Chicken is 7 months old!

Chicken is 7 months old today. It's a good chance to reflect on the past month or so. It's been remarkable to see her figure out how to handle different foods and become a more confident eater. I thought I'd try to list the things that Chicken has eaten in the month or so since we started BLW. She's tried a wide range of foods, including:

• watermelon, banana, apple, pear, prunes, kiwi, mango, cantaloupe
• sweet potato, carrot, cucumber, squash, green beans, broccoli, bell pepper, potato, avocado, asparagus
• bread, crunchy breadsticks, bagel, waffle, pancakes, rice, pasta, rice cake, pita, baby oatmeal, pizza crust
• chicken, pork, ham, beef, breakfast sausage, scrambled eggs
• yogurt, cheese, cream cheese

Some of these things might surprise you, especially if you're thinking of the "traditional" rules for introducing solids. For example, starting with vegetables and then moving onto fruits, meats, dairy etc. There's also the whole waiting period between foods. In 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics changed many of their recommendations for how and when to introduce foods. Many of the rules regarding introducing foods developed because babies were starting solids well before six months old. It appears that by waiting until six months, many of those rules aren't applicable. Of course, you should check with your child's pediatrician!

We started BLW before talking to Chicken's doctor, but only with foods that aren't known to be common allergens. Her doctor gave us the go-ahead to try everything except for peanuts and honey. We introduced eggs and dairy at breakfast time (on separate days) in case she had a reaction, so that we wouldn't be dealing with it overnight. We haven't offered her strawberries or shellfish. Both have been known to cause allergic reactions more often than other foods and we have so many other things to offer her instead at this point.

You may be wondering what Chicken likes best out of the many foods listed above. Cantaloupe and cucumber still rank among the favorites. She enjoys blueberry yogurt, bagels, hummus on toast and pancakes too. She likes most meats the day they're cooked (nice and juicy!) but isn't a fan of the leftovers. :) Although some of the things she's tried aren't exactly "healthy", like pizza crust, we haven't offered her anything with lots of salt, artificial ingredients or added sugar.

Taking our show on the road...

Well, really just down the road to IHOP. :) Chicken's dad was able to stay home this morning so we went out to breakfast. Eating out has been very pleasant so far (knock on wood!) since Chicken has started to eat at the table. She doesn't really require entertainment or toys, which makes things easier. We don't really need to bring anything with us. Since I knew we were going out to eat ahead of time this morning, I threw a bib and some sliced fruit in the diaper bag, but Chicken would've been just fine without any of that.

As is the case with most babies her age (I'm guessing) she was content playing with the menu and trying to grab everything else on the table while we ordered and waited for our food. Once our food came, we put her in the highchair and we all dug in. Chicken had some pancake, some cantaloupe and mango (from home) and some of her dad's ham. She had a taste of my eggs but quickly moved on.

Neither her dad nor I ordered anything especially for her and we didn't spend any time spooning stuff into her mouth. We did spend some time collecting discarded food from the floor, but I imagine that would happen regardless of what Chicken was eating. She got to check out the scenery, as you can see, and we all got to enjoy breakfast out. Not a bad deal!

Baby knows best?

When I was reading Gill Rapley's book, I was struck by a study she cited. Granted, it was conducted in the 1920s and 1930s, but I still found it interesting. Basically, 15 exclusively breast-fed seven to nine month-olds were followed for as long as four years to see what would happen if they were allowed to choose their own food. They were offered 33 foods (all separate, so nothing like soup etc). The babies were allowed to choose whatever they wanted and if they finished a whole portion of any food, that food was replaced so they could have more if they wanted. The children were given blood/urine tests to monitor their health. By the end of each child's participation in the study he/she was healthier than when the study began. Although some children would binge on things like eggs one day, they'd eat something different the next day. The doctor who conducted the study concluded that these children would eat the foods that they needed to stay healthy.

I thought of this today because Chicken has the sniffles. I was thinking about what I'd want to eat if I felt crummy and unfortunately soup isn't really a good food for someone her age! Aside from wanting soup, I always want ginger ale, juice, etc, which also aren't appropriate. So, I offered her a pretty standard breakfast: a pumpkin pancake, pear, cantaloupe and some pureed prunes (we're having a little potty issue...). Well, she ate piece after piece of cantaloupe. Even though it tends to be something she likes, she rarely wants more than a piece or two. She went through four pieces today, sucking out all of the juice, and then moving on to several pieces of pear, which she juiced too. Well, wouldn't you know it but cantaloupe has tons of vitamins, especially vitamin C. Apparently, pears have a good amount of vitamin C too, along with being very good for the digestive system.

Granted, I didn't offer Chicken 33 foods. (People who've eaten at our house probably wouldn't be surprised if I had, but still, I didn't...) But, she did decide to have more of the juicy vitamin C-rich foods than usual. It would be so cool if it was because her body was craving them to fend off her sniffles! Even if that's not the case, she ate a much healthier breakfast than I usually do!

P.S. I don't have a photo from this morning, but I think a post is pretty boring without one. So here's a photo of Chicken devouring pureed prunes the other day. Her highchair cover was in the wash and she makes quite a mess when given a spoon, so she was all set up on the floor...

What about cereal??

First of all, babies don't need cereal. It isn't much different than the cereal that you or I would eat, which is essentially carbs with some added vitamins & minerals. Cereal is bland so it's a good way to ease into foods if that's what you choose to do. I tried cereal with Chicken before committing to BLW and she didn't seem to like it or dislike it.

Just because we didn't start with cereal (really), doesn't mean Chicken doesn't eat it. I eat oatmeal most mornings and sometimes Chicken does too. I eat the instant maple & brown sugar kind. For now, Chicken eats the instant, flaky kind made for babies. I tend to give her cereal only when I have some pumped breast milk in the fridge. I can't bear to defrost "stashed" milk for the sake of cereal. Once we run out of her cereal, I'll probably start making real oatmeal for us both.

You may be wondering how Chicken manages to eat oatmeal if I'm not spoon-feeding her. Well, there are two ways. Sometimes I "load" the spoon and hand it to her. It helps to have more than one spoon handy because she either holds onto one to play with or sometimes tosses one overboard.

Yes, it gets messy! But, babies generally get messy even when they're being fed. Anyway, the other way is for Chicken to just dig in with her hands. Interestingly, she wanted no part of playing with the cereal or eating it off her hands at first. It's only recently that she'll put a little hand in the bowl and then suck the cereal off of her hand. She still doesn't seem to enthusiastic about cereal, but it's got a cool texture and makes for some fun!

She recently tried yogurt using the same technique. She seems to enjoy yogurt more than cereal, but yogurt is harder to keep handy since it's perishable and leaves a stickier, stinkier mess behind!

Pictures don't lie...Videos really don't lie!

I took this video the morning of Chicken's recent check-up with her pediatrician in case the doctor had an issue with BLW or didn't believe that Chicken was really eating. Of course, the doctor didn't ask me for video evidence! I figured I'd share it here in case anyone wants to see how Chicken manages - in live action! This morning she had waffles and cantaloupe. Even though I watch her eat every day, I think it's really cool to see how she handles the melon, which is really slippery. You'll see that she looks a bit like Cookie Monster with more food flying than going in her mouth.

This is because at her age her gag reflex is still by the middle of her tongue, rather than the back of her throat. If she bites/gums off a piece of food that is too big for her to swallow or manage in her mouth, she spits it back down. Regardless of how much she actually "eats", you can see that she is developing a lot of skills and knowledge!

Sorting things out...

I've been debating what would be the best way to go about this blog. Something new happens every day - sometimes at every meal. So, I can't really dedicate a post to every new food that Chicken tries or every funny photo of her with different foods. Since I tend to be rather unorganized, I think that this will end up being fairly "stream of consciousness" rather than organized in any particular way. I apologize to those of you who would be more comfortable with organization, but hope everyone keeps checking in on Chicken.

All aboard the BLW train!

I am so relieved that Chicken's grandparents (& grand-aunt!) and pediatrician are on board with BLW. I was most nervous about her doctor because she tends to be a bit cynical. At Chicken's 6 month check-up, her doctor seemed totally agreeable to this manner of introducing food. It's hard to argue that it's working when Chicken is stripped down to a diaper showing off her belly and thighs!

It's also been great to see Chicken's grandparents embrace what we're doing. She had a lovely brunch with my side of the family a few weekends ago, munching on waffle and fruit. She had dinner with her paternal grandparents recently and they enjoyed watching her chow down on pizza crust and vegetables. When my aunt visited for a few days, she ate every meal with Chicken and actually ate chicken with Chicken!

Ok, so she has the wrong end in her mouth in this photo, but that's part of the experience!

Although everyone is a bit wary about the choking issue (myself included, to be honest) I think that concern is minimized by watching Chicken handle her food skillfully. It's also just so enjoyable to have her at the table, sharing in family meals.