My Son, the Klepto Baby

One of the greatest joys in birthing your very own offspring is watching them reach, and surpass milestones.

Monster started reaching for his toys, batting at them, and yanking on them just over 3 months ago. Since then he has been working hard to develop his fine motor skills, and dexterity. In the last two week, he has gotten ridiculously good at grabbing and stealing things!

I've nicknamed him Klepto-Baby, because each and everything I hold in my hands he reaches over and steals (ultimately to try and shove into his mouth). Actually, statement correction: I don't even have to be holding it, it just has to be in reaching distance. Monster enjoys very much "helping" mommy use her phone, or eat her food.

Which, in fact is where I think it all stemmed from. We started feeding Monster solids earlier then most. He first tired rice cereal at 3 and a half months old, and since then has a large list of fruit and veggies he enjoys on a daily basis. My theory is that since I feed him with a spoon, he thinks everything from my hands should go into his mouth.

That theory is easily dissolved with the shear fact that most babies pick things up, and stick them into their mouths.

Quest for Baby Food

Interior Health Authority (among others in North America) suggest that an infant needs nothing more then breast milk or infant formula until the age of 6 months. At least that's what they're supposed to tell you.

We decided long before Monster's 4 month shots/check up to start him on solids. He was showing all the classic "I'm SO ready to eat!" signs. Watching us eat with and enthusiastic smile, opening his mouth whenever something came towards it, are just a few. He has also had champion-like strength in his neck, making it easy for him to hold his head up on his own.

At 3 and a half months we started Monster on rice cereal despite my knowledge that it has no real nutritional value. I will admit, I had some mommy-guilt in starting him on solids so soon, so I wanted to play it as safe as possible and stick with rice cereal. We fed him the rice cereal once a day for a week before we began introducing another food.

We started with rice cereal, moved onwards to banana's, apple sauce, and now squash on Monday. The apple sauce was by far my absolute favorite, he makes the cutest sour face I've ever seen, and the best part is, it's sporadic like only one in five bites are sour.

My goal until we reach six months is to try as many "beginner" foods as possible, so that he can have a wide variety once he reaches the time when solids are slightly more dominant in his diet then infant formula. Right now, Monster eats three small meals a day in addition to his infant formula. Fruit and Cereal for breakfast, Veggie for lunch, veggie and cereal for supper.

Figuring out how a six month old babies diet should look is the next nutritional mountain of information I plan on climbing.