so i am not a supermom and i'll be the first to admit it. but our daughter is now 10 months and she is suppose to be eating more "normal" foods. so in an attempt to stop giving her the very easy gerber food jars, we took a family trip to the store to get her "real" foods. we scoured this cookbook my mother-in-law left us for inspiration. i got up this AM inspired to get taylor to try new things. i opened the cookbook and following a simple recipe that said it was "yummy by itself or mixed w/ cereal". i peeled the apples and strawberries, simmered them in a pot for 5 minutes, pureed them in the mini cuisinart and Viola- instant breakfast. i was excited for my daughter...this has to be better than the usual mush that can sit on a store shelf for 2 yrs...well, after all of the trouble i went thru to be supermom, my grateful kid greeted me w/ the most appropriate face: pure disgust...
if i knew i wouldn't offend people, the last picture would have been my middle finger...being a supermom is totally overrated and i am at peace w/ mediocrity.
With my first, I too decided, that no Gerber/Heinz, should ever grace the lips of my precious son. That was for those "other" mom's, who clearly didn't care about their children.....After getting that same face, over and over again, I finally gave in and gave him the processed easy to feed baby food out of a jar, which he loved! Now three more babies later, I'm still feeding straight from the jar! It's not mediocrity, it's survival and it's what we Mom's do best! I've been reading your blog for some time, not exactly sure how I found it, urban grace, maybe, but it seems to me that you are doing a fabulous job. Sleep in, enjoy your baby and feed her straight from the jar, besides your days of baby food are almost over!!
ReplyDeleteHeather
www.spencerhouse.blogspot.com
P.S. I once saw a show where a MAN was telling Mom's that baby food from the jar was like fast food for adults, PUHLEASE.....first of all Mother's don't need anyone else making them feel guilty, we do that enough on our own and second of all if Gerber Green Beans is like eating a Big Mac, then bring on the McDonalds, give me a break!
I highly recommend the book Super Baby Food. The writer is kind of a fruitcake, but she does have good suggestions, recipes, and decent guidelines as far as the age to introduce certain foods.
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm cooking things for the rest of the family, I set aside some for the baby. She's 7mo so right now she's getting things like sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, squash. It takes a little thought, but pretty soon you can just remove the baby's portion before seasoning your own.
Even if she hates it at first, keep offering it.
I hope I don't sound like a know-it-all, that's not my intent. I'm just on rugrat three and I have been there. None of mine would touch the jarred stuff, I would buy it to give myself a break and they'd just turn up their noses. Stinkers. All of them.
This post cracked me up--welcome to the club!
ReplyDeleteNo worries! My youngest son would not eat any baby food so I decided the jar-food must be gross and I made some instead. No deal, he hated that too. I suppose he just wasn't ready. Don't you love those, "I get it" moments? Those pesky little ones are so on their own time!
ReplyDeleteno super mom her either but I am so proud of your effort!!! I say skip the cuisinart...just cut everything up in dime size pieces and make sure you can smush it between your fingers so you know she can gum it (steaming is good way) and let her have at it!!!! I definitely agree with the other mom who suggests giving her whatever you are eating and just set it aside before you spice it up for yourself....makes life easier on you for sure plus it helps tay learn some motor skills as well...good luck and remember to have fun especially when she has made a mess!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAw chat! What a face!!!! Feed her fried rat - she'll love that. that's what we used to say about my daughter - if it was fried, she'd eat it. btw, she just turned 17 and to this day, I don't think she's ever eaten a green vegetable and she's thriving, in great health, beautiful and energetic. Somehow, they survive.
ReplyDeleteWhat a face - your little girl is just too cute for words. I LOVE that picture!!!!
Clearly tastebuds don't mature until adulthood. I applaud you for simmering for 5 minutes and adding cereal. Her breakfast sounded delish to me. For my daughter I just peeled fruit and blended it in the cuisinart. Some days she loved it, some days not so much. I gave myself an A for effort and kept lots of Earths Best on hand. Now she's eating solid foods. Same old story, whether you slave over a hot stove or pop something in the toaster oven it's a crap shoot whether they'll eat it.
ReplyDeleteadd your brew to the old one and gradually make the switch, she won't even realize it and it will be less expensive in the long run, more money for that carerra marble -- ha!
ReplyDeleteyou can also put the mix in ice cube trays that then later you can pop out and use as single servings.
who said being a super mom was e-z?
my son told the pediatrician his favorite vegetable was "steak" at the age of 2! ha!