First Foods

We decided on freshly mashed avocado for the little guy's first food. Why avocado? One of the many fun aspects of parenting is attempting to digest the wealth of seemingly contradictory advice. Some recommend starting a baby with rice cereal at 4 months, whereas others recommend waiting until the baby is at least 6-8 months and showing signs of readiness (has lots of saliva, loses the tongue-thrust reflex, is able to sit up on his own, shows interest in the food on your plate, etc), and then starting with avocado, sweet potato, or banana. There is also a strong movement called baby lead weaning where you start with chunks of food, instead of purees, and let the baby finger feed himself.

We decided to wait the full 6 months (and then some) and start with mashed avocado, since it is such a nutritionally rich food. As you can see, the little guy loved the avocado! It was a little messy, but our bib Miss Emily made us as a party favor for her son's first birthday party caught the mess perfectly! It's hard to see in these pictures, but there's a little catch pocket at the bottom. We have such talented friends!

We aren't too concerned about the "right" way to introduce solids. The fact is, milk or formula is the main source of nutrition for babies until at least 12 months. Solids are just, as our pediatrician put it, an "extra-curricular activity" or "dessert." So, we're just doing what works best for us and not getting too stressed. The main goal is to have him explore different flavors and textures and to be included in the family meal. The highchair Aunt Laura gave us is perfect for that! He loves sitting right up at the table and eating when we eat. Also interesting to note: he's eating at the kitchen table from Mommy's childhood!