feeding baby wholesome food from the start

i have had lots of questions from friends and co-workers about when quinn began eating solid foods and what i chose to feed him.  when quinn and i went to his 3 month well-visit, the pediatrician said it was good to begin to introduce solid foods.  he said to start with rice cereal and then pick a specific color fruit or vegetable and give him that for a few days, then something else in the same color group...and so on.  

i was initially overjoyed at the prospect of feeding him real food, thinking that filling his tiny belly at bedtime would help him to sleep more.  so i ran to the local grocery store and picked up the healthy baby rice cereal.  then i began to research baby's first food, when to introduce solids, etc.  then i changed my tune.  getting him to sleep through the night, though a great idea, was not my number one goal.  his overall health was and still is.

~american academy of pediatrics suggests introducing solids at 6 months if breastfeeding...not 3 or 4 months.  more info here

~dr. mercola gives sound advice on avoiding rice cereal, starting solids at 6 months, and about what baby's first solid foods should be here

~check out Dr. Greene's thoughts about how bad rice cereal is here

~weston a price also has thoughts here on beginning to feed your baby

so i decided NOT to heed my doctor's advice (shocker, i know) and to delay solid food introduction until quinn was 6 months.  his first food was then sweet potatoes.  then butternut squash, avocado, applesauce, and so on.  my goal has been to start quinn off on the path to health and wellness from the earliest of starts. you read everywhere or hear on television that the latest generation of kids are said to have a shorter life-expectancy than their parents.  that has not happened since, like, forever!  makes you scratch your head and wonder how we got here.  so i decided to take a less mainstream approach and to dig a little deeper to find information about first solid foods.  i also have made almost all of quinn's food myself.  it really is not all that difficult, saves money in the long run, and you have the piece of mind of knowing exactly what is entering your baby's body.

baby baba ghanoush-ing

for quinn's birthday, his mamie brought him his own container of baba ghanoush (his favorite).  she let him help himself.  here is the picture montage for you:

and in-case you were wondering, i did think (after the fact) that this would have been way better outside.  it took two tub-fulls of water to clean this kid up!

quinoa and cod liver oil. yummy...

i am not sure if i mentioned before that i have been making all of quinn's food thus far.  except for yogurt.  but everything else has been prepared by your's truly.  now that he is 10 months i am trying to get more creative with what i feed him and have been trying to introduce more protein into his diet.  he has never had cereal, rice or oatmeal.  just veggies and fruits, tofu, and yogurt.  so i decided to try some quinoa the other day.  i believe that we introduce  grains and rice too soon into babies' diets and are thus setting them up for diabetes and obesity (check out mercola's thoughts here).  but quinoa is actually a seed.  i combined cooked quinoa with some homemade chicken stock and some pureed peas.  no go.  i tried plain quinoa.  not gonna happen.  i mixed it with some steamed zucchini.  nah.  i gave up.

today i fixed myself quinn's leftover cooked quinoa with some lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  quinn looked intrigued.  maybe it was the preparation or maybe it was the big person spoon but he ate spoonful after spoonful.  success!  and then he happily accepted a spoonful of cod liver oil as well.  huzzah!  this baby is a powerhouse of good eating.  i only hope it continues.

here are some facts about quinoa taken from www.wholesomebabyfood.com:

Quinoa, pronounced "keen wah", this little jewel is actualy a seed and not a grain. It has been grown in South America for more than 5,000 years. It is harvested both in and around the Andes Mountains. Did you know that the Incas called Quinoa 'the Mother Grain'?

The Incas gave quinoa this name because they thought that eating the grain meant good health and longevity. Quinoa is becoming a popular grain in North America however the sweetest and most flavorful quinoa is that grown in South America. Quinoa is packed with fiber, calcium, iron and folate to name a few of it's nutrients.

Quinoa (one cup, cooked) Protein - 22.27 g

VITAMINS Vitamin A - 0 IU Vitamin C - 0 mg Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - .33 mg Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - .67 mg Niacin - 4.98 mg Folate - 83 mcg Contains some other vitamins in small amounts.

MINERALS Potassium - 1258 mg Phosphorus - 697 mg Magnesium - 357 mg Calcium - 102 mg Sodium - 36 mg Iron - 15 mg Also contains small amounts of manganese, copper and zinc.

check out their website for some recipes as well.  

as for cod liver oil, check out the weston a price organization's website here to find all sorts of good information about it's benefits.