We had been told by our pediatrician at Andrew's three month appointment to start purees around five months old. Well, Andrew turned five months old and I just kept putting it off. It was just something else to do. I have planned on making our own baby food and while I was excited to do that, I think I just wasn't ready to go there yet. So the week before Andrew turned six months we attempted purees.
To tell you that Andrew didn't care for them would be an understatement. I made a sweet potato and a butternut squash. We tried both and both times, Andrew would get the food in his mouth, throw his arms up, make a terrible face at me (a la why are you trying to kill me, mom?) and keep him mouth open long enough for all the drool to wash the food right out of his mouth. It was pretty darn funny. For me, at least. So we tried a couple of evenings. We tried one morning with rice cereal and mushy bananas. He wasn't having any of it.
I decided to take a break. Brian and I were leaving for California, Andrew didn't turn six months until the next week(which is technically the age that is recommended to start food) and he just obviously wasn't ready. It turned out to be a good choice. Even though my mom is capable of feeding him the purees, my dad ended up in the hospital for that entire week and it would have just added one more thing to the list to try to make Andrew eat something that he obviously wasn't ready for.
When we got back from Cali, I knew we needed to try again. I needed to be able to go to his pedi appointment and tell her that, yes, he had started purees. When we tried again, it was a little bit better and it has progressed since then. It has only been a week but I can already tell you the mistake I made originally.
My sweet boy is so independent. He does not want you to put the food in his mouth, he can do it.
So we tried some cut up avocado. While the face below is still not an expression of happiness, it is nothing compared to when we first started. The next couple of times with the avocado, he ate it right up. He loves to do it himself. And even though it makes a mess, I'll take it.
We also tried some more sweet potato (because one potato makes a ton of frozen two oz portions in my freezer!) and again, as long as he could suck on the spoon himself, he was good. I've read that the gag reflex is really close to the front of a baby's tongue. It eventually moves to the back but this is so they won't choke on things as they learn how to eat.
He still gags quite a bit and won't eat everything. The butternut squash was not a hit. He kept spitting it back out. I gave him oatmeal and bananas this morning while we ate at Cracker Barrel and he cried. It has been a process but he is slowly learning. And so am I. Sometimes, I can't tell if he doesn't really like the particular food or he just isn't in the mood. At CB this morning, I gave him a piece of my biscuit and he ate it right up.
(the mess that we have every night)
But progress is my primary goal. I've got my list of things to get for him at the grocery store and it definitely includes avocado. But I will also get him some other things that I can cut into chunks so he can be independent and feed himself - pears, bananas and such. I'm also going to get some organic applesauce and try some of that.
I would like to see him eat some food in the mornings too. Such a cutie, huh? Even with food all over him!
Yesterday, I had him outside with me while I was grilling chicken and corn for dinner. I put him in the grass and he was content for 2 seconds. He was naked because of the dinner mess above.
I guess he didn't like the feeling of the grass. It was pretty itchy...
I was on the ground trying to take a picture of him and this is what I got. :) Even with his "ugly cry face", I think he is too cute. (And no worries, I didn't let him cry for too long, just enough to snap a few pics)
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