Introducing Solids or Should I Say Purees

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Being part of a ‘New Mamas’ group on Facebook has been such a blessing.  It has allowed me to get answers to questions I didn’t even know I had, share some of my own experiences as well as hear a variety of opinions on caring for a baby.  I only actually know (like talk to in person or hang out with) a couple of the women and yet I value everyone’s take on being a mom.

One of the topics discussed when I was anxiously awaiting JB’s arrival was when to introduce solids. I followed along with the conversation.  Some were introducing food at 4 months while others waited until 6 months.  At the time I made a mental note and thought to myself we would wait until 6 months.

Ha. So AMATEUR of me to make ‘decisions’ such as these when I had NO idea what caring for a baby would be like. At Jellybean’s 4 month checkup we got the go ahead from our pediatrician to being solids. She recommended starting with oatmeal cereal (skipping rice cereal).

Jellybean has always been a good eater and it seemed as though she was always hungry!  I often said to my husband “Should couldn’t possibly be hungry again” and then baby girl would demolish her bottle in record time.  We really couldn’t make it very long during the day between feedings.  As a result the husband and I decided we would go ahead and start solids at 4 months old since the doctor gave the A-OK.

I was so excited as we strapped JB into the highchair and mixed some formula with the oatmeal cereal.  She looked kind of confused as we moved the spoon to her mouth.  The oatmeal dribbled out of her mouth and down her chin.  Throughout the entire first solid food feeding Jellybean was breaking out some seriously hilarious facial expressions.  They were absolutely priceless!

Fortunately the husband and I were pretty well prepared and broke out the camera prior to giving her the food.  She went from looking pissed off to completely clam {see pictures below} in the amount of time it took to snap two photos!

JBFirstFood_FunnyFace

JBFirstFood

Guess she was adjusting to the spoon, new tastes, and the expressions on her parent’s faces.  See Sophi in the lower left hand corner of the picture?  She wasn’t going to miss out on all the attention Jellybean was getting.  :)

It took about two weeks for Jellybean to get the whole eating thing down. I was a little concerned after a week that we introduced solids for the first time too early.  So we took a little break.  When we re-introduced the oatmeal with applesauce, per a friend’s recommendation, a few days later we were in business!

We made such a big deal of saying “yum yum” and praising her that she developed an amusing association to being placed in the high chair.  As soon as we put her in the high chair the legs start going a million miles an hour, a huge smile emerges on her face, which is followed by shrieks and babbling.  I get the biggest kick of out it!

For the most part I am homemaking the food – I mean – purees.  Jellybean is a fan of apples, pears, sweet potatoes and prunes.  I decided to purchase pre-made prunes, because I just wasn’t interested in figuring out how to make them into baby food.  :)

We attempted to introduce peas – it was a total fail.  Jellybean gagged in disgust and then acted like she was chocking … which she wasn’t (thank goodness!), but it got my adrenaline going nonetheless.  We thought it was a texture issue so we offered her the pre-made kind and she still refused to swallow it.  Kid already has sweet tooth … not shocking considering how many sweets I ate during my pregnancy.

Next up on the list is cauliflower, butternut squash and maybe carrots. Though, I’m kind of afraid of carrots. Our friends told us the WORST diaper they ever changed was after introducing carrots. Oh my, the joys of parenthood. =)

Once baby girl is a little bit older I plan to have her try broccoli, zucchini and mango.  I’m really excited for her to acquire a taste for a variety of foods!!  How to keep up with the cooking and storage of all this baby puree is a little bit daunting.  Recommendations??

My favorite and must have items for baby girl eating ‘solids’ … I really think we should call it introducing purees.  The kiddo won’t be having a ‘real’ solids for a few more months, but I digress.  Favorite items for eating solids (so far) includes …

Introducing Solids Must Haves Items | Life's Tidbits

OXO Tot Feeding Spoon  /  OXO Tot Roll Up Bib  /  Fisher-Price Space Saver High Chair / OXO Tot Baby Blocks Freezer Storage Containers / Baby Bullet Complete Baby Care System / Earth’s Best Oatmeal Cereal

And all of these, with the exception of the oatmeal, would be perfect items to put on the baby registry!

What was giving your baby solids for the first time like? Any suggestions for keeping up with homemade baby food?

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5 Months Old {Jellybean}

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Month 5 was one of HUGE changes.  Jellybean’s personality is really quite adorable.  She is a happy little soul who spends the majority of her day smiling and babbling.  I would give just about anything to know what my little one is ‘saying’.  She seems to giggle more each day, which means I spend a lot of time doing the most ridiculous things in hopes of hearing that adorable belly laugh she has.

JB loves to go outside.  As we stroll down the street her eyes are wide as she takes in her surrounding.  She listens intently to people as they speak.  She makes this little furrow brow at people when she first meets them.  Within a few minutes of them talking to her she turns on the charm and starts smiling.  Although she likes the attention of new people she completely flips out if someone she isn’t use to tries to hold  her.  We really need to work on that, because it hurts people’s feelings when she bursts into tears!

Jellybean has become quite the busy body wanting to listen and observe new people around her.  We took her to lunch a couple weeks ago and she couldn’t focus on eating because her head was caulked to the left trying to see and listen to some folks a couple tables down from us.

Everything and I really mean EVERYTHING she can get her hands on goes directly into her mouth.  I wonder how long it will be until we see a tooth!  This kid even tries to put my cheeks and nose into her mouth.  I am just going to believe that she’s giving me kisses.  =)

We have quite the mover and shaker on our hands.  Baby girl tummy surfs, rolls back to front and front to back as well as caterpillars all over and OFF her play mat.  We have to watch her much closer now and true baby proofing is in our immediate future.  When she isn’t trying to make it from one place to another her little arms and legs are constantly moving.  It’s no wonder she’s hungry all the time … I mean she is just constantly moving and burning up those calories!!

5MonthsOld_wBrownie

Sleeping

Jellybean is napping about 3 times per day.  The two morning naps are about 30-45 minutes and occur around 9 and 11:30am.  I would love to get this down to one consolidated nap lasting about an hour or so, however I’ve had no luck.  All the books I’ve read explain how to get a baby down for a nap, not how to lengthen it (suggestions?!).  The afternoon nap is anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.  In order to keep to the bedtime routine the nanny and I implemented a ~2pm start time for afternoon nap.  It has been working out really well and Jellybean seems to adapt well to the scheduled nap.

Nighttime sleeping is improving now that the dreaded 4 month sleep regression is over!  Bedtime is anywhere from 6:30 to 7pm.  We’ve stuck to the same bedtime routine since Jellybean was 12 weeks … if it aint broke don’t fit it.  Jellybean still wakes once a night to eat.  We’ve toyed with the idea of a scheduled waking to eat, however I prefer for her to tell us when she’s hungry.  There are nights we are up at 1am, but others where she won’t wake until 5am to eat.  This leads me to believe she is almost ready to drop the night feeding.  I have a feeling at the 6 month doctor’s appointment the doctor will to tell us to stop the nighttime feedings, but we shall see.

Eating

Jellybean is a good little eater.  She rarely, if ever, turns down a bottle.  As soon as the doctor gave the OK to start the introduction of solids I was all over it!  We began with oatmeal and slowly graduated to apples, pears and sweet potatoes.  I have been hesitant to introduce too many new foods too fast.  I’m more nervous than I thought I would be about food allergies.  Next up I want JB to try cauliflower, prunes, peas and avocado.  It’s so much fun to watch her expression as she tries new foods.  Seems like she is surprised by the taste of food at the beginning of each feeding even when she’s had the food before.

5monthold_jellybean

Wearing

JB wears size 2 Pampers Swaddles diapers.  For clothing she’s wearing a wide range of sizes.  The wardrobe consists of 3 month, 3-6 months and 6 month clothing.  It’s kind of crazy how many different sizes she fits into.  I guess similar to adult brands each one runs a little bit differently therefore size varies by brand.

Milestones

  • Smiles ALL the time
  • Shrieks/Talks – testing out the vocal box
  • Found her feet {and attempts to get them into her mouth!}
  • Giggles
  • Rolls front to back and back to front
  • Tummy surfs (not sure if that’s a real thing)
  • Caterpillars

handsfeet_5monthsold

Any favorite moments from your little one’s 5th month?

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Favorite Baby Gear – Months 3, 4 and 5

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I found navigating the baby registry waters a bit difficult.  There are SO many products out there and everyone has a different take on what one should buy.  Since all babies are different it is nice to have options, but at the same time it’s so EASY to feel overwhelmed with choices.

My newborn necessity list was quite robust (you can find that here).  For purposes of these favorite/must have lists I guess I am qualifying newborn as 0-2 months old.  We still consistently use all items on the list with the exception of the wubbanub.  Jellybean decided at some point she was over pacifiers, which is both good and bad…I think!

As Jellybean grows so does my list of must have baby items.  Some stuff we didn’t know to put on the registry and I wish we had known how handy they would be!

So for months 3, 4 and 5 here are my favorites …

Favorite Baby Gear - Months 3, 4 and 5 | Life's Tidbits

Puj – I really love this tub.  It’s small/compact and easily fits into the bathroom sink, which means NO bending over to wash baby!  The no bending over was key while I was still recovering from the cesarean.  I must admit I still prefer it to the bigger tub because it’s easier.  My only complaint would be baby girl falls down during her baths since she can’t sit up on her own yet. I wish there was something to help keep her upright.

Skip Hop Moby Waterfall Bath Rinser – This item came in SUPER handy when I finally worked up the courage to bathe JB without a second set of hands.  I found it difficult to hold her in place, put a hand over her face and pour water over her head all at the same time.  The way this thing is shaped it helps ensure the water cascades down the baby’s back instead of letting the soapy water get in their eyes.

Snugli – There are many baby carriers out there and honestly I felt overwhelmed trying to choose one.  We registered for (and received) the ErgoBaby.  I do love our ErgoBaby … the snugli is just SO much easier to snap baby in and go.  The other positive is your don’t have to deal with an infant insert.  As soon as the baby is 7 lbs you are good to go.  And if like me, your baby is born over 7 lbs to start with you can just it day one!  Our snugli was gifted from a friend (thanks Jessica!) and is getting a  TON of good use especially when we walk the dog.

Playmat – First ‘toy’ Jellybean was really able to play with.  So far it has really grown with her and whether she was 6 weeks or 5 months it’s a hit.  The playmat is super colorful, plays music and the toys included each provide a different type of stimulus.

Honest Hand Sanitizer – Total impulse buy, but I love it! Smells good and we got the under 3oz size so it’s FAA friendly too.

Video Monitor – The transition from our room in the cradle to Jellybean’s own room in the crib was fairly easy.  Actually it was really easy for her and super difficult for me.  I missed rolling over at night and seeing her little chest rise and fall with each breath.  Though her ‘noises’ would sometimes keep me awake I was comforted by them at the same time!  The video monitor was the only thing that kept me from demanding my husband ‘let’ me move the baby back into our bedroom.  Though JB has been in her own room for over 2 months there are still nights I check the monitor in the middle of the night just to see her little face :)

Sleep Sacks – When Jellybean started rolling over it quickly became apparent the swaddling days were, sadly, over.  We have warm and light weight sleep sacks.  If I had realized how soon we would need them I would have put a few small sized sleep sacks on the baby registry.

White Noise (SimplyNoise) App – At first we were really into the Sheep, however it turns off after 45 minutes.  A friend turned us onto the SimplyNoise app.  The only problem with using the app is our iPad has turned into an EXTREMELY expensive sound machine hahahaha.  I’ve started researching sound machines, but have yet to pull the trigger and buy one (suggestions?!?).

Baby Bullet – We just started introducing solids and I’m having fun making the baby food!  The baby bullet makes the process simple and is very to clean.  I could certainly use my Cuisinart, however the bullet is easier.

So mamas what am I missing?  Any recommendations for month 6??

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A Blowout at 30,000 Feet

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Let me set the scene, so to speak.  It’s my first Mother’s Day and overall it was a very busy, yet perfect, day.  There have been a few isolated bouts of crying, but those were mostly a result of Jellybean being overtired.

We took Jellybean to meet my grandmother, Mamma, for the first time.  JB took a liking to Mamma immediately (no shock there – all kids and animals love her).  A few photos were snapped to capture the precious moments of great-grandmother and great-granddaughter in all their cuteness glory.  Before we left Mamma took the opportunity to encourage the husband and me to have another baby … and maybe try for a boy this time she added.  Oh boy (pun intended) … why is it you have one kid and everyone immediately asks about the next?!

JB_Mamma

After the meet and greet we headed to my sister’s for a yummy Mother’s Day brunch.  Sadly, the day was flying by (pun not intended) and it was time to head to the airport.

Jellybean took a nap on the way to Logan Airport.  Security was a breeze.  There was no line and JB was all smiles for the security guards.  As we stood at the gate JB shrieked with glee and posed for a couple of adorable photos.
JB_MotherDay_PreFlight

As people boarded the plane, many stopped to say ‘Happy 1st Mother’s Day’ and commented on JB’s big beautiful blue eyes and/or her adorable smile.

As the flight took off we fed Jellybean a bottle. Right about the time we reach 30,000 feet she let one rip! O.H. M.Y. GOODNESS did she smell horrible. I giggled to myself and smiled as the husband said “Was that her?” to which I simply replied “yup!”

Only minutes later did my first mother’s day turn into a $h!T show. Yup I said it!

And then … we became ‘THOSE’ people on the plane.

Jellybean had a serious blow out. In fact it was so bad, the disaster extended to my clothing as well.  The smells drifted in the air-tight cabin, with nowhere else to go.  There was no changing table option in the bathroom.  We were almost at the flight’s drink service, and soon there would be large silver carts in the aisle.  After a few horrified glances at my husband, we realized there was no other option. We stripped her naked and attempted to change her right then and there in the main cabin, feces and all.

She screamed while we worked as fast as we possibly could to rectify the situation. She was in a strange place, wiggling over seat, caught in the seat belt and between arm rests. Thank goodness for the poopy bags I had put into the diaper bag. We wound up using six of them, along with one air sickness bag (sorry U.S. Airways). Without the bags to contain the mess as well as the smell we would have been in serious trouble!!

The people surrounding us didn’t say a word. They adverted their eyes. While some were probably thankful they weren’t us I’m pretty sure others were less than pleased with us.  In all honesty, we were doing the absolute best we could.

One relatively clean child and two very embarrassed parents arrived at DCA shortly after 7pm.  We pilled into a cab and (secretly) prayed the cab-ie didn’t smell the blow out disaster on us.  Jellybean went directly into the tub after dropping the bags on the floor.  She happily played with her frogs as we thoroughly scrubbed bathed her.

We were ever so thankful when she went to bed without any fussing.   And then … we remembered we had a bag full of feces to tend to.  Oh what a stinky end to my Mother’s Day it was!! =)

Anyone else have a funny story they care to share?!

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mommymemoirs_blowout

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Favorite Bottle Feeding Products

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At some point, unless someone is a stay at home mom, bottle feeding becomes a necessary way to feeding a baby.  We started introducing bottles at two months, however when I went back to work it became the only way we fed Jellybean.  Bottle feeding was such an adjustment for our schedules.  Bottles require a lot more planning, dishes and effort than nursing!  I absolutely took for granted the convenience of having milk ‘on tap’ for my daughter while on maternity leave.  It took a few weeks, but the we got a routine down with the bottles.  We also made some additional purchases, which made our lives easier.  With the exception of one of these items, it doesn’t matter if you are using exclusively pumped milk or formula – I believe – these items are must haves.  Great things to put on a baby registry even if they won’t be needed for a couple of months (or weeks, day, hours or whatever your time frame is).

Favorite Bottle Feeding Products | Life's Tidbits

1 &2 – Stem & Drying Rack
The grass drying rack came up on SO many of the must have baby registries I looked at.  Before Jellybean arrived I purchased the drying rack, however the stem was an impulse buy when we were at Buy Buy Baby.  The stem adds extra space to dry the nipples and such, PLUS it doesn’t take up additional counter space.

3 – Formula Mixing Pitcher
When we transitioned away from using only breast milk I quickly started dreading making formula. It took an annoying amount of time to shake each bottle and ensure all the formula dissolved. My husband was doing one of our many Amazon purchases and impulse bought the mixing pitcher.  He figured it was worth a try and a the price point was low enough even if it didn’t work it wouldn’t have been a huge deal.  While I still don’t love making formula it certainly makes the process faster and easier!!

4 – Munchkin Bottle and Nipple Brush
A bottle brush is kind of a given.  I did a lot of research for our baby registry and the munchkin bush was very highly recommended … I’m a big fan!

5 – Bottles and Nipples (any brand your baby likes)
Duh!  This is kind of key to bottle feeding.  If I was to purchase bottles again I would buy only three 4 ounce bottles and the rest I would get the 8 ounce bottles.  You can always put less in an 8 oz bottle, but clearly more doesn’t fit in the 4 oz ones.  Read about our decision to use Dr. Brown bottles with preemie nipples here.

6 – Bibs
I really didn’t find the need for bibs while I was exclusively breastfeeding (EBF).  Once we started using bottles more often it quickly became apparent if I didn’t want to change my daughter’ clothes after each feeding we were going to have to start putting a bib on her.  I’m not entirely sure what the difference is, but baby girl was a much neater eater when nursing.

7 – Dishwasher Basket
Bottle parts (especially when you use bottles like Dr. Brown’s, which have like a gazillion parts) take time to wash.  It is SO much easier to throw all the parts into the basket and run the dishwasher at the end of the day.  We discussed washing the bottles in the dishwasher with our doctor and she said it was totally kosher — in fact it’s how she washer’s her baby boy’s bottles.  The basket keeps all the parts together and we have yet to loose or melt a bottle part.  In fact, I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a second basket.

While I don’t need a bottle warmer, I do believe this would be a must have item for most moms.  My little one really doesn’t care if the bottle is warm or cold and since she is one of those babies who wants to eat IMMEDIATELY (like within seconds of deciding she’s hungry) we’ve decided to forgo warming the bottle.

Though I think we have the bottle feeding products down I still haven’t conquered the storage of said bottles and accessories!  What are your favorite item(s) for bottle feeding?  Anything good I’m missing?

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