A couple of weeks ago we started into our first little adventures with solid foods for baby girl. I had decided early on in my pregnancy with her that I would make all of her baby food. First, it is so flipping easy. Peel, chop, steam, puree. That is it.
Second, I wanted to know exactly what I would be feeding my baby. We exclusively breastfeed. I have been making her food for her since before she the day she was conceived, so why quit now? ;)
I am fortunate that I have a handy electric steamer, and I did get a Baby Bullet at my baby shower. But, you do not have to have fancy gadgets to make your own baby food. A steam basket for one of your sauce pans, a good blender, and some reusable, freezer safe small storage containers will do the trick just as well.
Baby girl's very first solid food was zucchini. I picked up some lovely zucchinis at the farmers market earlier that week. Yes, I am already trying to cultivate a love and appreciation for all things local. ;) In fact, THE ONLY solid food she has had so far that has not been local has been bananas. And well, last I checked we do not have a tropical climate here in the Mountain State, so growing bananas locally in Appalachia probably isn't going to happen any time too terribly soon.
We waited for baby girl to start showing interest in solids before we started feeding them to her. How can you tell? She may watch you intently as you eat. She may reach for food that is on your plate. Or she may start grabbing for a spoon and putting it in her mouth. This is when we knew that our little girl was starting to figure that not all food had to come from mama's tatas. ;) I know there are several charts and little fliers you may get from the pediatrician's office saying you can start solids at such and such a month. We just opted to let her lead the way, and at around 6 months she had her first bite of pureed zucchini.
She definitely approved of her first culinary tasting adventure.
To date, she has tried zucchini, bananas, apples, and peaches. We have introduced one new food at a time so if an allergic reaction did happen to occur we could narrow it down very quickly to just the one food she has had recently. So far, no reactions. Although she does have a preference for zucchini and bananas. Apples are not her favorite. ;)
I am excited for when we can start blending fruits and veggies and start trying new combinations of her favorites.
But we are taking it slow, and enjoying this new journey with her...