Carrots!

We started carrots yesterday morning and again some funny looks to begin with but he warmed up to them in the end. At lunch time he was much more interested in the taste.

You will notice that we start our new food introductions in the morning. I read that this was the best time to introduce a new food so that if there were any allergies, or stomach upsets that baby wouldn't wake up through out the night.

So far we have done pretty well and there seems to be no intolerance.

I am pretty sure he was thinking that if I fed him carrots his curly little fuzz head was going to get more orange. He doesn't seem to approve.









My smiling little gummy bear. I have never met a more happy baby. I am the luckiest mom in the world. <3

I know that some parents aren't for the early introduction of solids and I was one of those before gummy bear came along. My original plan was to breastfeed until at least one year and do baby led weaning at around 8 or 9 months. Of course we had to divert from our plan and start formula and this has left me with a baby who seems more ready to start on purees. So we opted to start a couple weeks before the 6 month mark and I am following his lead in determining his readiness.

"Wholly" Guacamole!

We did Avocado at the beginning of the week and my little man doesn't seem too enthused. I pretty much get this face every time!

Avocado recipe:
1 slice of avocado, mashed
A bit of formula to thin to desired consistency

You can also add a little mashed banana which is what we added at the end of the week.

For avocado I mash at feeding time. The way to cut down on browning is to slice the avocado into slices and freeze.You don't even need anything else to keep them green. You can also add a drop or two of lemon juice in pureed avocado to keep it from browning.

I love making my own baby food because I feel like he is getting much more variety. Perhaps it is just my grocery store but the first stage purees have very little options. I don't want to limit his taste buds and hope he can be a little foodie someday who loves all the wonderful fruits and veggies out there.

Oh the things you will need

So before I get really deep into my adventure with making my own baby food I thought I would give you the low down and dirty on the things you will need. There is a world of different options out there but this is what I will be using.

To start off you need some good baby food storage. I chose the following:

Mumi and Bubi solids starter kit trays: These have much more cube sections so I can make ahead and make several types of purees. I also like that they are BPA and PVC free. (If you haven't noticed already this is a big thing for me).

Beaba multiportion tray: I love the look of these and they are a decent size. I feel like these would be really great for when baby is eating a bit more during feedings.

Annabel Karmel freezer tray: This was a lot smaller than I had originally anticipated but for those who are doing just a little bit of homemade food it would be perfect.

OXO tot baby blocks: I got a bunch of these to use for storing and carting my frozen cubes back and forth between wherever I am going. I can just pop the cubes out of the trays once they are frozen and pop one into the fridge to thaw for the next meal.

So now that we have covered storage it is time for the big stuff. I opted to use what I already have because I didn't see the sense in buying an actual cooker for something I will use for maybe a couple of months. So for me I am using a multipot with a steamer insert and my blender/food processor combination. Some people like to also have an immersion blender but so far I haven't seen it as necessary.

Now you have your tools you need your "recipes". A great place for information is the wholesome baby food website. If you like you can also pick up a few books. I myself opted for the Annabel Karmel Top 100 baby purees as well as Cooking for Baby.

Dishes and utensils of your choice are a good idea too. I have several that I like from Munchkin, Sassy, Nuk, Tommee Tippee and Oxo tot.

Now off you go to make your own baby food!

And we are off!

Do not stop. Do not pass go. Enter directly into the land of solids. There is no turning back now!

My number one goal as a parent is to do the best I can. I am not perfect and as many plans as I may have I understand they will not ever go as such. I have learned to deviate, accept, and travel anew. My path is always changing as a mother. But I am doing my best.

As circumstances would have it I was not able to breastfeed my child and so as much as I hated to do it we had to start formula. I opted for an organic formula made from a 100% BPA free can and without the added DHA made from scary derivatives. I struggled with guilt for months and kept trying and hoping that my outcome would change. It did not; that was out of my control. Since then, I have decided that if there is one thing I can control despite whatever may come it is what I feed my child.

I aim to feed him 100% organic fruits and veggies, especially in these crucial first years. I would hate to expose him to unnecessary chemicals for my own convenience. (Though it is no big surprise as I am pretty crunchy elsewhere in life too). I have opted to make my own baby food for these first few months, some of which will come from the garden we are growing this year.

We are following the four day rule: feed one fruit or veggie alone for four days in case of reaction. So far bananas are a-okay! I am sticking with mostly veggies to begin with but will alternate between fruit and veggie as we go along.

So last week we did mashed bananas. If you haven't seen one the Annabel Karmel masher is genius! I love it. It is just the right size for baby portions and for traveling. I can pop it in my bag and take it with me wherever I go. It works amazing for avocados too! But we will save that for another day.

So one half banana with a little formula in the masher and voila you have the perfect consistency for baby. I won't say we were without a few funny faces but once he got over trying to bite the spoon he was going in for more. He really likes to try and feed himself and though he is a little clumsy with the spoon and he gets  more on me than in his mouth we still have fun come breakfast time. Because what is better after breakfast than a nice warm bath or shower?

Oats are not just for horses.

My little gummy bear is not so little anymore. He is ready for solids so we opted to start with a little oatmeal in the mornings. This has made him SO much more happy. We have less screaming between bottles and he seems to enjoy playing with his bowl and spoon. I think he may even love his bath or shower that he gets when he is finished a lot more than the actual eating.


In any case oatmeal went great. We use Earth's Best baby oatmeal for the time being until he can eat the regular stuff and he loved it so much he was digging in with fingers and spoon!

My favorite picture:

I wish I could capture every single second of every day. My little boy amazes me more and more every time I look at him. He is such a happy, giggly, smiling little bundle of wonderful. His personality is really coming out and he is such a little ham already. He laughs a lot and it is such a cute little baby laugh. Every day is a personal struggle with post-postpartum depression and anxiety but having him around makes every day better. 

Milestones baby

We have a sitter! Last week we thought we would see if baby could sit up and voila he did! He is still a little wobbly but he does great for a few minutes at least. I cannot believe how fast he is growing. We got the go ahead to start solids in a month. What an exciting adventure that will be. The mister and I plan to make our own baby food from whole organic vegetables and fruits. This way we can control exactly what is going into his little body.

He is talking more and screeching a lot. He sounds like a little raptor. He is teething so he chews on everything. He loves to jump in his jumperoo and he moves his chunky little legs side to side like he is doing the river dance. It is the cutest thing!

He is such a flirt with the ladies. His chubby cheeks and gorgeous smile make them all come running to check him out. I think I am going to have a heart breaker on my hands!