Food is dumb.
Breastfeeding is perfect for lazy moms like me. I don't have to worry about packing snacks when we go out, I don't have to warm bottles or wash them when I'm done and I don't have to worry about food groups or proper nutrition or vitamins or any of that nonsense. Through the magic of Mother Nature, Sofia gets exactly what she needs when she needs it with zero brain effort from me.
However, since I can't breastfeed forever (totally kicking rocks about that) we had to introduce solids.
Solids? What's that? Unbutton your shirt please.
After the french fry, I was more serious about getting off on the right foot. Again, because I'm a lazy parent, I'm choosing Baby Led Weaning for Sofia. I got the book and cookbook and we were ready to go.
We started with bananas. She played with it more than she ate it, but that was fine by me because some got in her mouth as evidenced by her diapers.
OH! MOMS! No one told me this and it freaked me the hell out: if you feed your baby bananas, they will get little threads in their poop that look like worms. Scared the ever-loving SHIT out of me! Thank God for the other moms in my playgroup because I was ready to call the freakin CDC and never feed her solids again.
And another PS - my cloth diapers are still doing fine. I told a couple people that we were doing cloth and they were all "oh that's cute. Just wait until she starts solids - you'll be singing a different tune." Well LA LA LA beeshes! Still snow-white, still no stinks!
For about three weeks, we tried bananas, avocados, carrots, prunes and pears (the prunes and pears were purees because we were on the road and she hadn't pooped.)
But, I think we did it wrong because my poor baby's little face busted out in a nasty case of eczema. Her little cheeks were a rosy red mess of bumps and scabs and I was NOT having it.
She even scratched her nose, poor baby.
The pediatrician had a look at it and was just like, put some Aquaphor on it. Okay fine. I did and it cleared up but it came right back the second she ate something else. Bananas - busted up face. Avocados - busted up face. Carrots - busted up face. I was getting annoyed and finally we just stopped altogether. I hate food anyway - I didn't need any more encouragement to go back to exclusive breastfeeding.
However, I'm also afraid of oral motor delay - at least I think that's what it's called. It's what happens if you miss the window for introducing solids and then they have trouble eating and talking and stuff. SEE how much trouble food is? Gah!
Since I wasn't satisfied with the Aquaphor-and-power-through-it diagnosis, I went a different path and got me a hippie doctor. It's yet another reason why I love our neighborhood. There are two lactation consultants and a naturopath that live within driving distance! Plus, they do house calls!
The hippie doctor had me fill out this 20-page questionnaire that asked me to gauge my satisfaction with my intellectual pursuits, how I felt about staying home and what I ate in a normal day. There was all kinds of space for that part, and I felt really bad writing 'Triscuits.' I wasn't surprised when she was like "you need to eat more." Really hippie doctor? You don't say?
But, aside from that it was really interesting meeting with her and she spent over an hour at my house, going over the vitamins I took (CVS prenatals - she wasn't too impressed with that either), even looking at the lotion I used on the baby - which got her approval.
Approved by hippie doctors everywhere!
Get yours today!
(You have to say that in your announcer voice, otherwise it's silly.)
Her diagnosis was that Sofia's little gut just wasn't ready for solids and we're going to try again at the end of this month and be extra conservative this time, doing only one food every five days and starting with root vegetables instead of fruits. Also, I've started taking a probiotic and some hippie fish oil because the CVS fish oil pills didn't cut it either. Hopefully the baby's face won't bust out again and we'll have a more enjoyable time with it because I'm hypersensitive about establishing a positive foundation with food for her. I'm in mortal fear of a picky eater or having a kid who's allergic to everything.
Besides that, there are so many other issues tied to food. I don't want her to be a comfort/stress/emotional eater and those habits start early. I also don't want her to hate it like me. I just want her to have a healthy relationship with food and I want to start her off on the right foot.
We have another appointment with the hippie doctor at the end of the month and we'll try this song and dance again, hopefully with more success. But for now, I'm happy to leave it up to Mother Nature.
I am a prize cow.
EVERY T H I N G about life gets more complicated once they are on solids. Solids are stupid. I wish they'd live on breastmilk forever. Wait, I don't mean that. But seriously! Solid foods on the go?? TORTURE. Solid food at home? RUINED CLOTHING. Potential allergies. The scares. All of it? Is stressful (to me). And then they eat and enjoy everything, and then become little brats (read: adorable/will-filled toddlers) who say NO and throw their food to the dogs. So basically? The food battle will something you deal with forever. So I've learned in my short 18 months of parenting. LOL. boobie feeding is SO SO SO convenient, dude.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have any problems with stinky cloth diapers until my daughter got to be about 8 months old. Now it's pretty miserable. Plunking down $50 at a whack for diapers is giving me pause though. We've used Funk Rock and it doesn't seem to make much difference. I am one of those moms thinking seriously of changing back to disposables now that the solids are one a roll. We also have some eczema problems that started about the same time as solids (but also at about the time she became mobile so the cause could be mechanical since the eczema is limited to arms and legs). I've been using the BabyGanics non-petroleum jelly stuff at night with cotton PJs and some hippie lotion during the days. We're able to keep it in check but it never really goes away. I've been trying to find more solids that would work on the go for my daughter. Now that she's 9 months I think we can do some dried edamame and gluten-free cheerios?
ReplyDeleteI delay solids for as long as possible. I basically make my babies wait until they are BEGGING for it, and then wait some more! It's true that it's so much easier just to nurse. Easier, cleaner (for babies' clothes, for your floor, for your diapers), faster, etc. I held Zari off until 10 months, and then she just got little bits of table food. Dio would not wait that long, so he started getting little tastes of things at 6-7 months. Inga seems to be more patient. She'll grab for whatever we're eating but won't totally freak out when I don't give her stuff. But she's become very good at scrounging every last little crumb off the floor! Better than a dog. Anyway I'm thinking I'll let her try food around Christmas time. She'll be about 10 months old then.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the whole worry about mouth-motor development. Phlbbbbt. I don't believe it.
Serious question...how does someone hate food? Is it linked to an event, or do you just not like the textures? What? I'm intrigued. And totally freaking jealous....I love food too much.
ReplyDeleteThat's good Sofia reaches for food and seems interested but I'm definitely in no rush!
ReplyDeleteHey. It has to get better! She was designed to eat solid foods at some point, so she will eventually be ready:o) If it helps, I can tell you what foods worked best for L--sweet potatoes, squash, pears and apples. Peaches/plums/nectarines are on hold forever because she got BURNS on her booty from acidic pee! It's not diaper rash but burns:o( So, good thing the hippie doctor is putting fruit on hold. Wonder if a dermatologist could also help?
ReplyDeleteAgain, thanks so much for posting on this. A month or so ago Maddy started breaking out in these dry skins spots all over her back and belly. They started about 3 months ago on her leg. And now I am thinking that maybe its related to starting on solid foods. Luckily the spots don't seem to bother her, but they look nasty. Hard to imagine they don't hurt at least a little.
ReplyDeleteUgh, breastmilk fo' life!
ReplyDeleteAw man! Don't tell me that! Cloth diapers is the easiest thing in the world for me and I don't want to give it up if solids makes them stinky! Yet another reason why food is dumb....
ReplyDeleteBurns?! Are you serious?! Poor Lulubean!!
ReplyDeleteThe hippie doctor said to start with sweet potatoes, pumpkin, beets and I forget the other veggies. But after what you just said, I'm DEFINITELY staying away from the fruit - at least for a while!
Yeah, Sofia was scratching at her face and that's when I stopped all solids. At one point her little cheeks were so red and angry-looking, it broke my heart!
ReplyDeleteIt's the effort that goes into it. To me, the worst question in the world is 'what do you want for dinner.' If I could only eat when I felt like it, I would be so happy because there are days that I don't mind the measuring and the slicing and chopping and boiling and WAITING. Just today I was about to cry because I waited too long to eat and I was starving in the blink of an eye and there was no food that I could eat one-handed because of course the baby was all moody and didn't want to be put down.
ReplyDeleteI hate all the steps that go into cooking, it's just too much. I just want to eat and not think about it and be done with it. When I was single and a busy frazzled college student I regularly ate just once a day and was fine with it.
Food just isn't that important to me and I resent it when I get hungry.
I'm just glad I married a man who loves food because I would definitely starve otherwise!
Awww
ReplyDeletePoor Sofia!! Poor Desiree!!!! But....food is amazing. And think, when she finds the foods she likes, Drew and her can teach her to cook. And girl- 5 minute college meals. I'm talking crepes with honey, egg burritos with green and white onion, red pepper, chilli pepper, fresh spinach...make cooking fun!!! My neighbors hate me, as I play loud 90s R and B and cook at 2 am....but gotta make making lunch for the next day a party *in beyonce voice*
ReplyDeleteHope all is well, besides an itchy baby!!
My baby is nearly 5 months, we started baby cereal (went OK), roots (carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, all from the jar). All went fine, but then I gave him bananas from a jar and his face went red. Retested the second day, same thing. I figures it was bananas (also gave him constipation). However, then I fed him some sweet potatoes from another manufacturer, got red too. I figured what he reacts to is ascorbic acid (vitamin C) that the bananas and that second kind of sweet potatoes were preserved with. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this info! I'll definitely keep it in mind. I still think food is dumb though. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, AND I'm lactose intolerant and the dairy pills don't always work. It is NOT worth it to eat dairy if it's going to be hit or miss and just about every recipe calls for cheese of some sort. To try and modify the recipe to make it without cheese or find one that doesn't have cheese is way too much effort, bringing me back to the main reason why I hate food.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I did just put some banana bread in the oven right now, so I do actually know how the oven/kitchen work. :-)
Mannn, I wish I could hate food, then I may lose more weight. lol. But breastfeeding, is abosolutely awesome, I love it!!! You're so right- it's perfect for laziness (talkin about how at night, I just whip out the boobie and go right back to sleep)!!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on trying new foods.. Zo is having some terrible skin issues right now too!
before I got tot the end I was wondering if you were trying too many different things at once. When my baby was small I tried one new food a week with her. It was to make sure she didn't have any food allergies. She has the skin issues too and I didn't want to take any chances.
ReplyDeleteThe solids made the weirdest poops too. The colors, the texture, everything about it! lol