Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The Baby Food Mash-Up

Most babies like routine and structure, so it comes as no surprise that Isla lost all enthusiasm for solid food after a week without - I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly and completely. In an effort to travel light, I opted to breastfeed exclusively while we were away from home, but upon our return I paid the price for my culinary laziness. Isla wouldn't have anything to do with solid food, throwing a (very dramatic) fit at the very sight of her bib, let alone the food.

In a bid to have her resume her consumption of solids, I pulled out all the stops, abandoning my new-food-introduction agenda and offering her favourites. I served up banana. I sweetened the deal with sweet potato. I even mixed the two. Nothing but more cries for the boob. Then I figured, just for the hell of it, I’d throw a spanner in the works and try something altogether new and different – broccoli. I alternated broccoli with banana and sweet potato in the same sitting. Her interest was not piqued. Not to be outdone, I introduced fresh, steamed, pureed organic blueberries. Who could resist? Not Isla! After several days of disgruntled and occasionally tear-filled mealtimes, Isla once again took to the spoon, and enthusiastically. The winning combination? Blueberries and sweet potato.

Throughout this mini drama, I debated the merits of my persistence. Should I just let sleeping dogs lie and let Isla continue to breastfeed to her content? How then would I know when to reintroduce solids? In the end, I figured that if I consistently offered her food she could decide whether or not she wanted it, but at least the message would be sent that exclusive breastfeeding wasn’t (necessarily), the name of the game.

Saved by the Smock
When Isla does decide to eat solids, she does so messily. She likes to pull up her bib and lick whatever goodness has fallen onto it. Often, she’ll excitedly “clap” her hands, expertly knocking the spoon and its contents out of my hand and onto her/the floor/the counter. If she’s quick and lucky enough, she’ll even manage to get her little fingers into the food itself. So blueberries are a risky endeavour, to say the least. As such, I was thanking my lucky stars I had recently bought a smock bib to cover her in. It wasn’t an easy search. Most smock bibs are made of plastic, polyester or some other synthetic material that can be easily wiped off or thrown in the wash. However, I’m not interested in draping my child in such fabric, so I searched for a material I could live with and found Mimi the Sardine, a Californian company that produces organic cotton bibs with a non-toxic, water-based acrylic coating that is water and stain resistant, but not so stiff that Isla can’t move her arms when she eats. Aside from the blueberries that ended up on her legs, it works a charm – especially when she’s actually eating...

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