jul, 26th - starting solids....

day 164:

Big Step! today we start solids.

[so hungry she has to eat her toes]

i have actually given this ALOT of thought. it's probably because we've spent the first 5.5 months focusing on the other senses and i want Taste to also get a look it. but also because socialising over meals is what our family does and i would love Limi to develop an appreciation of good food and be adventurous with her taste-buds..(as i said...ALOT of thought!!!)

i have been particularly interested in Baby Led Weaning (BLW) and promoted (read - evangelised) it to anyone who would listen. but after all these months of aiming for BLW,  Limi suddenly developed a Hunger last week and i decided to start her on baby cereal....(she trips and falls at the first BLW hurdle).

although we generally come from the avoid-forums-trust-your-instincts school of parenting. i decided to go looking for guidance around introducing solids and found the following 5 step plan in my book called Baby Sense....(at least it gives me some ideas to adjust around Limi's needs) 

5 step plan for introducing solids:

step 1: begin with a baby cereal as an evening meal. introduce it between 4-5 pm. gradually increase the amount and adjust the consistency depending on the babies' needs. continue for 2 weeks and then move on to step 2.

step 2: introduce a breakfast feed at 8am. offer the same amount in the morning as the evening meal. continue with cereal both morning and evening for the next two weeks.

step 3: substitute the evening cereal with vegetables. stick to vegetables with yellow or orange flesh, moistened with formula milk, if necessary. if older than five months, continue with step 3 for a week and move on to step 4.

step 4: if the baby becomes hungry at lunchtime and cannot stretch from the mid-morning feed to the mid-afternoon feed, introduce pureed fresh, raw fruit. moisten with formula. offer the same amount as for breakfast and dinner solids. milk feeds should remain the same. continue with this meal plan for a further two weeks.

step 5: introduce one tablespoon of natural yoghurt into any one meal of the day. either mix it into the cereal, or add it to fresh fruit, or give it separately after vegetables.

[this is an abbreviated version of what is found in the book]

so today we're starting on a 4-grain-multi-baby-cereal for dinner...wake up Taste Buds!

p.s. can you tell that i've been reading far too much Winnie-the-Pooh to Limi lately. i can't stop talking In Capitals....i'm loving it....Limi's more amused by trying to Eat the story.