I've never really struggled with food. Eating it, that is. Cooking it is a different story. Preparing it is another. But eating it? Take a look at my rear end and you'll notice that it's never really been a problem. But feeding my daughter? Now we're getting to the challenging part.
I started off breastfeeding Amelia. It took me about four months to get the hang of it, and just when it started getting easy, I went back to work and my milk dried up. Then we went to bottles. Of course, I had no idea how the whole formula thing worked and I was a nervous wreck about it. How much will she eat? Can I use tap water? What about warm tap water? What kind of formula is best? How many bottles do we need? It was like a mysterious art that I had yet to master. But eventually, bottle feeding became effortless and natural, and we checked another accomplishment off of our parent to-do list.
But then Amelia got bigger. And hungrier. Our babysitter kept saying, "I think she's ready for food. I know babies. She's bored with formula!" And I would say, "You're probably right! But I'm going to wait until her six month appointment because I have no idea what I am doing."
Wow. Freaking understatement of the year.
After Amelia's six month appointment, I go and get some cereal, fruit and veggies. Yes, my kid is surviving, and no, I do not plan to feed her organic baby food. Getting two socks on her that match and her nails clipped once every two weeks is about as accomplished as I get these days.
We feed her cereal, and she spits it out. We feed her green beans, and she raspberry's them across the high chair. We give her applesauce, and she pushes the spoon away. Good thing this food isn't serving any nutritional purpose, because I don't think she's swallowed one bite yet out of about five tries.
Most nights, I forget to even give her any. We get busy cooking or cleaning or playing, and before I know it, it's her bedtime and I'm going, "Crap! We forgot to give her some food!" Is it terrible that she maybe gets one food a day every few days?
She's going to be the only kid that shows up for Kindergarten with only a bottle of milk in her lunchbox.
Hopefully, like breastfeeding and bottle feeding, this food business will in time become second nature.
CAN'T WAIT FOR POTTY TRAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-(
HOLLA -
5 comments:
I friend of mine has an 8 month old & started doing baby led weaning & she loves & raves about it! I suggest looking into it if you can't get her to eat regular baby food.
She has a blog as well where she talks about it: Life As Wife (I don't know how to link)
http://mylifeaswife.blogspot.com/2011/09/baby-led-weaning-there-is-nothing-to.html
Here's the direct link to her baby-led weaning page
It will get easier! She is just playing and experimenting with the textures and tastes.....you might some really thin rice cereal in a bottle with the hole in the nipple enlatged.....it will giv her some substance in her tummy esp aat nite.... Is the babysitter hafing any better luck with the baby food?
Thanks, Kate! I read your friend's blog and did some more reasearch, and I am definitely going to try that! It seems so common sense.
Hi! I'm doing that with my third kid and I love it also! I never realized how quickly they can feed themselves! The first 4 feedings she gagged a little, spit up really good once, but now is great. So glad I found it cause if I was spoon feeding her the poor thing would have super long meals with cold food and many many breaks, with feeding her brothers as well! I found it through mamaandbabylove.blogspot. she is kind of out there, but has made me really think about the way I do things.
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