Introducing Solids and Katie’s Favorite Foods

Katie Babybjorn Bib

These days, one of the most frequent questions I receive via email and Instagram stories, is how we introduced Katie to food and how she enjoys it.  Please keep in mind, what I’m sharing here is what worked for us but there are many different perspectives and options. Similar to starting a new exercise routine, it’s important to consult your child’s pediatrician before starting solid foods.

Introducing Katie to solid foods has been easier and more fun than Bo and I expected.

As you may recall, when Katie turned three months old, I stopped pumping and since then she has exclusively eaten Similac Sensitive.  She has thrived on this formula, which we order once a month from either Walmart or Amazon, depending on the price.  Around the time Katie was four months old, we realized that we should start doing research on solid foods. Every book, article or person that we spoke with recommended introducing babies to solid foods between the age of four and six months.  Some methods recommended starting with a pureed fruit or vegetable, while other sources suggested adding baby cereal or other grain to formula or breast milk. Neither Bo nor I wanted to start with baby cereal or fruit, instead choosing a vegetable. After both our pediatrician and a few friends recommended sweet potatoes as a first food, we decided that Thanksgiving weekend would be the perfect opportunity.

I remember the moment as if it was yesterday. An hour after her afternoon bottle was done, Bo and I held Katie in my lap and gave her a small spoonful of sweet potato. We’d roasted the sweet potato in preparation for making sweet potato casserole, one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes.  We both waited with baited breath, hoping she wouldn’t have any adverse reactions and would somehow signal that she wanted another bite. I was surprised by the fact that I actually got emotional. I remember tearing up because this was just one more signal that our little girl was growing up faster than I ever imagined.  After three small spoonfuls, Katie was giggling and smiling, loving every bit. We kept an eye on her that evening but luckily she didn’t have any negative reactions.

We introduced new foods very slowly in the beginning, following the baby feeding guide in Beaba Baby Cookbook. Between Thanksgiving and New Years, we tried each of the below foods, always allowing 2-3 days before introducing the next one.

  • Sweet potato
  • Peach
  • Banana
  • Apple
  • Pear
  • Carrot
  • Broccoli
  • Green Beans
  • AvocadoBeaba Baby Food

For the first month, we only gave her solids after her 4pm bottle as a way to get her accustomed to sitting in a high chair and eating from a spoon. By mid-December, the schedule we’ve followed, Mom’s On Call, recommended that she have solid foods three times per day (8 AM, 12PM and 4PM) so by this point we were laughing and making a mess with her three times a day on the weekends and our nanny gives her solids at 12pm and 4pm.  We also tended to only give her one or two types of food at a time. For example, she may have a small portion of peas and then have a small portion of avocado. We also started reducing her formula to 7 ounces instead of 8 ounces during the day.

Now that she is 8 months old, we’ve had a great time making her recipes from the cookbook which combine multiple foods. For example, she loves eating Autumn Chicken (chicken, potato, butternut squash & olive oil), carrot apple and potato soup, and Mini Mama’s Meatballs (turkey meatballs from the Beaba cookbook).  We also allow her to try small pieces of whatever we are eating, making sure that it is soft enough for her to gum and that it is cut into pea-size piece.

In order to take the guess work out of giving her solids, each Sunday I take 30-45 minutes to organize her food for the week.  In addition to the food I prepare in the Beaba, we also always keep YoBaby Plain yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese, eggs and avocado in the house for easy, last minute food options. Here is a glimpse at what she ate today:

  • 8am – 3 ounces scrambled eggs with salt & pepper and 1 Sweet Potato Chicken Meatball (Moving forward, per all the great info I received from you all, I will not add salt to season her food.)
  • 12pm – 3 ounces scrambled eggs with salt & pepper and 3 ounces of pureed pears (Moving forward, per all the great info I received from you all, I will not add salt to season her food.)
  • 4pm – 3 ounces of sweet potatoes and cinnamon and 3 ounces of pureed banana and apples

Here is a list of the things we’ve loved during this journey:

Your turn: If you’ve been through this process before, any tips or tricks? Favorite food that your baby loved?

Thank you to Beaba Babycook for sending us your amazing products. As always, all opinions our my own and we’ve loved their products so much that we’ve bought accessories and even given two friends a Beabacook for their shower! 

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What I ate Wednesday– May 10th, 2017

Good morning!

I am not sure if it’s the pregnancy or just my mood, but for the life of me, I can’t bring myself to finish a few posts I have half way done that require some concentration and hard work to get through. Last night, I fully planned to spend my evening at my computer, working on one of the posts that is about a recent partnership, but instead, I relaxed with a manicure and pedicure and then watched a movie on the couch. After doing some reading, it seems that it is pretty common for expecting moms to experience some attention deficit disorder or absentmindness during the third trimester. It’s interesting as I feel like I’m on my game during the work day but bringing myself to focus on something after hours is difficult. Or, maybe it’s all my friends and followers telling me to be lazy while I can.

Regardless, the partnership post that I had planned for today will hopefully go live tomorrow and instead, I’m sharing another What I Ate Wednesday with you guys. I’ve received some questions on Instagram and Instastories lately about the food I’m eating during third trimester so giving you guys a sneak into a day of eats will help address some of these questions.

Pre-Breakfast – 6:15 AM

When Bo and I go to the 6:45 AM Orangetheory class, we typically have coffee and either a piece of toast with almond butter or a handful of Purely Elizabeth granola. Yesterday morning I opted for a handful of granola, some NUUN and coffee before heading to the workout.

Breakfast – 8:15 AM

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This week I’ve been craving yogurt bowls filled with lots of fruit. Yesterday’s bowl included Fage 0%, ground flaxseed, 1/2 banana, a few strawberries, 1/4 cup of Purely Elizabeth granola and a drizzle of Justin’s Almond Butter. I microwaved one tablespoon of Justin’s almond butter so I could drizzle it versus putting a glob in my bowl. I tend to eat breakfast at my desk while catching up on emails and reading industry articles.

Lunch – 1:00 PM

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On Saturday, I suddenly had a craving for a sandwich after weeks of having salads or leftovers for lunch. While I’ve avoided lunch meat most of my pregnancy, after doing some research I realized that as long as I buy fresh, high quality meat that is nitrate free and hasn’t been sitting out very long, I can answer this craving. The harm in eating deli meat comes from the risk of listeria as well as the nitrates often found in lunch meat. We are lucky that there are a few places within walking distance of our apartment who slice their lunch meat fresh from meat they’ve roasted in house. After talking with them, I feel very comfortable about eating this meat.  Since Saturday, I’ve been enjoying the same sandwich and lunch on repeat.

Two pieces of whole wheat bread, one slice of Muenster cheese, 1/4 pound of roasted chicken, romaine lettuce, tomato, Sir Kensington’s mayonaise, dijon mustard and a dash of salt and pepper. I round out the plate with mini sweet peppers, hummus and a pickle.

Afternoon Snack – 4:30 PM

Yesterday I made a snack bowl which included one serving of these delicious, chocolate almonds mixed with 3 cups of popcorn. I enjoyed that with a La Croix during an afternoon conference call and loved the mix of salty and sweet!

Dinner – 8 PM

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Bo and I are still loving Hello Fresh and in fact, are currently on our third week of meals. Last night’s dinner was the Blackened Catfish served atop green beans, baby potatoes, peppers and onions. Many people have asked me what we like about the service and I think last night’s dinner is a perfect example.  We love that the meals take the exact amount of time the recipe card says (30 minutes), features a mix of proteins options including fish, and combines flavors that we would rarely use and therefore don’t typically have on hand such as blackening spices.  You are able to look at the meal cards in advance when you choose your meals for the weeks and each card provides you with the ingredients, time required, difficulty level as well as the nutrition values. I love that we’re able to make informed decisions together in advance of receiving our delivery. You can even customize your plan to Fit, Quick or Variety preferences and yes, they do offer vegetarian options!  If you haven’t tried it, you can get $40 off your first box by clicking here. For perspective, the Classic Plan which includes 3 meals for 2 people is $59 per week, which means you’d get 3 meals for 2 people for just $19 using the code!

Dessert – 9 PM

halotop

As I mentioned, last night I found myself relaxing on the couch for two hours instead of being productive. The couch time was made even better with a bowl of delicious ice cream. A few weeks ago the team at Halo Top sent me five golden tickets, aka coupons, to try their ice cream.  I picked up chocolate chip cookie dough and cookies & cream this week at the grocery store and had a double date with each of them last night. While I know they advertise being able to eat the entire pint, I preferred to enjoy one scoop from each. Based on Instagram, it seems like the fan favorites are birthday cake, cookie dough, chocolate almond and peanut butter cup.  For those of you who haven’t tried it yet, Halo Top is a low-calorie, high protein and low sugar ice cream that uses all natural, wholesome ingredients. The ice cream is sweetened with organic stevia and Erthritol which is an all-natural sweetener which doesn’t cause the bloating and negative blood glucose side effects that the typical articifical sweetners cause. While I wouldn’t say that Halo Top can replace my beloved Ample Hills or other fresh, local ice cream it is definitely a good alternative to enjoy a few nights a week.  In Brooklyn it can be found at Fairway, Whole Foods, and Stop & Shop while nationally it’s now carried in many large grocery stores such as Kroger and Publix!

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What I Ate Wednesday

Happy Wednesday friends! Today was a busy one as Bo and I were up bright and early finishing some projects and errands around the house before heading into our respective offices for the day. I’m so excited for my baby shower which is in Brooklyn this weekend but welcoming people into our home also means making as much progress on the nursery as possible and having a clean house.  After work I headed to XTend Barre Brooklyn for a challenging barre class. Even though I adjust a few of the moves, I find that by the middle of class I’m still shaking and sweating. I love how challenging and cardio intensive this barre studio is versus other barre classes. So now, here I am, blogging and eating dinner at 8:50 after a long day. My goal is to put this post up and then head into a bubble bath before reading in bed.

For tonight’s post, I thought it would be fun to share a What I Ate Wednesday since I actually have a picture of everything I ate today! Once upon a time, I used to share my meals on this blog almost daily but these days it’s a rare occurence. Since so many people have asked me what I’ve been eating during pregnancy, today’s post will help answer that question. If you guys like seeing my meals and food, let me know and I can definitely get back to sharing more often.

As I mentioned, this morning started off early with a 5:30 alarm. Bo and I sipped coffee while working on our projects around the house and I ate half a banana. When I arrived at the WeWork office at 8:30 I ate breakfast. Today’s breakfast was a bowl of Siggi’s Dairy plain yogurt, ground flax seed, blueberries, cinnamon and Purely Elizabeth granola enjoyed with a decaf skim latte since I’d already had my one cup of coffee at home earlier.

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Around 12:30 a bunch of us headed to Cava Grill, one of my favorite lunch spots in the Union Square area.  The restaurant celebrates Greek and Mediterranean food in a quick-order setting; perfect for those on-the-go lunches. I love that you can build the bowl from start to finish with lots of unique ingredients and flavor combinations.

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This bowl kept me full until 5pm when I snacked on a Chocolate Coconut RX Bar and a lime LaCroix water while I finished up a few emails and meetings at the office. By the time XTend Barre ended at 7:30 my stomach was growling so much so that I grabbed an apple that I had in my bag and snacked on this while I ran stopped in Sephora and Trader Joe’s to grab a few things on my way home. Now it’s almost 9pm and I’m finally eating dinner.  The name of the game for tonight’s dinner was fast and easy.  I grabbed a large glass bowl and combined lots of leftovers (tomatoes, green beans, potatoes) along with some lettuce and vegetables I bought at Trader Joe’s before topping it with their packaged, cut chicken and my favorite dressing, Trader Joe’s Parmesan Ranch.

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I am definitely craving something sweet tonight so I think I’ll have small bowl of banana, half of banana and some chocolate chips before heading upstairs. I know that sounds like a random combination but right now it sounds delicious!

Have a great night!

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