Solids Update

It’s been just over two weeks since we started weaning Emily on to solids, and so far the results have been good. OK, so more food still seems to be going on her bib than in her mouth, and she seems to have gotten the knack of grasping her spoon so tightly that I can’t retrieve it to feed her, but otherwise we’re doing pretty well.

So far, banana seems to be the meal of choice – Emily loves it and will happily tuck in whenever it’s dished up, although mango has also proven popular – more so than papaya, which left her decidedly nonplussed.

In order to introduce her to other new flavours, I’ve been getting in touch with my domestic side and have invested in a small hand blender, with which I’ve been reducing various fruits and vegetables to little piles of pulp.

My carrot puree, which I made yesterday, was a big hit,, and I’m not so sure that pear and apple went down too well – it tasted rather like watery pear when I tried it, and the look on Emily’s face at the first mouthful was one of, “What on earth is this, mother??”

More often than not though, she grabs the spoon and tries to shovel the food in herself , and she got so enthusiastic at the prospect of banana and baby rice for breakfast yesterday that she actually tried to grab the feeding pot off me.

What has amazed me though is just how much fruit and veg is actually required to make enough puree for one portion of food. Yes, I know babies don’t eat a huge amount, but once pureed it pretty much boils down to nothing, meaning I had to chop up several carrots in order to make enough for a decent meal.

Today, meanwhile, various commitments meant we were out and about for the whole day – and having not had time to prepare anything in advance, I resorted to a jar of ready-made organic apple puree we had in the cupboard and had been saving for such an eventuality. While Emily ate it, she didn’t seem nearly as keen as she is on my food – suggesting that perhaps she prefers homemade after all. The girl clearly has impeccable taste.