What We Feed Our Baby

People have strong opinions on nearly every aspect of parenting.

Those who are parents have been there, done that. Those who aren't parents often know what they would do.

No matter what choices we make as new parents, it is sometimes difficult to feel like we're all in this together, figuring it out. It's easier to feel like whatever choice we make, we're on the opposing team as those who have chosen differently. Often these are just the voices inside our own heads, but still, it can be exhausting.

Let me show you what I mean.

Using disposable diapers? You hate the environment. You don't mind throwing money away.
Using cloth diapers? You're a crazy bourgeois hippie who doesn't mind doing really gross laundry.

Breastfeeding exclusively? You must think you're better than non-nursing moms. You don't give your career the priority it deserves.
Formula feeding exclusively? Don't you realize that formula-fed babies have higher rates of obesity later in life? Don't you even LOVE your baby?
Using a combination of the two? That's just confusing. Who do you think you are, anyway?

Feeding your six-month old traditional baby food? Well, that's lazy, isn't it? Didn't you even research the effects of prepackaged food stabilizers on infants first?
Feeding your six-month old through Baby Led Weaning? Why you so weird?
Making your own baby food? You must have WAY too much time on your hands. Are you going to be this much of a control freak for your baby's entire life?

Ugh. It gets exhausting, when it isn't just comical. Our son is only six-months old, and we've already had our share of "did-that-person-REALLY-just-say-that?" comments. Most often these are comments made without our solicitation by people we don't even know. A passing comment at the grocery store. A "helpful" suggestion while we're out to eat.

Last Friday night we were on a much looked forward to (and quite rare!) date night, and our server decided to lecture us on the "right way" to get our son to sleep through the night. I paused, my forkful of mashed potatoes halfway to my mouth, my eyebrows inching toward my hairline. Didn't she know we were the ones calculating her tip?

So I hesitate to even write a blog post like this, in case, in some small way, it adds more fuel to the Mommy Wars. Yet we've made stumbles and bumbles in how and what we feed our son, and if I can help anyone out there navigate some of the pitfalls we've experienced, it's worth it.

But first - this is just what's worked for us. I'm not leaning over into your grocery cart commenting on your produce. I'm not judging. I'm not telling you that our way is right. It's what's worked for us, but your little lady or little man may not go for it at all.

Phew. Glad I got THAT off my shoulders!

Our son is now eight months old. He has gone from being a finicky eater to a black hole for new foods. And we're loving it!

Through trial and error, we've discovered two things about our boy:

1. He HATES Being Spoon Fed
This makes feeding him purees nearly impossible. There were a lot of dinnertime battles where he would clench his jaw and shake his head side to side violently, like a little lion.

2. He LOVES Doing Things Himself
Including spoon feeding. This is really, really messy. But it makes him happy, and he'll try any food we smear on a spoon.

(This is just the first bite... I'll let you imagine what he looks like after 10!)

So we now do a combination of finger foods and baby-led spoon feeding. And everyone is happy. The one downside is having to majorly clean off the high chair 2-3 times each day, because man, does he make a mess of that thing... But our boy is eating like a champ, so I (mostly) don't complain about the high chair art!

So what do we feed our little man?

1. Whole foods - either mashed up or in tiny pieces.
He'll try anything, and he especially loves black beans, green beans, carrots, avocado, apples, bananas, and blueberries. He's deciding whether or not he likes cheese, and both pasta and chicken haven't been his favorites, but I can't tell if that's because he's more of a herbivore these days, or because pasta and chicken are the same color as his high chair tray and he can't find them as well.

2. Easily dissolving cereal.
Happy Baby organic puffs (all but the "Greens" flavor are gluten free!) have been a lifesaver. These have been great for pincher grasp practice, and as he's still toothless, they mash up easily between his gums.

3. Smoothies
We make him one alongside ours in the morning. His is usually made up of greens (spinach for now, kale as soon as our CSA is in businesses this week!), banana, blueberry, apples, and rice cereal.

4. Rice cereal.
The part of me that's a big believer in Baby Led Weaning chafed against this at first. But iron is iron, and as long as he can feed himself, he downs the cereal like a champ. Gerber's is labeled gluten free, and several others, including Beech Nut, are gf, though they aren't labeled (I called...).

It's been a learning process, for sure. I feel like as soon as we figure one aspect out, he's gone and changed and we're on to the next. But baby is eating, and life is good. He still nurses 8-10 times per day, but we're hoping for some sleepier nights soon.

(Of course, if we'd just give him a taste of daddy's burger, maybe he'd be sated!)

What do you feed your little one?