Starting solids is such an adventure for a first time mom like myself. I’ve gotten a lot of advice from other moms to see what worked for them. They told me about the Baby Led Weaning method, purees, and a few other ones. It was very overwhelming.
As my daughter really didn’t show an interest in food, I tried to dabble in both the baby led weaning method but it was short lived. I didn’t like how Baby E would make a mess and waste food. Plus, her hands were not very coordinated.
You’ll know what’s best for your child since you know them the best.
Then I decided to go about feeding her purees to see if she would gain an interest in other foods.
Save Time and Get Pre-Made Pouches
Of course, there are also so many different ways about going about purees. You can make it yourself or purchase the ones in stores from a pouch.
I first started mashing soft items like avocados, bananas and sweet potatoes for Baby E to try, but it was a bit time consuming for myself. I sought advice from a friend and she said puree in pouches are a good way to cut down on time and make the whole introduction to solids easier.
I selectively choose the pre-made pouches with items that are more time consuming to make. Of course I still experiment from time to time with real food just to get her tastebuds going.
Choose No Preservatives
I went to my local grocery store and looked at all the ingredient labels to see what was inside. Not so surprising but a lot of them do have preservatives to keep them shelf stable. A very common ingredient is concentrated lemon juice that acts as a preservative and stabilizer which I didn’t mind so much.
As long as you can recognize the ingredients and pronounce it, that’s the way to go.
Realistically Eat 1 or 2 Teaspoons
When they first start out on solids, baby will most likely have 1 or 2 teaspoons and then they will slowly work their way up. It’s a learning curve for babies to figure out how to eat, but once they do, it’s pretty fun.
Feed Purees before Giving the Bottle
I personally prefer giving her purees before the bottle of milk. I find that Baby E gets really exciting in eating purees now that she will get frustrated that she can’t eat as quickly so she’ll fuss and end up getting hangry.
Some days are different where she will eat 1oz of purees and then be satisfied so we wait a bit till we give her her bottle.
Freeze Leftovers
As the pouches I bought were 128ml, I knew Baby E couldn’t finish it all in one day. She started off with a few spoonfuls, but a month later she still couldn’t do the whole pouch.
To save on the waste, since you have to use up purees in 24 hours, we ended up freezing the leftovers to use for the next few days. I don’t keep them in the freezer for too long as if it’s been in there for a week, I’ve most likely forgotten about it.
You can use an ice cube tray as it’s a pretty good portion size for those starting out on solids.
I also bought baby cubes that splits everything out in either 1, 2 or 4oz containers. It was on sale and I liked how it has a tray to secure each cube as well as a lid. As I’m always back and forth from my place and my parents, its easy to transport if needed.
I’ve also used silicone ice cube trays and they work wonders too, but mine didn’t have a lid, so I had to wrap it up with saran wrap to keep it clean.
Thawing Purees
I personally put it in the microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring each time until it is the desired temperature.
Final Thoughts
This is just my personal journey navigating solids foods for the last month. This will be very different for every baby and parent. Just experiment and sees what works for you and baby.
Everyone’s journey will look different, but seeing your baby explore new tastes and smells is a very exciting time.
