Tonight at dinner my daughters were remembering when my son was a baby. They were three and a half when he was born, and they were four when we started introducing solid food. They tought it was hilarious when I would dump whatever we were having for dinner into the blender and then feed it to him. Chicken and dumplings, stew, chili, you name it, I have pureed it. After we introduced individual foods first, of course.
Like almost everything having to do with mothering, everyone has their own opinion. And there is no exception to how and when to transition from exclusively breastfeeding to solid food. As a mom, I can only do what I think is best for my family. And it only seemed natural to start solids when my babies could sit up on their own, and they expressed interest by reaching and watching my every move while I was eating. Before these signs, about 6-8 months old, it was breast milk only for us.
One of my favorite baby food books was Super Baby Food: Absolutely Everything You Should Know about Feeding Your Baby and Toddler from Starting Solid Foods to Age Three Years, by Ruth Yaron. For a mother who had absolutely no idea what I was doing when it came time to introduce solids to my twins, this book covered it all. Everything from cleanliness to healthy birthday party ideas. Plus very comprehensive instructions on how to start your baby off on a nutritional higher ground.
For all you new moms out there, I hope that when you are ready to start solids you can listen to what your gut is telling you to do and not the opinions of everyone else. And just remember, that solid food means solid poop! Gotta love it when you can just shake the poops from the cloth diapers right into the toilet.
Have Fun!
Jess