Healthiest Babies Possible

On Tuesdays at our Family Resource Center there is a mommy group called 'Healthiest Babies Possible' which I try to attend as often as I can.

So far the draw has mostly been seeing Monster interact with other babies his age or a bit older. I love it! The first time I went he learned how to start scooting and moving (as apposed to just sitting in one spot) from the little ones he was playing with.

I actually know quite a few people in the area who had babies around the same time as me, but it's not always easy to find times that work good for both families to get together. This group is easy, is only two hours a week and is educational as well fun for the Monster.

This week was by far my favorite, even though I didn't get to see Monster interacting with other babes. We had a guided tour of Save-on Foods with a dietitian. That doesn't sound like a screaming good time to most, but it's something I'm interested in, therefore it was fun for me! Since I've had a history of battling my weight, and now issues with my gallbladder reading a nutrition guide is not a foreign concept to me like it is to a lot of people.

You know, those people who are blessed with a metabolism that allows them to eat anything and everything? It was interesting to hear her discuss the over-sugared breakfast cereals (and how many grams of sugar should be in a serving) as well as fiber in breads and other grains. Even though I'm aware of most things regarding what is good for you, and what isn't I did learn something today! Milk Fat. That is not a term I'd ever heard of! It came up when we were discussing cheese and yogurt.

I swear I could have picked her brain for an hour if we had the chance! In the end we got to take home a handy booklet that is just an amazing reference when it comes to knowing how much of everything we need, and don't need! Something that will be a useful tool as Monster gets older, and gains his own preferences towards foods. Please don't let him be a picky eater! :)
 

Homemade Vs. Store Bought Babyfood

For Monster's complete solids eating career I've fed him store bought baby food. I'll pause now for the shameful finger wagging from all the green mothers out there.

I had full intentions of making all my own homemade baby food, I promise! I started with carrots and sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes were ridiculously easy, and took absolutely no time at all. The carrots on the other hand were what temporarily turned me off of making my own baby food.

After over an hour of steaming them on the stove top, I tried with all my might to mash them, when that didn't work I brought out my food processor. Even with my food processor the carrots didn't turn into a nice purée, they ended up being really "piecey". I froze them anyways because I am green enough not to be wasteful.

After that adventure it was either, invest in a Magic Bullet (which I still plan on doing) or buy pre made jars of baby food. I didn't want to take the chance of my Monster choking on anything, since I was going against the "no solids until 6 months" recommendations. I bought the baby food and that's what Monster has been eating.

Now that he's almost 6 months and can pretty much "chew" (let's face it, it's not really chewing until he gets teeth, right now I like to refer to it as Old Man Gumming) the "piecey" soft carrots might even be fine.

Once my pre made baby food jar stock diminishes I will continue on my journey of making my own baby food. As for now, the only thing he's getting homemade is bananas and sweet potatoes. In the end I will likely continue to buy pre made applesauce, I'm sure it's easy enough to make, but when you can by organic apple sauce that is literally called "Just Apples" for next to nothing, the lazy person in me will probably win.


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