The State of our Food-ion

Hello Fried-baby followers.  In case, you haven't heard, Colin decided that in honor of tonight's State of the Union address, he would pay tribute to a former president by becoming a human vacuum cleaner.  Baby Hoover in the house.  Yep, I'm feeling a bit goofy today, but all that I've said is true.  Colin will devour any food put in front of him these days, and boy, does my boy love to eat.

Tonight for dinner, he had a four ounce container of banana yogurt, a quarter of an avocado, some of our leftover Indian-spiced lentils, a handful of Cheerios and about an ounce of (finely diced up) chicken.  He ate all of this about two hours after having a five ounce bottle, and an hour before chugging his bedtime six ounce bottle.

C's first food: avocado.  The beginning of a wonderful journey.

Now that Colin and his contemporaries are at the stage where they can diversify their solid food menus, I feel like figuring out what to offer, how much, and ensure variety is a challenge across the kitchens of 8-12 month old baby mamas everywhere (and I'm sure that it only gets harder as they get older and potentially pickier).  It certainly seems to come up in conversation a lot with other mamas I've been chatting with these days, and I thought I'd share a bit about what's on our high chair these days.

(Sorry for the lack of recent photos - typically I'm feeding him solo, and it's a messy endeavor that doesn't facilitate photography very easily.)

Navigating the overwhelming solids introduction process has been made easier by my favorite baby feeding resource - this website. The author, Maggie Mead, not only provides instructions for making nearly anything into a purée, but also gives guidance about food allergies, suggests what foods are appropriate month by month,  answers frequently asked questions about meats, dairy, grains and more, and provides recipe ideas for everything from purée combinations to baby-friendly baked goods.  There are special sections devoted to topics ranging from Baby Led Weaning to freezing how-tos and more.

As of today, Colin has tried about a zillion foods (okay, upon further review, it's about 40-45 foods, which is still pretty great), including oatmeal, rice, barley, wheat bread, pita, quinoa, pasta, hummus, lentils, squash, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, peas, sweet potatoes, apples, avocados, bananas, blueberries, grapes, mangoes, nectarines, pears, peaches, prunes, pumpkin, watermelon, tofu, ground turkey, chicken, egg yolks, yogurt (Greek and regular), and mozzarella cheese.

On any given day, you'll see a smattering of those foods (3-4 options usually) on his high chair, mostly in baby-friendly bits and pieces, and usually with some puffs or Cheerios offered as well.  Occasionally he'll snack on yogurt melts or Baby mum-mums, but most of his food is non-processed and made by me.

While Colin hasn't perfected the pincer grasp, he is getting better every day, and he is adept at shoveling food into his pie hole (and all over his face, oftentimes while still holding his beloved maraca in the other hand...strange kid I have.)  Also, Colin has six teeth now, but only in the past week has he noticed that he can use them to bite his food. Most of what he is eating is being mashed up by his gums further back in his mouth.

I've become a bit lax these days about the "3 day wait" for offering new foods; he tries new foods every day or two.  What has made things easier is that I'm trying more and more to make foods for me and David that can be offered to Colin as well, or adapted some time during the preparation process to be baby-friendly (ie. removing a portion for Colin before adding salt or spices that are too fiery for his palate).  That being said, Colin has tried food flavored with all sorts of spices, from garlic and basil to cinnamon to garam masala.

I'm trying to make feeding Colin something fun rather than letting it become a source of stress.  The member of our house who looks forward to these meals (two a day so far, breakfast and dinner) is our puppy.  When Kenzie sees me pull the high chair out from the corner, she assumes her position, ready to pounce on any scrap that falls from the tray.  Colin has recently taken note of her presence and is happy to extend his hand her way to share a taste of whatever is slathered all over his hands.  Suffice it to say, we go through a lot of baby wipes these days.

So that is it, friends. The State of the Fried-baby Food Union.  If you have any questions or are curious about preparations or the order of introduction or anything food related (or not...), feel free to leave a comment.  I'd love to hear about how you are navigating the solid food adventure.