Monday, October 17, 2011

Baby's First Bites

Learning to eat must be such a challenge for babies. Sure, they observe us eating and have some reflexive actions that guide them along, but that still leaves a lot to figure out. I was a little overwhelmed to start Hannah on foods even though she was clearly showing an interest in eating. Let me tell you, feeding babies and feeding your own baby are two totally different ball games. There is also a big learning curve preparing baby meals from scratch.

A few months ago I started looking in to the idea of preparing meals for Hannah. I already had a Cuisinart, so I figured that might come in handy if I had something in the fridge to make for her. As I looked up a few recipes I found out it would be cheaper and healthier to make her baby food. (Does this sound like the cloth diaper path?) I talked to a few people who had made or been raised on homemade baby food and then I saw the Baby Bullet. My inner spendthrift reminded me the goal was to save money, but that thing was so darn cute! I put off the purchase, intending to get it after giving the whole "homemade meal plan" a go first. That worked out better than I planned because my Mom ended up buying one for us! Armed with the baby cookbook, bullet, and my newfound kitchen skills, I was ready to go. Or so I thought...



My first experiences with the Baby Bullet were comparable to Amelia Bedelia in the Kitchen. I doubled a recipe that I tried to halve, practically blew out the motor on the bullet the first time using it, and have made a bigger mess than she does with all the tiny cups and gadgets. Luckily, I've managed to salvage just enough rice cereal from the scorched pan to serve Hannah and make it all worth while. She puckered her lips, tasted a few bites, and got more on her shirt than in her mouth. I think she did a perfect job eating!

This face sums up the experience:


All told, it was very sweet to feed Hannah her first meals. Once I got over my New Mom Jitters and put to rest my concerns about choking, allergies, and disliking foods it hasn't been too bad. I'm comforted knowing that she is still getting plenty of milk from nursing, so we can just take this whole eating program at her pace. Hopefully it doesn't take me nearly as long to perfect my baby recipes as it did for me to learn the ropes around the kitchen. My husband may have been content to keep his mouth shut and starve for a year, but I don't think Hannah will put up with that!

3 comments:

  1. Congrats! Hope you do find your perfect baby recipes! I was given a hand grinder at my shower, so that's what I used for my son along with recipes from the Wholesome Baby Food site. I'm sure the Baby Bullet is easier than my hand grinder by far!

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  2. You girls are too cute! I love that you are going 'organic' with Hannah's meals and hope that she enjoys all of your future concotions. You'd better write down Hannah's and your favorite recipes for me to use some day! ;)

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  3. Check out a local farmers market! They may be able to give you a discount or save slightly bruised items for you. I was raised on the "uglies" from the market (sometimes they'll even GIVE you the ripe fruits and veggies for Free!) and lived to tell the tale. My mom made big batches of things, then froze them in ice cube trays, warming them in an egg poacher when she needed to feed me.

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