We’re all familiar with that common expression, “When I was your age, I had to … blah, blah, blah.” Usually the comparison that followed was three times as hard, ten times as long, and uphill, both ways.
Suzy has a natural curiosity as to how I did things when I was a Mom and I’m more than happy to share what I remember. I don’t know that I’ve been of any help with any information dispensed in the mothering department, since I’ve discovered that any advice I’m ready to share had already been researched and cataloged away months before the little one arrived on the scene. I think her curiosity is more like when I asked my Mom what she did to entertain herself as a child, and did they even have electricity back then …. ?
When I had my girls, I was sandwiched between an era that did things a certain way and a new era that was changing baby recommendations in a big way. Breastfeeding was already making a come-back, but as far as to how long to nurse and when to introduce solids, well, that depended on which baby book you were using. The general rule of thumb was to introduce a cereal (rice or oatmeal) to stretch out feedings and then later on (after no reactions) a pureed jar of fruit, like peaches or apricots. Fruits were followed by pureed jars of veggies, like peas and sweet potato. A teething biscuit and cheerios were added when the pearly whites appeared.
The first time that I got to watch Bennett and see his stash in the freezer, I realized that I had entered an entirely new era of baby raising. As most of you know from previous postings on this blog, Square Piece makes all of Benny-boo’s baby food … ALL of it. When she told me what his very first food would be, I was immediately impressed … all I could think was, “That boy is gonna be strong and healthy!”
I asked her to send me a list of all the foods that he has tried thus far …. here’s what she sent me:
Meats:
beef
beef and chicken liver
bison
chicken
Cornish game hen
egg white & egg yolk
lamb
pink and white fish
pork ribs/pork chops
roe (fish eggs)
steak
turkey
Veggies:
broccoli
carrots
corn
eggplant
garlic
green beans
kabocha squash
onions
peas
peppers
pumpkin
spinach
sweet potato
swiss chard
variety of beans
white potato
yellow squash
zucchini
Fruits:
apple
apricot
avocado
banana
blueberry
cucumber
kiwi
lemon
orange
papaya
peach
pear
strawberry
tomato
other:
mushroom
oatmeal
organic pasta made w/Jerusalem artichoke flour
peanut butter
ricotta cheese (homemade)
sugar cane
Van’s multi-grain, natural crackers/gluten-free
whole grain brown sprouted rice
Stir-ins:
maple syrup
organic butter (homemade)
organic coconut oil
organic cream cheese (homemade)
organic cod liver-butter oil
organic heavy cream
organic olive oil
organic plain yogurt
organic whole milk
salt
Seasonings and herbs
The one thing she did not have on her list.
A rawhide dog bone.
As for cheerios, she politely informed me that, “He’s swiped one or two cheerios that have been dropped by other babies on the church nursery floor.”
Yeah, I’m definitely impressed. Kudos to you, Suzanna … I wish that I had been as confident at mothering as you are … I love the support that you have among our family, your peers and society in general. Now … about that magnet message from sneaky Louise …..
😛
Thanks, Momma! It IS nice to have support, as you say, since I’ve stopped following so many “rules” and have gone with my instincts! And I’m sure that there are very healthy babies raised by moms who do things entirely differently. But I’m SO enjoying this season of life.
Oh… And Brian reminded me that he’s given Bennett saltine and club crackers… I’d almost prefer the rawhide…
Oh, and today’s the last day of Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month! I sure hope some of you have been moved by Beth and Henry’s story and want to help them fund this medical trial to treat certain tumors (like the one their son had). Story here. Thank you!
This boy eats better than I do and I eat pretty darn good. He is going to grow up to be big and strong. 🙂
The biggest shock to me on this extensive list was peanut butter!
First I put it on his cheek and observed for reaction. Five days later, I put a bit in his mouth and lingered near an urgent care. Never any signs of allergy.