I mentioned before (
in this post), that we're loosely following baby-led weaning with Nixon. Well, our little man has been munching on solids for over four months now, so I thought it time for an update!
When we first introduced solids, I generally prepared something special for Nixon, rather than including him in the same meal we were eating. I use the term "prepared" loosely, because many times that meant simply slicing an avocado. We started out with really simple foods, such as steamed or roasted broccoli, sweet potatoes, squash, bananas, avocados, etc. These are still some of his favorite things to eat (this boy could munch on broccoli all day), but more and more I'm giving him the same things Donovan and I are eating. I do generally either season things less or keep out a small portion for Nixon that is less salted and without any strong seasonings. We've introduced grains in small amounts, as well as dairy (yogurt and cheese, no milk yet).
In case anyone's curious, here's what a typical day of Nixon's culinary adventures looks like. Breakfast is usually some fruit, most often banana. I'll try to get some yogurt into him for the protein, and while he enjoys yogurt, I usually only manage about five bites before it turns into a game of "grab the spoon before it goes in my mouth," although I do sometimes hand him the spoon and let him try to feed himself. Sometimes it works, most times it gets flung. If I make eggs for myself, I'll give him those as well. For lunch, I usually keep a container of cooked squash or sweet potato in the fridge, or I'll warm up some frozen peas or other type of veggie. Dinner is typically whatever we're having, either the finished dish or I'll pull out ingredients as I'm cooking and set them aside for him. For example, I made chili and cornbread the other day, and Nixon had some beans I left out, cornbread, and some peas for a veggie.
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| Munching some broccoli and sweet potatoes |
I should also state that I firmly believe in the idea of "food before one is just for fun." He's still having his nutritional needs met through nursing, so if we have a day in which he doesn't consume hardly anything, I don't stress about it. As he gets closer to turning one, I'm making it more a priority to sit down for three meals a day in order to at least get him accustomed to having three meals a day, but again, I'm not stressing about how much he actually eats at this point.
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| Having a bite of cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving - I typically don't give him things with added sugar, but this was a special occasion! |
Nixon will try just about anything I put in front of him, but some of his top favorites include banana, broccoli, clementines, pasta, and cottage cheese. When we first began solids, he wasn't too thrilled with carrots, but now he can't get enough of them! It definitely pays to keep offering those foods he's not sure about.
I'll do another update once he hits a year and transitions over to solids even more!
