Your Green Baby

One of my favourite baby food introduction resources is Your Green Baby, a website and blog by Ontario mom and Nutritional Practitioner Kim Corrigan-Oliver. Now Kim also has a new book called Raising Happy Healthy Babies. I wanted to buy it not only for the information it contained, but also to support Kim. And boy am I ever glad I did.

Lately, I've felt like all I’ve been doing is battling it out with Isla at every mealtime. Some days, Isla eats so robustly, it’s all I can do to keep up with the spoonfuls. But more often than not, Isla doesn’t even want to even open her mouth, let alone swallow. This is nothing if not frustrating. Why won’t she eat?! Then, in the midst of all my hand wringing, Kim’s book arrived in the mail. In it, I read something that took all the stress out of Isla’s mealtimes for me:

“Food introduction is about getting your baby accustomed to food: it is not about providing nutrients. So breastfeed or bottle feed your baby as normal, and within 30 to 60 minutes of finishing, introduce some solids.”

She goes onto write: “How much your baby eats will vary from one baby to another. It may just be a taste off of your finger or it may be a tablespoon or two. Remember it is about learning to eat, tasting food and creating an experience – it is not about nourishment.”

These passages served as an excellent reminder for me to relax when it comes to feeding Isla. It’s about creating an experience, not getting as much food as possible down her gullet. Up until I read Kim’s new book, the fact Isla wasn’t ingesting what I was offering was proving more and more stressful. How on earth could I be consistent in her introduction to food if Isla refused to eat?

However, thanks to Raising Happy Healthy Babies, I’ve decided to worry less and enjoy feeding time more - whether Isla eats or not. Something I’m sure Isla will appreciate as much as I will.

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...

The (Second) Demise of the Carrot

Like most rational people, Isla likes fruit a whole lot more than veggies. But the mother in me was stubbornly determined to have her eat more veggies. So it was time to try carrots again. This time, I was going to get it right – the perfect carrot-to-water ratio, followed by the creation of a silky smooth consistency, rounded out with an infusion of organic coconut oil. I whipped up a batch and while still warm from the steaming, offered them to Isla. Resolute rejection. Well, I don’t like warm carrots either. The next day, I pulled out the carrots from the fridge, only to discover they resembled something close to frozen (orange) cottage cheese. No baby could eat those, nor would one want to.

Of course, Isla doesn’t have to eat solids, but following a few days without, I wanted to reintroduce them to her. After Isla experienced her first-ever runny nose (well, nostril), I decided to abandon the solids for a few days and just breastfeed her to ensure she was getting all the nutrients she needs. Her nose dried up in a day, but I continued breastfeeding for a few more. Now, as I mournfully stabbed the solid carrots, something in the corner of the kitchen caught my eye. The fruit bowl – with a soft, browning banana in it. So it was that Isla was joyfully reunited with her old friend, which she lovingly and enthusiastically embraced.

Today, we tried the carrots again, this time at room temperature. And as Isla pushed my hand away, I finally conceded defeat. Now I just have to figure out what’s next on the menu...

Apricots - SO2 + Fat = Pure Goodness

At first glance, you’d never know they were apricots, void of the bright orange colour we’ve come to associate with the soft little fruit. So when I stood scanning the shelves of my local health food store for organic, dried unsulphured apricots – Isla’s next culinary offering – I could be forgiven for missing them entirely.

Sulphured apricots

In my bid to give Isla the healthiest food possible, I opted to forgo colour for purity. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is used in dried apricots and other fruit to preserve their colour and increase their shelf life. According to Healthy Child Healthy World’s Chemical Encyclopedia, sulphur dioxide and five of its sulfite relatives are approved for use as preservatives in foods such as canned fruit and vegetables, dried fruits (except prunes and black raisins) and applesauce.

The amount of sulphur dioxide found in any food isn’t enough to affect most of us, however in sensitive individuals (particularly asthmatics), ingestion can cause asthma attacks, skin rashes and upset stomach. So why on Earth would I give it to my perfectly pure baby?

Unsulphured apricots

As it turns out, Isla cares little what colour she eats. In fact, she gobbled up her brown apricots. And in a (slightly delayed) stroke of genius, it occurred to me that I could add (odourless, flavourless) organic coconut oil to Isla’s fruit dishes, as well as her veggie ones, ensuring she gets much-needed fat in all her solids. As my naturopath wrote in one of her emails:

“The MOST important nutrient for babies is fat!! Fat!! Fat!! Your breast milk is over 50% saturated fat, so as we introduce solids keep this in mind, especially if you are planning to raise her without meat. In fact, most beta carotene found in squash, etc. requires fat to convert to Vitamin A.”

So it is, for the next six days, Isla will eat fat-laced, suphur-free, brown-coloured apricot-y pure goodness – and apparently enjoy every bite.

Solid Gold

I had my doubts. How, pray tell, would I steer Isla away from the addictive sweetness of fruit and back onto the veggie path? My only hope was butternut squash. So I peeled, cubed and steamed half an organic butternut squash and pureed it with organic coconut oil into a silky smooth consistency. Isla devoured it. Welcome to the new golden food.

I couldn’t be happier. In fact, very few things please me more than my daughter opening her mouth wide and eating to her heart’s content nutritious food. Butternut squash fits the bill perfectly. It helps to boost a baby’s immune system and lowers the risk of cancer and heart disease. Plus, the amount of Vitamin A it contains is almost off the charts – one cup of cooked butternut squash has 457% of the recommended daily allowance. Isla’s eyes will be the picture of health.

As important as flavour, I believe, is a food’s texture. Unlike peas, or other less puree-able foods, well pureed butternut squash just feels good to eat. Add to that the pleasing mouthfeel of fat (in the form of coconut oil) and you have a tasty, brightly coloured, healthy food that makes the mouth sing. Hallelujah!

Spoon Me

Just like Green Toys says on its website, I care about what goes into Isla’s mouth – and not just in the form of food.

As such, I searched for a perfect-sized spoon that not only felt right, but that was also environmentally friendly and safe for Isla to eat off of. I found the Green Eats Feeding Spoons, in an 8-pack nevertheless.

Made from 100% recycled plastic milk containers, the cute little spoons (they’re 4¼ inches long) contain no melamine, BPA, phthalates, PVC or external coatings. Even the packaging is made from recycled and recyclable materials and printed with soy inks. Love it.

Don’t Knock It ‘Til You Try It

The phrase “stewed prunes” doesn’t exactly evoke a mouth-watering response. Black-brown in colour, paste-like in texture and a smoky, almost cloying sweetness isn’t what might be considered a palatable offering. But as far as babies go, prunes are the perfect food, especially if their bowel could use a little extra help.

Full of Vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene), dietary fibre, potassium and antioxidants, prunes (a.k.a. dried plums) are considered a low-allergen food that is sweet enough to appeal to Isla’s banana-loving palette. So, in a desperate attempt to find another fruit that Isla would willingly eat (her desire for apples never did match bananas), I bought sulphur-free organic prunes, covered them with purified water and simmered them down until they were a soft, bubbling mass. Then I pureed them, only to discover the end result was a thick, glue-like substance that even I found unappealing. Adding a little water to the mix helped, at the very least, to reduce their choking/gagging hazard, and into the food cubes the prunes went.

In a surprise twist, Isla likes prunes! However, whether it’s bananas or prunes, I’ve discovered that timing is everything when it comes to if – or how much – Isla will eat. Some mealtimes she’ll refuse solid food, while later that day or at the same time the next day, she’ll eagerly eat. I’m not convinced it’s entirely a result of how hungry she is, as she’ll happily breastfeed after refusing solid food. Whatever the case may be, Isla obviously has her reasons, and as we continue to explore the different flavours and textures of various foods, Isla will continue to decide whether she wants to take part. Even in prunes...

The Apple Of My Eye

It was a sad day for Isla when we said goodbye to her much-loved fruit. After six days of banana, it was time to introduce a new food, but how does one top something that is the baby equivalent of chocolate? There are very few foods on the 6-9-month introduction list that are as appealing as bananas (cauliflower, broccoli, mung bean sprouts), but Isla can't eat bananas forever. So, goodbye banana, hello apple.

Out came the baby food maker in which I lovingly steamed and pureed the peeled, cored and chopped organic Gala apple, only to have Isla turn her nose up at it. However, I persevered. Come on! It’s a nice sweet apple! It’s not going to get any better than this!

Isla would open her mouth for more, but then appeared a little surprised and dis-appointed with each bite. Breakfast and lunch were an exercise in patience, occurring in fits and starts, complete with grimaces and a few complaints, open mouth and closed until she got used to the different texture and taste of the apple. In the end, Isla ate a cube’s worth, or half a large apple, pureed. Now, along with her apple (sauce) a day, she’s getting her fill of vitamins A, C and K, fibre, potassium, calcium, folate and lots of good carbohydrates.


Wean Cubes
To add a little bit of interest to Isla’s food – at least in appearance and storage – I bought Wean Cubes, great little glass jars that are made by Wean Green, a Canadian company founded by a mother of two. Each cube comes with a brightly coloured silicone lid that is free of BPA, PVC and phthalates, and can be heated or frozen. And we all know that 
everything tastes better when it’s beautifully packaged...