Amelia is 6 months old, which is a big milestone. This is the age where children can start to sit on their own and eat solid foods. She’s been excited by banana, mango and sweet potato. She’s not sure about avocado, but liked it better when mixed with pureed mango. So far we have given her mostly mashed or pureed fruit, because we wanted her to actually get some nutrition while I was away. She’s been crying when given the bottle, so it’s harder to get her to drink milk if it’s not directly from the breast.
When I spoke to the pediatric nurse, she encouraged me to try with more vegetables rather than fruit. At this stage she is more likely to be open to various foods, rather than when she’s older. She is also developing the muscles around her mouth and figuring out how to use them. I just happened to start with fruit because it was easily available in pureed packs at the grocery store. I didn’t realize that Amelia could still gum soft vegetables after they have been steamed (and cooled). She doesn’t have any teeth, but as long as the food is soft enough to mash between two fingers, they are okay for Amelia.
I tried the “banana handle” for baby led weaning (which is the end of a banana with the peel still slightly attached). She didn’t get any in her mouth on her own, but managed to get a lot of mashed banana on her tray. So after she played with the banana for a while, I held it up to her mouth for a few tasty licks. With baby led weaning, I have to fight my “anti-food waste” nature and just allow her more space and time.
The nurse also told me that I can go according to how I feel with introducing eggs and peanut butter. My husband and I do not have food allergies, so I feel okay testing a tiny amount. I will be trying a tiny taste on her tongue sometime in the coming month and closely watching her afterwards to make sure she has no reactions. The nurse also said that peanut butter is so sticky, so it’s important to start with a tiny amount, because of choking hazards as well as allergy precautions. Research from Science Direct shows signs that introducing a tiny amount of allergens while breastfeeding, could actually reduce the likelihood that they develop allergens later on.
Please let me know if you have favorite baby foods that are easy to make and I will check them out! I enjoyed watching Jenn Im and her husband Ben cook different foods for their baby.
ICYMI: check out the blog I wrote on Amelia’s 5 month update.
