should begin to decrease at around the 9 month mark. I don't think it's really a balance, per se, but a slow decline of formula/BM as you introduce more food each day.

gutsymama · February 2014

do you give those to your kid? Or somehow find single introductions of Apricots/Peaches etc. We didn't spend much time with single foods. He's had lots of mixtures of things he's never had before. Our pedi & nutritionist basically said it's only really necessary to be that cautious about things that are likely allergens (nuts, etc.) or if there's a family history. I believe his exact words were "nobody is allergic to apples."

Also--- are you giving your kids puffs or mum-mums? Water? Puffs and Happy Baby Yogis. We haven't tried water because we don't want to add in any extra volume of fluids because we're pretty much at the max he can handle right now - but Lucas is a special snowflake

Are you giving a sippy cup? We let him play with it, but he hasn't figured it out yet. He does want to chew on the rim of my cup in between every sip I take, and I usually let him.

Is formula/bm supposed to be the most substantial food for the first year? Or by 8 months is there some sort of equal food/formula balance? Yes, formula/bm is supposed to be the main source of nutrition for the first year. But I believe there are differing philosophies on ratios and timeline; our nutritionist said that of course it's very likely that once you start solids milk intake might decrease a little, and that it's ok if that happens at this age (as long as it's not too much, and I'm not sure what too much is because we still haven't quite worked up to full feeds on milk - he's taking 20oz/day from his bottles, and those are mixed 75% milk and 25% pedialyte).

Pink724 · February 2014

Also, I've just been using a steamer and my blender to make food. I got this and I love it:

https://www.amazon.com/Infantino-208-101-Squeeze-Station/dp/B009IVKY7Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1391808988&sr=1-1&keywords=infantino+squeeze+station

And this book has been great for recipes, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Baby-Wholesome-Homemade-Delicious/dp/1416599185/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391809029&sr=1-1&keywords=cooking+for+baby

PrimRoseMama · February 2014

do you give those to your kid? Or somehow find single introductions of Apricots/Peaches etc.
Yes, my kids have never had an issue

Also--- are you giving your kids puffs or mum-mums? Water?
Yes to both the puff/cracker things. We offer 4 oz of water once a day. The sippy is barely touched. Since the food has salt in it then water, in a limited quantity, is fine.

Are you giving a sippy cup?
Yes, but he chews on it more than drinks it.

Is formula/bm supposed to be the most substantial food for the first year? Or by 8 months is there some sort of equal food/formula balance?
Food is not for nutrition or to satiate hunger. It is for practice only until 12 months. Offer formula or breast before you feed solids. This also ensures proper hydration & electrolyte balance.

Oh- and if you were going to buy a special babyfood maker- which one would you buy?
We use our food processor. I would save your money, IMHO.

fabk · February 2014

We have been introducing one at a time so far but will be more lenient soon.

We started giving puffs. They are peach flavoured which he doesn't like but still eats them. He doesn't seem to have a problem picking them up.

He has a sippy cup. He is able to drink from it but isn't a big fan of water. He loves to drink from my mug though.

We give solids after bfing.

We have a baby bullet. It works really well.

[Deleted User] · February 2014

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aehamilton13 · February 2014

We're doing one at a time for now, and trying to wait 3-4 days between foods, but I imagine I'll let that go pretty quick. Haha I would think if there was only one in the mix that you haven't tried, though, you'd be fine.

Haven't started puffs or mum mums yet, but I will at some point. He doesn't really try to put much in his mouth, so I don't expect he'll do much with them.

We give a sippy with water whenever he's in the highchair, but it's mainly just to let him play with it. He takes a few sips with help sometimes.

We have a Hamilton-Beach Bebe baby food maker. I love it! It steams and purées!

Kitten80 · February 2014

I have not started solids. LO just turned 6 months. We have all been sick. Now we will be going on vacation soon so I think I will wait until we come back. Easier that way.

I will intro one food at a time and wait several days b/w new foods because she already seems to be more sensitive to foods, so I want to give myself the best chance at identifying any "offenders".

I will try purees, and will make them if she likes them. LO2 hated purees and self selected a BLW approach, which I didn't know was a thing, ha.

I use my blender because I don't have a working food processor. It would be nice, but blender attachment works ok. I also have an immersion blender I got last year that I can try too.

Will eventually try puffs and mum mums. LO1 loved them. LO2 liked puffs but not mum mums.

redrocksmama · February 2014

We started a week ago with purées. I made my own using a blender but have a bunch of pouches as backup. I've been doing 1 food every 3-4 days so he's only tried 2 things. So far he is not impressed!

I haven't offered puffs...should I be? My pedi didn't say anything about them. I haven't given him a sippy cup yet either.

Clyde013 · February 2014

We've been doing one food at a time. I'm making 95% of it using the cusinart baby steamer/chopper which I absolutely love (same one as @lizabethann06 )
E has been drinking water for several months now but from a bottle. She loves it.
I haven't given her any puffs. I'm a bit nervous (FTM).

maryoosa · February 2014

Thanks everyone! This is great!

TheLittleRedM · February 2014

We started with Stage 2's because that's what we get on WIC. Some are single items and some are mixed and he seems to take to both equally well. But we also mix in BLW a lot of the time. Purees are usually saved for when we go out to eat and we don't know if what we order will be Noah-friendly. The only people with food allergies in our family are my mother (she's allergic to everything except meat and starches, some more than others, but didn't develop most of them until about 10 years ago), my brother (seafood), and one BIL (nuts). I'm not overly concerned that Noah is going to have any allergies to foods so I'm not super cautious about what we feed him.

We give him a little water every now and then. Almost exclusively if we are out at a restaurant and he just wants something to "swish" down the cereal or solids we've given him. We haven't given puffs of mum-mums but I'm sure he'd eat them like crazy!

No sippy cup, yet. Maybe eventually for in the car but we've let him try drinking from our normal glasses and he does really well with it. Like...surprisingly well. So much so that my mom even suggested we'd never need to use a sippy cup. We also let him suck on straws and he did pretty good and caught on quick the first few times but now he mostly just chews on them.

I'm pretty positive that formula/BM is suppose to be the most substantial food they receive the first year. That said, as you introduce solids it will probably decrease in how much they intake since you're replacing some of their normal diet with solids.

Sstragar · February 2014

Level 2 purées here. I'm not super careful about introducing two fruits / veggies at once when he hasn't had one before.

We do puffs. Mainly to practice pincer grasp and so I can get dinner ready while he plays in the high chair.

He takes a sippy cup with water. But he also tries to drink from my cup often so I let him take water from it also.

The pedi said BM / formula are supposed to be the main nutrition for first year and to offer BM / formula first.

maryoosa · February 2014

Today DS actively grabbed for the water bottle we had in the stroller tray. I gave him some from it -I do that a few times a week---he seems to be getting the hang of it---for like 3 seconds -then he just wants to chew on the bottle.

CarriFitz · February 2014

I am doing also purées and BLW. I been using one of those silicone feeders were you can put chunks of banana etc in it. Liliana loves it. I also give her mums and puffs. I always nurse her first.

queenbone · February 2014

I noticed the same thing with DS1, we just went ahead and fed the stage 2 purees even if both items were new. Fortunately neither boy ever had a problem. We haven't moved on to stage 2s with DD yet.

She is teething (2 teeth already) so I was going to offer her mum mums, but they weren't at the grocery store when I looked. I'll give them to her as soon as I can find them.

I'm not pumping this time so I haven't been offering anything in a bottle or cup. I can't remember when I've offered water in the past, but I'd guess closer to the 1 yr mark when baby is cup trained.

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