Hey friends – I thought I would check-in and share how it’s been going over here in regards to Willow eating solids. Well, purées. Yes, we went the purée route, with a touch of BLW. A pretty light touch – mostly just the soft stuff (avocado, banana, etc.)
To sum this whole post up in a sentence: it’s going really really well! And if you want details in regards to schedule, what she’s eaten, and some of the gear we use, keep reading.
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We started feeding Willow about a week after she turned 4 months, as our doctor let us know we were good to go. The first month was mostly just playing around with the textures/smells etc. She used her hands most of the time and it got messy real quick. But it didn’t take her too long to get the hang of it (she loves to guide the spoon to her mouth). And before long, she would look forward to getting in her high chair, because she knew exactly what was coming. And today, she’s pretty much smitten to be eating at mealtimes with us.
I have to say, she honestly loves anything you put in front of her so far. The only one that took some time was avocado – she gagged like crazy the first time, but thankfully she loves it now. Pears are her absolute favorite, and that is a good thing for mama because pears helped her get over some slight constipation in the very beginning. Now that she’s had a wide variety of foods, constipation is not as frequent… I think her little tummy needed some time to figure out how to start processing anything aside from milk!
As of now, Willow eats two meals a day and has snack times. Our schedule is not always set in stone, but it looks sorta like this:
- 7AM: 6 oz bottle
- 9AM: Breakfast
- 10-10:30: 6 oz bottle
- 12: Snack (usually banana or some sort of frozen fruit in this feeder)
- 1-1:30: 5-6 oz bottle
- 4: 5-6 oz bottle
- 6PM: Dinner
- 7PM: Bedtime bottle (5-6 oz)
I’m thinking around the 9-10 month mark, we will bump her up to 3 meals a day. I also think that is when I will start with finger foods… a bit nervous, but I’m sure I’ll know when she is ready. For now, I am happy that she enjoys eating with us and looks forward to meals. It’s so much fun to see her reaction to new foods as we continue to introduce – especially since I’ve been playing around with spices and herbs lately.
Which brings me to the food… Here’s what’s she’s eaten so far:
- Avocado
- Sweet potato
- Pear
- Banana
- Peas
- Plum
- Peach
- Oatmeal
- Apple
- Blueberries
- Green Beans
- Carrots
- Cantaloupe
- Watermelon
- Lentils
- Cauliflower
- Red pepper
- Broccoli
- White beans
- Peanut butter (I was SO NERVOUS for this but she went crazy for it, and no bad reactions!)
I freeze batches of food in bulk (will share what I use to store in the gear section below), so I will normally purée each one on its own and then add a few frozen cubes together to create combinations for each meal. Here’s a look at some of our favorites:
Breakfast:
- Oatmeal, pear, and cinnamon
- Pear and blueberries
- Oatmeal, banana, and apple
- Oatmeal, apple, and cinnamon
- Banana, apple, and blueberries
- Oatmeal, banana, and blueberries
- Peach and cinnamon
- Banana and avocado
- Oatmeal, banana, and peanut butter (or sometimes just banana and pb)
- Sweet potato and cinnamon
Dinner:
- Green beans and sweet potato
- White beans and rosemary
- Lentils and apple
- Red pepper and sweet potato
- Carrots and cinnamon
- Carrots and peas
- Carrots and apple
- Avocado and green beans
- Cauliflower and pears
- Broccoli and apple
For snack time, I will usually use the baby fruit feeder and just fill it with one of the following: banana, frozen fruit (like peaches and bananas), avocado, pear, or apple.
And finally, I wanted to share some of the items that are absolute necessary during meal times. This is what I found works for us!
GEAR WE LOVE:
High chair: I have zero complaints with this high chair – it’s compact, chic, and easy to clean.
Catch-all bibs: These are a must and literally the only type of bibs that gets the job done.
Bowls: We have these bowls – nothing special, just bought whatever was a good price.
Spoons: Love the curve of these spoons.
Clean-up cloth: I always have a wet cloth next to me for any messes on her hands/face as we go.
Sippy cup: I always give Willow her sippy cup with some water in case she wants it. She isn’t too interested in water yet, but sometimes she will reach for it. We use this one or this one.
Fruit feeders: This is for snack time, which is probably 1-2 a day (morning and sometimes while I am making dinner at night). I find that these also help with her teething – frozen bananas are awesome in these!
Freezer trays: I really love these trays because they are silicone on the bottom, which makes it easy for them to pop out. They also hold a lot of food. The cubes themselves are a bit small, but this works for me because I combine anyways. They really are perfect.
So, I think that about covers it! For now, anyways. I feel like this changes literally weekly, so I will definitely pop in again and let you know once our routine is switched up a bit. As I said before, I am just enjoying this whole learning experience with her… she’s so much fun to sit down and eat with. It’s absolutely adorable.
If any of you are mamas, share some of your experiences and tips with me below. Or even baby food combinations. I’d love some fresh ideas for Willow. xx bianca
