As slow as time went when I was pregnant, the faster time flies now. This month Nore is already eight months old. Which means that we have started giving the first snacks. We have chosen to exclusively breastfeed Nore for the first six months. As I wrote in my previous blog, I am blessed with a good milk supply, so the choice to exclusively breastfeed was no problem. Nore was satisfied with this and she is growing well. However, as she gets older, she needs more than just milk. So the first bites are a fact.
After reading some books like 'I like it!' from the Nutrition Center and 'Easy Peasy' from Claire van den Heuvel and Vera van Haren, we decided to give Nore cauliflower as the first snack. Personally, introducing food makes me insecure. Is she getting enough? Is the food healthy enough? Do I have to make everything myself? In short, I just want to do it right. Although the internet is full of information, I have an extensive bookcase with cookbooks for young and old, my questions are not answered. This is because there is no single answer. In fact, you also read many contradictory arguments to start with, for example, bread or not yet. In addition, the advice of the Consultatiebureau is to go through the site of the Nutrition Center, so my uncertainty cannot be taken away with this either.
Coming back to the first bite, the mashed cauliflower, Nore found it exciting, fun and above all very strange. Not surprising, of course, to suddenly taste something other than milk. I understood all too well that she didn't immediately like it. We didn't immediately give her vegetables every day, but slowly started to build this up. She was therefore offered the cauliflower several times a week. Eating it got better and better and after a while she tasted the cauliflower nicely. After the cauliflower came the carrot snacks and over time we started to vary with all kinds of vegetables such as broccoli, zucchini, pumpkin, avocado, etc. When the vegetables were no longer a problem, the fruit was also introduced. Because of the sweet taste of fruit, she didn't have to get used to this and it was an immediate success. Strawberry, banana, mango, etc., it all goes in.
In principle, I make all the food for Nore myself, from fresh products. I freeze the portions that I have left over using an ice cube tray. This way I usually have something on hand and I don't have to prepare a snack for Nore separately every evening. But I am also a working mom, who sometimes doesn't have the time or the right vegetables in the house. An (organic) jar is then a godsend.
At the moment Nore mainly gets (pureed) fruit and vegetables, but gradually bread, potato, rice, etc. are also added to her menu. I haven't quite found my way in the baby food maze yet, but watching Nore enjoy all kinds of new flavors she gets to discover helps me a long way. My insecurity is in addition to wanting to do well and healthy, also in fear. The fear that she will choke or worse... How do other moms deal with this? Hopefully I will soon be able to write a blog about the outcome of my search, with successful recipes for example. But in the meantime, any tips are welcome.