One More Month to Introduce Solids!!

I realize that a lot of my posts have been "baby" related this month. Sorry to talk you all to death about my baby boy but he is changing so much and growing so fast and with the Fall season finally here and the holidays coming up, I am so excited about what all this means for Aiden :)

When Aiden turns 6 months, we are going to start introducing solids and I am so excited I just can't take it! I can totally understand why some moms start their babies on solids earlier, I have been tempted to mash up a banana and give it to him for a few weeks now... but I won't do it! After doing some research and talking with the pediatrician, we decided that we would wait until his 6 month birthday to start solids - yes, this includes rice cereal! It has been really interesting to see the response I've gotten from family and friends about this decision. Everything from "if you put some cereal in his bottle he will sleep through the night" to "look at how he eyes your food, poor baby is hungry!" But we have stuck to our guns and now we are one month away!

If you are interested, and would like to know why we decided to wait the 6 months to start solids, this article breaks it down pretty well. Kellymom is a great resource!

Again though, I can totally understand why moms choose to start earlier. Not only is it exciting to see your baby reach milestones but nursing is a big commitment and it can get exhausting. Incorporating solids into baby's diet is said to ease up those nursing marathons and then there is that hope that baby will sleep through the night. Honestly, I am not counting on this because I think it's just an "old wives tale" that babies on solids sleep better. Some of my friends have babies the same age as Aiden who sleep through the night but Aiden does not. He still wakes about every 3 hours to nurse... so he goes to bed at 8 and then wakes up to eat at 11pm, then 2am, 5am, and then is up for the day at 8am. It really is not that bad and I don't mind getting up with Aiden. The way I see it, my baby will sleep through the night when he is ready and I am not going to try all sorts of tricks to get him to adapt to MY schedule. My husband and I have learned to adapt to his schedule and his needs, not ours. YIELD TO AIDEN =)

Still, I am sure the Prince will enjoy food - he is already so aware of it! I've taken some frozen breast milk and mashed it up into a "slushie" to feed him with a spoon. He LOVED it! I also let him sit in his high chair and play with a sippie cup. It will probably be a while before he uses it (he just learned how to hold his bottle) but still, I feel like it gets him used to the "idea".

We have a Magic Baby Bullet and it looks so cool! I will be making homemade food for Aiden. Adults don't eat every meal out of a jar or can and neither should babies. I'm no expert but if a jar of carrot baby-food has a shelf life of two years there is just something wrong with that picture. I'd like to see you eat a carrot that has been sitting out for two years... gross! I will be buying fresh, organic veggies and fruits and making purees for Aiden. I can't wait to start!

I plan to introduce organic brown rice cereal first, with a little breast milk mixed in. Here is the recipe:

Rice Cereal

Ingredients:

1/4 c. rice powder (brown rice ground in blender or food processor)
1 cup water

Directions:

1. Bring liquid to boil in saucepan. Add the rice powder while stirring constantly.
2. Simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly, mix in formula or breast milk and fruits if desired
3. Serve warm.

Seems easy enough right?! Ha, we'll see... but if he takes to it we'll add in some banana and then who knows? My plan right now is just to take it slow and make it healthy. I want Aiden to have a taste for healthy foods with simple ingredients. I know a little boy who loves Sushi and asks for that over McDonald's any day. I think that is awesome! (we won't be taking Aiden to McDonald's btw - Yuk!)

Yay!!