Hello mummies

When baby E was 4 months we went for his checkup the MCHN suggested that we could start him on solids any time before 6 months. She suggested that we start with rice cereal then gradually move to vegetables and fruits. She suggested vegetables before fruits because fruits are sweet and if we start with fruits he might become a picky eater (every mama’s nightmare). Most of our family friends who are mothers suggested that I use Farex however; I went with Nestle Cerelac rice cereal because I was more familiar with the brand and I was comfortable with it.

The first few days baby E hated the rice cereal so I ended up adding it to his bottle once a day. we tried carrots and that was his first solid, I pureed it and it was really runny because he wasn’t used to textures yet. He did well with the carrots but he still didn’t love the idea of the spoon so he would try to grab the spoon or his plate (he still does that even now that he is a complete champion eater).

When he turned 5 months we were planning our big move to Nairobi so I got one packet of Cerelac rice cereal to take back with us thinking that I would get more upon arrival there. Long story short I couldn’t find rice cereal in Nakumatt, I looked a several different outlets. My brother in law is a doctor and he suggested that we should wait until baby E is 6 months then we can start him on solids. We listened to his advice and took him for his 6 months checkup a few weeks later; his paediatrician said that we could start him on solids right away. The doctor also told us that we could find baby rice at Healthy U outlets. I managed to buy baby E a box from the junction store and he loves it for breakfast.

Both his paediatrician and MCHN suggested that we try a new vegetable or fruit for 3 days at a time to make sure that if baby E has an allergic reaction we can pin point it to a specific food. If you read my blog post for making carrot and apple puree before I started mixing 2 fruits or vegetables I made sure he tried them separately for 3 days each. So far no bad reaction however, I haven’t given him peanut butter, eggs, fish, cheese and other dairy products (these are mainly the foods known for food allergy).

Baby E’s paediatrician suggested that we wait until he’s 10 months for peanut butter but we can introduce fish as soon as next month. She also advised us not to buy jar baby food and lucky that we are surrounded by family both my mother and mother in law help prepare meals for baby E.

we started our solid journey with very runny and watery foods then slowly I changed the consistency his food has more texture as he grows older.Now Baby E prefers thick purees. Our MCHN suggested a few sips of water after a meal to prevent constipation. I asked his paediatrician and she said that a few sips won’t do any harm but we should avoid juices even home made juice until he’s one years old.

Now my little munchkin is almost 8months old and eats solid daily up to 3 meals a day. He still has his regular feeds; I didn’t cut down any of his feeds. The journey of weaning is for him to experiment with different tastes and textures.

Baby E is the one that decides how much he wants yo eat and the pace of his meals.I try to never rush him or force him to eat. I enjoy his meal time and try to embrace the mess. he makes the most adorable funny face when he takes the first spoonful of any puree. Babies get all the nutrition they need form their milk feeds whether formula or breastmilk. one of my favourite saying is:

“Food under one is just for fun”

We’re still trying out different solids and enjoying this journey, so far we tried these:

• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Broccoli
• Zucchini
• Okra
• Apples
• Pears
• Bananas
• Prunes
• Pumpkin
• Butternut
• Chicken
• Cerelac rice cereal
• Cerelac wheat
• Hipp Baby rice

This week we will try mangos and avocados, yum.

I hope this post helps some of you. Good luck with your food journey with your little ones.

My blog Simply a mama