As messy and time-consuming as feeding a baby is, I’ve been looking forward to this process since well before Lucy was born. I am fascinated by the development of food likes and dislikes, and so curious about what kinds of foods/practices encourage healthy eating in the long term.
I am convinced that the order of food introduction, as well as repeatedly introducing foods that are initially rejected, play a big part in developing a baby’s food tastes. (Life is funny, and if Murphy’s Law holds true I’ll end up with the kid who only eats white bread and Cocoa Puffs–but for now I’m going to try my best!). So rather than starting Lucy on the traditional bland rice cereal, I started with broccoli.
Lucy’s first meal = steamed organic broccoli florets pureed with breastmilk:
(I could have blended this a little more, since a young baby should really eat very finely pureed or even strained foods). As gross as broccoli + breastmilk sounds, Lucy seemed to enjoy it
and eagerly helped me get the spoon into her mouth.
Despite the amount of broccoli you see on her bib, clothes, face, etc — most of it made it into her mouth.
As far as I could tell, Lucy’s first feeding was a success! For now, she likes broccoli. We’ll see what happens tomorrow…
Awesome, Amelia!!!!! I love sharing in your obvious joy of motherhood and Lucy’s amazing development!!! Thank you!!!
Thanks, Laila! This feeding thing is sure to be an adventure
well, it looks like lucy will take after her mother after all – broccoli is just about the healthiest thing a little one could eat. will frozen yogurt and sprinkles be her second meal?
How’d that work out on the other end?
There isn’t a thing wrong with brocolli but for babies with touchy digestion it might be risky.
Haha-luckily it was fine
As long as the broccoli is well-cooked and blended with water or breastmilk, it should be fine for most babies. Babies with sensitive tummies may want to start with avocado or green beans. Those who tend toward constipation will have a tough time if they begin with the traditional rice cereal, as it’s fortified with iron and starchy to begin with, so can plug a little one up.
As a soon to be mommy feeding my baby is something that I really look forward to also. It is very important to me to help my child eat as healthy as possible. I love your approach and appreciate you sharing your experiences with this and klook forward to seeing how it goes for you guys. Do you have any sites that I could go to for tips on how to introduce your baby to foods?
Thanks, Cassandra! As we go along, let me know what kinds of info you’d like to see on the site, and I’ll be sure to post other resources as well.
I love that you’re documenting this for Lucy and for all the curious moms! I’m sure there’s so much conflicting info out there. This could be your calling, Meels!
Most moms start their babies on rice cereal, and although there’s nothing wrong with that, I want to show moms that they can really start with whatever they want (unless there’s a family history of food allergies) – beginning with green veggies is not just OK, it’s great!