I began this post MANY months ago & am so excited to finally share it now! When we started Coops on solids I wanted to create a food diary for at least the first couple months. Giving baby his first meals was super intimidating to me- knowing when to feed, how much, what to expect & look out for was all so new.
At our 4 month checkup the pediatrician gave a few tips: start with greens, then oranges then fruits (because if you start with sweet pears the odds of baby loving broccoli go down the drain). Start solids by the 6 month checkup. Go with oatmeal instead of rice cereal because of recent arsenic levels found in rice. And finally introduce new foods at least 3-4 days apart to ensure there are no allergies.
Week 1 (5 Months Old)
So we started with organic peas made in the baby bullet & Gerber Oatmeal Cereal. Cooper made the cutest most horrified faces I've ever seen over every bite on that first meal. We continued with 1 middle of the day feeding for the next week. Side note- Peas made baby fart up a storm & we were DEFINITELY not prepared for the poop changes that followed introducing solid foods- wow.
Week 2
Today we're officially up to 2 meals a day! I've learned that we don't have enough absorbent bibs, also the pre-soak option on our washer is the only way to get peas out of clothes... & bibs... & cloth wipes...
We started avocado today & Coops is in LOVE. At first he thought it was more peas (which led to horrified facial expressions), but then realization hit & we went from sour face to open mouth in 2 seconds flat. He downed that & the cereal like a champ leaving me wondering if meals need to get a little bigger (right now we're at a couple Tablespoons each of avocado & cereal).
Week 3
Baby ADORES zucchini & can't get enough of this green veggie. We're at 2 meals a day with around 3 Tablespoons each of cereal & greens. Also, Coops got his first tooth this week!! On Thanksgiving day that sweet little chicklet broke through & in retrospect I should have realized how close we were after so many up-all-nights to nurse over the past couple weeks.
Week 4
Hello tooth #2!! When the bottom left made an appearance last Thursday I had no idea the bottom right was just a couple days behind, but it broke through over the weekend. The second tooth coming through had baby feeling more uncomfortable than the first. We had a couple spans of crying & grumpiness which we combated with Oragel, rocking & nursing. Cooper also wasn't interested in solids for a couple days. This week we started on broccoli- oh what a sour face after the first bite of that one!!
Week 5
Beans. Beans. Beans. For the past 3 weeks we've been getting up every hour or two at night which, when it continued after teething I increased our meal size & upped it to 3 meals a day in hopes a full belly at bedtime would help which it did (#momwin)! We've gone down to 2 feedings a night the past couple days which has been a lifesaver. Side note- Coops isn't too keen on lunch & won't do more than a few spoonfuls but we are getting in the habit of eating as a family which I love.
Week 7
Greetings spinach. I had my camera ready in one hand & a spoonful of spinach in the other to capture the adorable sour face that I was sure would come with the first bite of spinach.
What did I get instead? A smile that lit up like Christmas morning. I was blown away. We have a little Popeye on our hands. Side note for those making their own baby food- the GIANT container of fresh baby spinach at the grocery store only makes around a dozen Baby Bullet cups.
Week 8 (7 Months Old)
Cooper HATES kale. The expressions are priceless. You give him a bite, he's fine for 2 seconds, then the eyes go wide & gag reflex follows. I tried taking a break from this leafy veggie for a few days, then weeks- all to no avail. Kale is officially our least favorite food. This week I also switched baby from Gerber Oatmeal Cereal to Beech-Nut Multigrain Cereal which he loves even more.
Up next- here come the oranges: carrots, squash & sweet potatoes. And I'd love to hear what foods your baby loves (& hates!), comment below & stay tuned for that next post.
