I sliced up some avocado and offered it to John in spears and with his spoon. John clearly wants to be included in our eating at the table. As soon as we sit down with him, he's flapping all over the place in eagerness. It appears to be a game to him at this point, but that's just perfect to us. Besides, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that human milk remain the great majority of the baby's diet for the first year.
A fuzzy photo of John studying his avocado spear intently:
We went to our friends' church today for Mass in order to attend their daughter's baptism afterward. Then we all went for lunch at a Brazilian restaurant, where Pop-pops and Grandmom got some time with John.
When I sat down with my plate from the salad buffet, John became quickly agitated trying to reach for my food. I'm still learning what is safe for a baby his age, plus many other foods are ruled out because they have more spices or fat (e.g., butter) added to them than I think is a great idea for a virginal palate. I didn't think there was anything on my plate he should eat, but John was not going to give me peace. I gave him some French bread and watched him like a hawk. He proceeded to make a thousand crumbs on the floor for the waiters to clean up later. I don't know that he swallowed any bread, but he had great fun and was satisfied.
Query for mamas who read this blog: Is soft bread safe? I seem to recall reading somewhere that any bread I give him should be very hard (like a teething biscuit) because soft bread runs the danger of forming into a big glob in his mouth (like a Wonder Bread ball), on which he could choke. When can a baby eat bread?
Lastly, John's second tooth appeared today (his lower right front), seven days after his first tooth!
I have not much worried about things when I'm sitting right there with them. Maybe some would disagree, but if he wants the bread, I would let him have it under my watchful eye. If you are at home, toast it if you think it is too soft. I would stick with zwieback consistency when you have a choice. But even zwiebacks get gummy. Anything crumby, hard to chew is good for children who don't have the teeth and gum everything. You hit it exactly. It is less what he is tasting, not even so much the taste as the mimicking that he is interested in. The first thing I offer all of my children? Carrots. Pureed to eat, and big, thick, solid, cold ones to gnaw on when they are teething. The cold is very soothing to sore gums.
ReplyDeleteHard bread is great. My first 3 kids' first food was pizza crust. Which, truth be told (as I see Lily has pointed out) does get soft when they have been drooling on it for a while. By that point, though, it is almost pre-digested and not really chokeworthy. If you wanted to give soft bread I would give it in small pieces (cheerio size or smaller) rather than a piece for them to bite. That small of a piece should not be a choking hazard. But soft bread is very difficult to remove when the child is choking because it expands in the throat. So I don't give a piece in the hand until they are fluent in biting off and masticating. (With or without teeth.) And wonder bread should never be eaten by anyone, child or adult. :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comments on breads.
ReplyDeleteI'm AMAZED at what Ruth (1 year old this week) can "chew" down! She has 8 sharp front teeth but doesn't really know what to do with them. (especially since I've successfully discouraged her from using them while nursing!)
She really uses her gums to eat -- meatballs and grilled chicken are her favorites :-)
We've definitely got some carnivores out here!
I love how you're wearing him in your sling even sitting down! My DS never/doesn't go for that at all! If I'm not up and moving, he really doesn't like to be worn.
ReplyDeleteAbout the bread: I would worry more about the size more than hard or soft, as Sarah said. Also, I've found that there is a consistency that seems hard for babies to work with-- somewhere between hard and soft which might include bread. For us it was cantaloupe. Not hard like a carrot, or very soft and mushy, and for some reason DS had a hard time with it and choked a little bit. Odd, but as long as you're right there it should be okay.
I didn't want DS to have wheat until after nine months or so, and he still doesn't eat bread. Not sure why...just haven't had the opportunity, I guess. Just organic, whole wheat teething biscuits. He gets to have an oil-free, low-sugar, whole wheat carrot cake for his birthday this weekend, though!
Oh, and I agree with Lily that carrots are great. I don't puree them, but I do steam chunks or give him cold ones for teething.
I should have said that before I pureed the carrots, I cooked/steamed them, so they would slide right down. Past tense, sniff sniff, my youngest is three! Wouldn't mind more though :-)
ReplyDeleteCourtney: I laughed at your observation because my son virtually always require I be moving. As with most meals, I ate that particular meal standing up and bouncing except for about five minutes when John was occupied with the bread. I keep waiting for him to grow out of this phase and be willing to be in a sling or backpack while I'm sitting still. Maybe that day will never come!
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