Hey Reader,
In this week's blog, we document a realistic first 7 days of starting solids with Aila in detail - everything from what supplies we used, to the recipe instructions, to how long she stayed in the highchair and how much she ate every meal. Read the blog here.
But one of the other things we covered that I think is so important is my sister's (Aila's mom) experience as a first time mom going through all the emotions that come with starting solids.
For the most part, she was super excited to start, but she also had LOTS of feelings about how this would go. A mix of excitement, curiosity, dread around having to plan and cook instead of just nursing or bottle feeding, and even a bit of fear around certain foods – particularly meat!
One of my sister's biggest fears was that other caregivers who may be around when Aila was eating, or who may be responsible for feeding her, wouldn’t follow the process we had been working with from day one.
Essentially, she was very concerned that others feeding Aila wouldn’t take the feeding “rules” seriously.
She worried that they would be quick to offer something they felt was ok (but maybe wasn’t) without checking with her first, or that they’d offer her sweet foods (her goal is to avoid added sugar until 2+ years), or that they would spoon-feed her when we knew Aila could feed herself (and loved to!).
This is a struggle so many parents have!
Here’s how my sister handled it…
- She printed off all the resources from the Baby Led Feeding Course and created the “SOLIDS BIBLE” as she calls it – everything she’d want to know at her fingertips in one book for quick reference.
- She made sure to be there during feedings for the first while so she could supervise and provide tips or feedback as necessary.
- She modeled checking the “solids bible” before doing anything or offering any food to Aila. She knew that if she did it, they would see that using the resource book was really important to her, and would follow along to make her feel at ease.
- She also decided to focus on her two most important goals and ensure those were clearly communicated to other caregivers. They were: 1) before serving any food, always do the squish test and 2) keep things baby led. Once everyone agreed to follow those two rules, she knew the likelihood that the feeding would go the way she wanted it to was high, whether they were offering finger foods or purees.
- Finally, she decided to let go of everything else for those one-off meals knowing that what happens at home has the most impact in the long run.
If you’d like to get your hands on the “solids bible” too, check out our Baby Led Feeding Online Course!
You’ll get access to our (brand new!) app, which includes all the resources that you need to print your own how-to guide to bring with you wherever you go. Plus, with lifetime access, anytime we update a resource or add something new you can update your resource book!
Ready to learn how to feed your baby confidently with all the expert tools you could ever need?
The program is comprised of 4 main parts:
- Baby Led Feeding Course Lessons- 23 step-by-step videos to teach you everything from how to prepare for your solids journey, to what to serve and how to feed as the months go on. It's complete with videos of babies eating, lessons on nutrition, gagging/choking, feeding schedules and more!
- Over 27 printable resources - guides and tracking sheets to keep you on track & so you never have to memorize what you learn
- Texture Timeline™ Food Library - a searchable video library showing you how to serve almost any food according to the phases of our Texture Timeline™ (aka - from easiest --> hardest, both as a puree OR finger food!).
- 60-Day Baby Led Feeding Meal Plan - day-by-day meals to feed your baby that strategically progress in texture difficulty, introduce allergens, and expose your baby to over 115 foods in 60 days! Includes our super popular 115 first foods checklist.
- Client Support Group- aka - the Little Eaters Club :) A support group led by our team of dietitians to answer any questions that come up, provide a safe space for struggles, and of course...share lots of wins!
with lifetime access to it all!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
|
|
Cabbage for babies
HOW TO SERVE IT SAFELY
- When can babies have cabbage?
- Is cabbage a choking hazard for babies?
- Do you need to buy organic cabbage for babies?
- How to serve cabbage according to the Texture Timeline™
- Storing tips for cut or cooked cabbage
- Nutritional benefits
- Can babies be allergic to cabbage?
- Can babies eat sauerkraut & kimchi?
|
|
|
Celebrating you!
Course feedback
See what this mama said about our meal plan & new app this week:
"Love the updated app, way to go MLE team! So grateful for this program. We’ve completed the 9 week meal plan and are now going back to meals my daughter Charlotte (9 months) didn’t get to fully experience. We’re having lots of fun with it. Both me and my baby gained confidence with every meal and having the meal plan eliminated a lot of stress and planning for me when taking on solids ☺️ am sooo happy that I bought the program! I remember being really afraid to serve the banana pop, meal 1! And now Charlotte has had every meal in your program. We still practice with harder textures but meal time is no stress in our home. So so happy!"
|
Happy feeding!
Edwena Kennedy, RD
Registered Pediatric Dietitian & Feeding Expert
Owner, My Little Eater
Creator of The Texture Timeline™
Instagram: @mylittleeater
