Need a bit of hand holding and guidance

[L76]

Liz I use a Moulinex chopper like this

http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_325003031280_-1?CMP=OTC-GOOGLEPS

Puree's things up really well. I usually pop the veg in without any water and see what consistency it is, then slowly add more water (I use the water from the steamer) until it is really smooth. You can then make as runny as you like. 

If she looks like she is after more, then I would slowly increase the quantity with each solid meal. So perhaps 2tsp for lunch and dinner tomorrow and then 2.5 Thurs, 3 on Friday etc.

[L76]

Oh and carrot and swede is a good one if you know she is ok with carrot. I think another good one is butternut squash and pear. Or perhaps mix butternut squash and sweet potato.

[*Liz*]

Thanks again  .

I have a mini chopper so will try that. I was using a full size hand blender  .

I also have a butternut squash and a sweet potato that I will try. Need to get some pears for the constipation as well.

[L76]

I've been using prunes and seems to be working well. The pear makes him wince when it's on it's own kwim?

Give prunes a go.

[mmom]

Really ripe bananas aren't binding.  They can actually have a laxative effect.

I use a blender when pureeing and like a PP said, use the water from steaming. I use my food processor when I get to the lumpy stage.

We started with sweet potato, then pears, and now we are on butternut squash.  They are all pretty mild foods.

[EloysH]

Hey Liz,

Its stricky trying to encourage their curiousity, hand eye skills and love for food through BW weaning as well as cater for reactions for a suspected food intolerant LO.     The food intolerance side means at first her meals are very limited and boring and sometimes very hard to do as finger food. 

After some trial and error I found that I had to use the spoon where I couldn't find a way to present that food as finger food or in its true form.  So if you are starting with pears for example, I would give some pear slices as well as have some puree on hand.  In order to know if you are getting a reaction she really does need to eat alittle bit of that food for three days and no other new food to confuse matters.  So the only way I did that was to give him the spoon loaded up and he then shoves it into his mouth himself, and also have the peasr slices on the tray at the same time, so he can pick them up and explore if he wants to.

I did this for each food.  Once a food was passed the 3 day test, I was able to use it in combination with other foods. Here's the order I did them and also, and the finger food variation of each.  I let him guide me on the quantities.

In the first week he would eat 1-2 teaspoons
In the second week 2 -3 teaspoons
In the third week 1 - 2 ice cubes, a few fingerfood pieces
In the fourth week 1-2 ice cubes, 2-3 finger food pieces
And then from there it went up alot, now he eats much more fingerfood than puree, only on a hungry day he may eat 1/3 cup of puree, but about at least 5-8 finger food items.

Just on bananna I find its ok as  long as it can be offset with high fibre foods like kidney beans and lentils

OK so my foods are LOW in everything, (low salicylate, low amine, low glutamate & low allergy foods)

Rice cereal  - spoon

Steamed potato  wedges
puree steamed potato

(Once rice bran oil was introduced I was able to "par steam" the potato wedges, then finish off in oven roasted. He enjoys these much more than the plain steamed.)

Choko puree
 Choko diced into large cubes and steamed till very soft



Swede steamed wedges (again, after steaming they go lovely and caramised in oven rather like sweet potato when roasted with oil)
Puree swede

Green beans -puree only at first

Rice cakes - as is
Rice puffs  plain
Quinoa puffs added to rice cereal
Rolled quinoa as porridge
Quinoa and rice pasta - penne shaped finger food
Quinoa grain mixed with one vege and one meat puree

Chicken breast puree at first with a little water and neocate
Then moved to finely chop in food processor and mixing with potato

homemade stock (chicken carcass, celery,swede,  leek, parsley stalks)

After stock was introduced I could cook the food in the stock and mix up into a stock pot.

Ok there's much more food to go but you get the jist.

 

[mmom]

Wow Eloysh!  How old is your LO?  He has had a lot of foods!  I am going so slow, since I can't introduce grains until 8 months and we have only done 2 veg and 1 fruit.

[*Liz*]

I think as they hit 6 mths you can go a bit faster. I have a fair few foods now that seem OK after the 3 day rule - it is hard to be 100% sure though as she is not opening her bowels very often. But I keep thinking she would go the other way if there was a major issue iyswim.

I am wary of going too slow as I think some babies will get bored of it all if they are given the same every meal. J certainly did that - all he would eat was this chicken meal and pears - and all of a sudden he wouldn't eat either anymore and wouldn't eat anything else either.

Eloys - that is what I was thinking - I doubt M will do spoon feeding for very long really as she is already grabbing it off me and smearing it over herself and surfaces that I didn't even realise she could reach  . Plus she ate about a quarter of a pear last night. It was nice and ripe and soft - but she actually ate it - I couldn't believe it!!

I am pretty sure M doesn't react to salicylates and amines based on the sort of foods I am eating. I've never done it properly of course - but I eat things like dried fruits and nuts, and dark chocolate, and most meats etc.

I am currently trialling quinoa to give me a breakfast cereal (rice cereal she reacted to oddly enough - so much wind and blood and mucous - I wonder if it was actually made in a factory where they handle dairy though?? - rice cakes is on my list of things to try though as they make lovely finger foods)

Do you mix with EBM or always neocate? My cereal goes REALLY watery in a few mins even though it was fine when I started. I don't know if that is a quality of quinoa or that the BM has enzymes that hard partly breaking it down. It is very odd - it goes to pure milk almost  .

And at what age did you do chicken?

We are going on holiday when M is 26 weeks and she is far too hungry to wait until almost 7 mths to even start, but I am trying to make sure I have some sort of a proper diet to give her while we are away.

She is already getting 2-3hrly BFs during the day, so I can't really increase her milk much more than that.

[mmom]

The only reason I am going so slow is because many of the foods you are 'supposed' to wait until certain months. Like quinoa - I thought they couldn't have that yet?   Even certain veggies are supposed to be introduced later.  I guess I am confused or we do it another way over here.

How do you offer foods without them choking?  Rice cakes?  pears?

[*Liz*]

American guidelines are different from the UK. Very different.

I just gave her a big chunk of pear and she chewed and gummy squished it. Any bits that are too big they just spit out! Have you ever read anything about baby led weaning? Rice cakes go very soft when they are chewed on as well.

[EloysH]

Yay Liz for sals and amines tolerances!!! I guess if your trial avocado  - very high salicyalte and no problem then you know shes ok.  I would give the avocdao just a tad fmore than 3 days though to make sure.

 I gave chicken at about 6.5 months. I was very keen to start meat so he could get enough protein and help him with his night sleep & dairy free.  I give protein with two meals a day since 7 months one meat and one beans. The dietician coudn't stress that enough.  By 7 months , he was on lamb and beef too which means that he can suck on frenched lamb cutlet bones and things like that - he loves it loves it!

Rice cakes are extremely easy for them to eat, they suck them. He had those just on 6 months. Other foods just make big enough so he can grab with his fist so quite big peices and he sucks and crushes them.  At first alot goes to waste then they figure out how to eat them after a few weeks.

Kai is one week off 8 months now, he is on 20 foods, all introduced with the 2-3 day rule.    He has ALOT of intolerances.

As for grains, I started gluten free grains just before 7 months, they are no problem at all.  Just as long as they don't contain wheat    Since I am gluten free we have a lovely gluten free toast that has no preservatuves or dairy do its really nice to give him toast with dairy free butter too    So that includes millet and amaranth too.

I usually use water and about 10ml of neocate for porridges. With the quinoa, I mix a little rice cereal & amaranth in too for bulk, Its should be about 2 parts liquid one part water when you start. Now i mash a bit of bannna in. (as we are not on pears yet).

Now he is at the point where he can eat *nearly* anything in my diet , I have been giving him fried vege and meat patties flavoured with leek & shallot  (instead of onion due to the salicylates)  - things like that.

We have a very strict vege introduction list too. He still hasn't tried and moderate salicylate yet 

Oh,  risotto made with stock& veg  is another good one.

[mmom]

Wow, I am totally impressed.  I wonder why the guidelines are so different.  Well, the ped was even pushing for meats earlier than what I am used to.  I would be open to that.  M loved quinoa and still does, but we didn't try it until later. 

You both have given lots of great ideas! Thanks!

As for BLW, I never heard of it the first time around.  For C, I didn't look more into it, since I am worried about intolerances and stuff.  But I see how some people have done a mix of purees and BLW, which I am interested it.

[EloysH]

I am using the guidance of a paediatric dieitician.  My normal paediatrician was more loose with the food guidelines, I guess she didn't understand enough about K's food intolerances and of course, a dietician deals with this stuff everyday.