Happy Eater, Happy Mom - PREPARE AND STORE BABY FOOD

Preparing food for your baby at home is very easy and the best thing is you know what you are feeding your baby. When I started preparing food for Giselle, I was trilled to know how easy the process was and how much she liked the food I made. I would set a time for me everyday to steam and then puree her food. It was all going great till one weekend. 

Weekend is kind of a rest day for me 'coz I am in the house the whole week, so I need to spend the weekend out even if it means I need to just sit at the mall. It was then I realised that I could not make Giselle's food and would resort to baby jar foods. While it is the best source of takeout baby food, I would still prefer feeding her homemade stuff (I'm I being stubborn or what!).

So, for all you stubborn moms and the not so stubborn ones too, here are a few pointers to what you need to prepare solids for your baby and how to preserve them.

There are loads of fancy baby food processors now a days in the market. I saw a few of them myself at Babies R us and Baby Depot. They were so attractive that I almost picked up one when the voices in my head said "Wait Mel! are you serious, you are gonna use that stuff only for 6 months and you are gonna pay so much for it." That's when I decided sure, I will see what I have handy at home to make solids. So here are a few things you will need and the best thing about these "baby food making gadgets" are that they are readily available in your kitchen.

The Essentials:

• A food steamer: I am sure that most of u own this one as a kitchen possession. You can use a steamer to prepare vegetables for your baby. 
• A Colander: Don't have a steamer, that OK. Used to strain rice or pasta, a colander works as a great steamer. A readily available tool in the kitchen, you can steam any food item using it. Its very simple: Keep a vessel of water under the colander. Add required food stuff in it and close it. Keep it on the cooking range. Your food is getting steamed.
• A fork: A great tool to use to mash soft fruits and veggies. Can be also used to shred chicken and other meats. A fork is an old fashioned tool used for centuries to make baby food.
• A spice grinder: used to puree baby food after boiling or steaming. This tool works great for all stages of baby food. You want to puree, mash, or just cut the food into chunks, a spice grinder will be able to do it for you.

Ways of making baby food:

• Steaming: Popular among most moms, the steaming process is on of the best ways to cook your baby a healthy meal.When you steam a certain food almost all its nutrients remain in the food itself and has a less chance to be lost in the process of cooking. 
• Boiling: A faster method to cook baby food. All you need is water and your desired food in it. Set in on the gas and let it boil. The only draw back is the food that is being boiled can lose some of its nutrients in the process. But you can still use the water to puree the food.
• Baking: the most favorite, I love baking foods. Baking cooks food in its own juices and does not require a help of a substitute like water. All nutrients remain in the food, which makes it more healthy for your baby. Not only does baking provide good health benefits, but also gives a nice flavor to the food. Baby food can get very boring so bake it and let your baby enjoy a different flavor and texture (a gourmet food for you little eater)  .

Preserve food for your peanut:

For mothers who are working and have less time to make baby food everyday here is how you can keep yourself busy and at the same time stay guilt free. You can make a batch of food and store it. This works great for me when I need to go out on a weekend and still feed my baby homemade food.

You will need:

• Ice trays: available in plenty in the market, a ice tray can help portion food accordingly and freeze it. You can freeze baby food for 3 months (I would finish it in 1 month tho, 3 months seems to long for me). I use a normal ice cube tray that is already sitting in my freezer. 
• Freezer bags: After the food has turned into ice cubes, go ahead and store it in freezer bags (I use Ziploc bags). Label the food and the date on the bag so it is easy for you to identify the food and the time you stored it.

Always remember:

• Know how much your baby is eating in a single feeding. Once you know it, you will find it easy to portion the food.
• Portion food as required in ice cubes so that you can use it completely. Do not defrost and freeze food again. The chances of bacteria growing in the food is higher.
• If your baby has not consumed the entire portion, do not go ahead a freeze the remaining food. Your baby's saliva can contaminate the food. Dispose immediately.
• After preparing baby food, wait for it to cool. Do not put it in the freezer immediately as it can bring down the temperature of the other foods in the freezer causing bacteria to grow.
• If you have stored food in the refrigerator and not the freezer, do not keep food more than 1 day. 

Sometimes I do not have homemade food in my freezer. So I go ahead and give Giselle jar foods. Once you open the jar food remove the required portion in another container and refrigerate the rest. Use it within 1 day.

You can also travel with homemade baby food. You will require a ice bag for it. If I am travelling for more than a day then I prefer taking jar foods or cereals as the chances of my baby falling sick is less.

So here are a few pointers for all you baby home food makers. I hope this information helps all my readers. If there are some more points you want to add moms, do drop me a comment. I shall incorporate the same :)

Till then happy cooking.

Note:

• While pureeing food, use the same water you have used to boil or steam the food.
• If you do not have a spice grinder, go ahead a use your food processor. You may need to add a little extra water (osterizer works great). This works great when you make food in bulk. For less quantity food I would still prefer a spice grinder. 
• Cover the ice cube trays with plastic wraps before freezing food.
• Making baby food at home is very easy but if not preserved properly can cause babies to fall sick.
• If you think you are not confident preserving food in advance go ahead and do it everyday (I do it). It will keep you tension free :)
• You want to invest in a baby food grinder, yes you can. Its up to all moms to decide that. Its still healthy and serves the purpose :)

    

ARE YOU READY FOR SOLIDS BABY?

It was one fine morning I got up to realise that, OMG! Giselle slept through the night. Yes, she did! My little girl used to get up every 2 hours for feeds at night which made me think that I would never be sleeping again. Have you heard the saying "Mothers don't sleep", Oh yeah! ask me :). Then one FINE MORNING, I got up to notice that it was 8:00 and my daughter was still asleep. I had not heard a single squeal or crying at night and for the first time after I had her, I got the best sleep ever.

But wait... before my excitement could reach any further and after almost half the world got to know that my daughter was sleeping through the night (Hell yes! mothers like to share these things to the world) Giselle wakes up again, 3 times at night :(.. So much for the excitement. I could not figure out what the problem was. I kept thinking that probably it was the gas that was waking her up, or is she feeling cold, or is she having a bad dream, or maybe she's teething, when my mother told me - 'I guess she's getting hungry, start solids for her' (in a demanding tone).

Giselle was exclusively breastfed till then, so introducing solids to her was kind of freaky to me. I was all alone in this foreign country not knowing what to do next. Should I really start solids for her? Is she ready yet? What if it causes a reaction or what if she chokes? Questions, questions questions... Why do I have so many questions all the time????.... So I decided, 'lets go online and see what the world has to say'. So I browsed through all the websites, blogs, forums. I got a number of views, comments and advices on starting solids. But none of them told me what was good for 'Giselle'... Damn!

I was such a skeptic when it came to feeding her solids that it took me almost 3 weeks to get a spoon of rice cereal into Giselle's mouth. So I started off with rice cereal. Oh yeah, before that, the sites I had checked on when to introduce solids to an infant, gave me a lot of pointers. But I went ahead with pure instincts - 'motherly instincts'. All I looked for in Giselle was if she was a supported sitter and if she could digest her food. After all my baby was hungry and I needed to do what was right for her.

When your baby is ready for solids (based on Giselle and the way she took it). Again remember all babies are different.

Here I go again, 


When your baby is ready for solids:

• See if your baby is sitting well when supported - her head is still gonna wobble and if u leave her she for sure will fall. All you got to see is if she is sitting when u support her.
• She is hungry even after a normal feed of milk or formula - if you think your baby is still hungry even after u have fed her milk or formula. 
• She can swallow food - yes she is going to have a pushing reflex when she takes her first bite. Remember babies are so used to sucking for their food so they are gonna do the same when u introduce a spoon to them. Just listen if your baby is making a gulping sound and have patience.. she's gonna get the knack of using the spoon some day soon.  
• She poops well - if your baby is having a bowl movement once a day after she has eaten solids then she is good to go. Remember that baby poop can change once you introduce solids to them. They become a lot more stinky, the colour will change and yeah its gonna be a little hard, not as runny as it used to be.

Things to watch out for:

• After introducing a new food to your baby, wait till she poops. See if she is taking it well. If the food comes out as is then your baby isn't digesting the food well. Stop then and there, wait for a week or two and try introducing it again.
• If your baby's poop is frothy in nature then its time to call your pediatrician.
• If your baby is pooping black. Call your pediatrician immediately.  
• Look for any allergy like symptoms. Allergy's occur within 24 hours after you have introduced a new food. I would wait for 2 days to see if my baby is allergic to a certain food or not.  It could be anything. If your baby is reacting in an unusual manner then it could be the food.

Do not worry about:

• Your baby's poop colour will change. It used to be a very nice yellow colour before, but not any more. If you feed your baby carrot she is gonna have some orange spots in her stool, If you feed her spinach, you'll see green poop. What more variety, try feeding her beetroot's :)...
• She is not eating everyday. Yes! babies sometimes tend to not be in a mood just like we adults. So cut them some slack ;). Giselle would be a very good eater today but tomorrow she will not even look at food. Very normal!. Don't force them. 
• My baby eats everything, I fed her spinach today, she loved it. Wait, don't blow the trumpet yet, their are chances that she may not eat it tomorrow. Babies have moods too, lolz. Don't worry.. if she is not taking it today, give it some other day
• My baby does not eat anything. There is a time where your first attempt with a new food may be disappointing. She will make a big fuss and refuse it. Don't worry.. She may not like it today, but there are all chances she will like it tomorrow... Babies and Moods, are you Serious!
• If you have given your baby spinach she may have runny stool. Remember spinach regulates bowl movement. So introduce spinach in a very small quantity. Please wash spinach properly before use. If not clean it can cause your baby to fall sick.

What food do I need to start off with:

There are loads of foods in the market today. Start off with:

First foods or stage 1 foods: These food are all pureed and are single type foods

Under these you can find veggies, fruits and cereal (no dairy or meat)

• Fruits: Banana, Apple, Pears, Prunes
• Veggies: Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Green beans, Peas, Squash
• Cereal: Brown Rice, Oatmeal and Barley

Do not feed honey or cows milk to your infant till the age of 1 year. They can 'coz allergies and make your baby every sick. (Thanks Natasha for reminding me, its an important point)

Many mothers like to go the safer route and introduce fruits first as there is less risk of allergy.

So what did I introduce first to Giselle. I did rice cereal. She did pretty well with rice cereal the very first day so we continued with that. When we visited Giselle's pediatrician he told us to start her off with some veggies. So I gave her carrots. Today Giselle eats - Carrots, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, spinach, Squash , Banana and Avocados (yes! try them, they are a big hit in our house) and of course rice cereal.

We started Giselle on solids when she turned 4 months, but many parents wait till after 5 to 6 months to introduce solids to their babies. It all depends on you as a mom and whats good for your baby. Trust me, trust your 'motherly instincts'

Giselle's schedule at 5 months:


8:00am : Breast milk
10:00 am: Fruits  (introduced only banana for now)
1:00pm: Veggies 
3:00pm: Breast Milk
6:00pm: Breast Milk
8:00pm: Rice Cereal or some veggies
10:00pm: Breast milk (thats 'coz she sleeps after she drinks a little bit of milk)
Night wakings: Breast milk


I started off by feeding Giselle rice cereal once a day. That was at 4 months, then gradually increased it to two feeding. I just introduced fruits to her in the mornings.

I will be posting a few homemade baby recipes for you. I Promise, soon :)

If this post has helped even 1% of the mothers out there. I will be the most happiest mother out here. Do leave comments moms. And if you have any knowledge to share please go ahead a do so.

Note: 

• Breast milk or formula are the main source of nutrition for babies till 6 months old. So do not substitute solids for milk or formula.
• If your baby is not eating the food when you introduce it for the first time, try pureeing it with breast milk or formula. Chances are she may eat it.
• Try introducing 2 tbsp at the beginning and then increase the quantity
• I give Giselle water (say about 1oz) after every feed. It helps regulate her digestive system. I would suggest you give water to them as solids can be a little hard on their system. Rice cereal can get babies constipated and water can help.
• Everything I have written here is based on how Giselle did with solids. I say it again, all babies are different. 
• If you think something is wrong and you are not confident to start solids for your baby, please don't. You need to be confident when you take this big step.
• Ask your pediatrician before you start solids for your baby. An added advice wont hurt.
• I used 'she' as a gender in this post. Its only because I have a daughter. If I had a son then for sure it would be a 'he' :)

NEVER SAY 'NEVER'

'Why is she crying? What does she want? Neville please carry her, she's driving me crazy'... Its been 5 months now and its almost every night that I scream the following statement to my husband. Well... carry her, give her the pacifier, let her chew her thumb, let her watch TV for 10 min, Let her sleep with us.. these are a few words that come out of my mouth very often these days

It was in January 2010 that I got to know I was entering into a new world of fun, excitement and responsibility. Yes! I was going to be a mother and before I could even go to my first appointment with my OBGYN thoughts started flowing into my head about how am I gonna bring up my daughter. There were many good thoughts, a few apprehensive, a few emotional, a few about what I'm gonna teach my baby and a few what I'm not gonna teach her.. Little did I know that the 'not gonna teach' part would be the most difficult one.

I spent a great deal of time talking to experienced mothers over the phone when I was expecting, taking a lot of advice from them. While some told me not to make it a habit of carrying her, while some others told me use home remedies to relieve my baby from the bad cold she had and some more telling me to make my own baby food. Mind you, this conversation started way before Giselle even had a mouth developed in my stomach. Man! what was I thinking.

So, it was everyday, almost everyday, that I kept telling my husband what he needed to tell the nurse after I delivered my baby (I had to tell him 'coz i never knew if I would be in a state to even speak after my delivery) with warning signals to him. I remember telling him - tell the nurse NO pacifier and NO formula for sure. I also reminded my husband to give me the courage to let my baby cry and not carry her when she did with the fear of 'spoiling her'. And guess what I actually did all these things. The nurse didn't give G the pacifier, nor did they formula feed her when she cried at the nursery for milk, nor did I carry her when she cried at home (I only know how I managed to do that), nor did I let my parents carry her the 2 months they were in the US.

Giselle did just fine for the first 2 months of her military regiment, and then all hell broke loose the time she turned 3 months. She would cry her guts out day in and day out, night in and night out. My parents left for India and I was left all alone the entire day to take care of my daughter. Blame it on the lack of sleep or the tricks my daughter played on me (as if she was waiting for my parents to leave to teach me a lesson for putting her through the military regiment) that I started doing all that I had decided not to do in the fear of 'spoiling her'. Look at the irony here. I told my husband not to get her used to certain practises with a 'warning signal' when I went ahead and did just that with a 'smile on my face' just to escape all the frustration I had to go through if I had not done it. I carried her when I had decided I would never carry her when she wanted me to for the fear of 'spoiling her', I put her next to me at night when I had decided that I would always keep her in the crib for the fear of 'she wont be independent otherwise', I gave her the pacifier when I decided I would not for the fear of her 'getting used to it', I gave her a dose of pain killer even before she got her vaccines when I decided that I would never give her the antibiotic for the fear of 'her getting used to medicines' and more over I gave her jar foods when I had decided that home food was best for her and jar foods where filled with preservatives. Damn! how did I get here and how did I get into this mess of getting her into the habit of things I never wanted her to get into.

Lately my favourite to keep my daughter from crying is letting her watch TV. I still remember the days when I used to tell Neville - 'Just few more months and then we can not watch TV, 'coz I don't want my baby to get used to it' and today I, myself prop her in front of the television so I could go ahead and finish some of my work. Am I being a nice mother or what! There are a lot of guilty feeling I go through when I do these things, but don't judge me yet. I know most of the mothers who take care of their children in a foreign country where there is no help whatsoever will agree with me, while the ones who are not yet mothers will agree with me someday.

So look at this, five months old and my daughter has gotten into all the 'habits' I 'never' wanted her to get into and for sure there are many more 'habits' to come. So I finally decided that from now on I shall never say 'NEVER'