George start’s teething and solids!
In my previous blog I mentioned that George was a little grizzly at times and how I apply my term ‘distract before you react’ at times when he is a little grizzly.
My latest need for distraction with George has been due to his teething and the developmental change (4mths) where they are getting bored with what they use to do in their awake time and like to be up but physically cannot get there, so they need you to hold them more and more them around more for them to investigate.
I have a large garden and this is one of my tools for keeping George interested and taking his mind of his sore gums. Last night he got muddy feet for the first time as I needed to water the garden and the hose was a bit muddy, George’s long lanky legs getting right in the path of the muddy hose pipe. This was the time before bath, after his nap in the afternoon and not quite wanting to be left alone playing on the floor, he wants to be up, watching… So it is great way of doing jobs and distraction techniques as the same time!
However the distraction is not working that well now around food! For 2 days earlier this week he started ‘shouting’ at me, a different type of voice from his playtime voice. I have seen him licking him lips, mouthing for some of my food! I was holding a glass of water and he leaned forward and put his mouth over the rim!!
And so on Monday morning, I walked to town, brought an organic pumpkin wedge and have steamed it ready to go for his 2nd taste/texture test… 4mths and he is giving me all the signs, his weight gain, his interest, his mouthing and licking his lips and his physical strength (neck control) is fantastic.
I always like to try the first taste for 3 days, ‘try once, try twice and third time tells all’.
Pumpkins can be hit and miss when it comes to sweetness, but tasting it, it had a lovely sweet creamy taste and texture and so I was all set to give him his first teaspoon to taste, and to make it even more exciting (I have always loved the first tastes stage) my mum and a friend were here to see him, watching for the funny facials and to see if he signals a ‘yum I love it’ or ‘hmmm not too sure about that’.
Day 1 he was quite interested, did all the right expressions, swallowed the first tsp and then the second, but was a little hesitant on the third. So I left it at that.
Day 2 he was not quite sure! He was a little suspect to the flavour. Opened his mouth with interest and desire but then was not that keen on the flavour I think. I still tried three tsp’s but the 3rd ran out of his mouth along with the dribble.
Then later, just before my mum put him down for his midday sleep, he did a big pumpkin poo! Well the colour is much the same as breast milk poo but he has been more regular since starting solids, 2x a day instead of his usual 1 or sometimes every other day.
Day 3, well this really was the decider! He was definitely telling me that he was not that keen on it. Even though this day I added a little more Ebm (expressed breast milk) he was not keen at all, slow to swallow the 1st mouthful and so I stopped after then second.
So today, day 4 I am going to try pear. He was giving me ‘the look’ again as I ate my avocado toast this morning and trying to sit up to get to me and so I know he is hungry and wanting food, just not pumpkin (for now!). I have frozen the rest of the pumpkin and will try again next week.
My tips for all other families about to start solids or in the near future will be, are:
- Start with pear or pumpkin; they are both sweet and easy to digest.
- Offer food around 30min post a milk feed
- Try 1-3 tsp
- Watch that you show positive, encouraging facial expression! They watch us, as they taste so me need to have a look of excitement!
- Try for 3 days before stopping if they are not interested and trying again 1-2 weeks later, or try another flavour before stopping all together.
