Introducing solids

Far more momentus than my 26th birthday on Sunday was Ruby's 0.5th birthday last Monday. The 6th month marks a number of milestones, one of which is the introduction of solid foods. Starting solids does not mean that Ruby is transitioning from an all-milk diet to all meat and potatoes. For the next few months, she will still be getting almost all of her nutrients from breastmilk. However, it's important to introduce solids in order for Ruby to learn that food can come from a spoon and not just a bottle or a boob, and in order to diversify her palate by experiencing new flavors.

Although the concept of experiencing every single food for the first time is very exciting, it also adds a level of complexity to the whole feeding situation. We now need a whole new set of gear for feeding, as well as the equipment to make the food. (Perhaps making your own baby food is another "San Francisco thing," but I never really considered giving Ruby baby food from a jar, especially after playing the baby shower game. Steve and I don't eat our meals out of a can, so I don't see why we would feed Ruby out of a jar.)

The recommended protocol for starting solids is to introduce a new food every three days, so that if there is any bad reaction, you will know which food caused it. Almost everyone starts with rice cereal because it is exceptionally bland and non-allergenic. Mixed with breastmilk, the concoction is no more than slightly viscous breastmilk. This was Ruby's first taste of solid food, an experience she embarked on with great trepidation.



Although much of the rice cereal ended up on Ruby's face, hands, bib, and chair, I don't think any of it was actually consumed. She seemed far more interested in grabbing and chewing on the spoon than the cereal itself. We tried rice cereal for 2 more days without much more luck, so we figured she didn't have a taste for rice cereal. Since then, we've introduced Ruby to butternut squash, carrots, and sweet potato. Unfortunately, she has approached each one of these foods with the same amount of reluctance, despite the fact that each one was made from fresh, organic ingredients and pureed till velvety smooth and (in my opinion) quite delicious. I have actually eaten considerably more baby food than Ruby because I keep eating what she doesn't finish.

It seems like Ruby is just taking a long time to warm up to the idea of swallowing something that's not milk. By the third day of each food she would actually be forcefully closing her mouth, turning away, and crying. I was getting a bit concerned that Ruby was determined to sustain herself on breastmilk for the rest of her life. There did seem to be some improvement tonight when Ruby took down most of her serving of sweet potatoes, although her serving was just the size of one cube from an ice cube tray (my method of baby food storage). Hopefully the little foodie inside her will emerge soon.