It has been a while since I've blogged about life as a Confectionista. I have been too busy making candy! But I have been meaning to follow-up my last post with more about feeding children.
So if I can pick up where we left off then I think we are ready to start solids. Now, what I am learning with my second baby is that every child is very different when it comes to readiness for solid food. Our first was ready early, but our second is still a little reluctant and is mainly breastfeeding. However, situation surely has a lot to do with it. With Georgia, I went back to work when she was five months. With Olivia, I am home full-time with her.
But our food philosophy has not changed. Whole, organic, homemade food. And here is the thing, it is actually easy and inexpensive. If you don't know why we choose organic please read previous post. Breastfeeding is the cheapest form of food. And then add in a very small quantity of organic fruits, vegetables, and eventually dairy and meat if you like it. Now, I know that organic isn't always available to everyone everywhere. But making fresh food is cheaper than processed baby food, more nutritious, and takes very little time.
We started with pureed fruits and vegetables and eventually worked up to blends, dairy, eggs, and then more solid solids.
A few simple steps to homemade baby food:
I usually boil some extra vegetables of what I am cooking for us. And once a week I will prep and boil some fruit and extra vegetables. Once cooked, I puree in the food processor (sometimes adding a bit of water to achieve a smooth consistency) and then scoop into ice cube trays. Freeze and then bag in resealable plastic bags or containers. Defrost food cubes on demand. Once baby is ready for blends just pull a few different cubes out and mix together.
Once ready for other solids, we have had success with smashed hard boiled egg yolk, plain yoghurt (or add some pureed fruit), pureed organic beef and chicken (cooked, seasoned and blended with a veg puree), and cubes of cheese and tofu.
So here's the thing. I firmly believe that kids eat what their parents eat. Kids eat what you feed them. If you start them out on processed foods with a lot of salt, sugar, and HFCS, their little bodies will be addicted to those things. You may not even realize that you are doing this. Cereal, cookies, crackers- these are all highly processed foods when purchased in a package (making your own is a much better alternative). It is hard to avoid and I believe that in moderation, these foods aren't harmful. But in order to get enough vitamins, fiber, protein and all the important components of food into our kids, the processed food needs to be a very small quantity to make room for the whole stuff.
At any age, you can make changes to your child's diet to improve their nutrition and make an impact on their overall mental, emotional, and physical health. If you want to make changes to how your child (and family) eats, there are so many great resources out there. But start with one rule- don't eat something you wouldn't feed your kid. And if you do, consume it with the moderation you would use for your child. Kids eat what their parents eat. Plain and simple.
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