I have been thinking a lot about how to feed this wee babe of mine lately. I felt uncertain about how to feed my other babies- opting to forgo the rice cereal, but not totally sure what to replace it with. My first babies ate a variety of fruits and veggies and bits of what we were eating, but I never felt really confident I was on the right path with the best foods to give my wee ones. One of my kiddos loved everything we gave him and my other really would have been happiest on a strict diet of bread and cookies! Later on, we discovered various food sensitivities and issues with food and gut health and I though back a lot to the early foods they had been eating, wondering if a more conscious, nourishing diet might have helped to avoid some of these issues. They hadn't been eating junk certainly, but I just had a feeling that we could have done better during those early months and years of feeding those little bellies.
So during this pregnancy I was just a wee bit preoccupied with thinking about nourishment and food. I didn't read a single book about pregnancy or birth this time around, but I did real lots about food! After our family's journey with the GAPS diet, and the healing we had with it, and with our focus still being on real, local, nourishing foods, I knew that was where we would start with this baby once she started joining us at the table.
But after lots of reading I came to the conclusion that there is no one right way to feed a baby! Babies first food's around the world vary hugely (soups, seaweeds, fruit, fish, eggs, legumes, butter, grain porriges, all kinds of different veggies and meaty bits and bobs!) and reflect local traditions, climates and tastes. All sorts of different foods are good for babies! And yet I also knew from our time on GAPS that having a healthy gut is so integral to good health, and that some foods are especially good at promoting digestive health. Plus, it seems obvious that since these little people are growing so darned fast, they need lots of good nutrients to grow on! So I decided to focus on food that was easily digestible and as nutrient dense as possible.
Thankfully wee Willa is happy to eat it all! Her very first food was homemade chicken broth and she approved! Since then she has tried all sorts of things, but usually broth is a componant- since it is so good for the tummy and such an all-round healthy food. And it is such an easy transition food from breast milk for little taste buds- no new textures to adjust to right away! Now many (but not all) of her meals start with bone broth -which the rest of the family is often eating as well- but with various veggies and/or meats mixed in and mashed up a bit with some healthy fats (coconut oil, butter ghee...) and a little probiotic food like whey from our homemade goat yogurt or some fermented veggies. So far some of her favorites are carrots, squash, leeks rutabagas, onions, meats- including liver (I wish the rest of us could learn to love it like she does!) fish, plain goat yogurt, avocado, banana, fresh carrot-celery juice, cooked apple (and gnawing on a raw one,) banana. She also adores our lacto-fermented pickles of all sorts- which is awesome as they are such a healthy probiotic food- and a great teething toy to boot! Lots of sources suggest egg yolk as a good first food, but they don't agree with Willa's tummy yet so we'll wait and try again later on those.
I am finding now as I am offering her a greater variety of things that usually she can be eating from the foods we are eating and there is getting to be less prep work to feed her. I make a lot of soup for our family, so I can just scoop out some veggies or meat and some broth and then add in other ingredients for the rest of the family. If I am making something just for her I try to make extra and freeze small portions, but already I am needing to do this less and less. She will be eating most of what we are eating fairly soon I think, though we will hold off on any grains for awhile. She seems pretty happy and healthy, so, hopefully we are on the right track.
My favorite resource has been Super Nutrition for Babies which has lots of great information and some excellent recipes- lots of great grain-free ones that our whole family has enjoyed. There is a chapter on baby feeding in the GAPS book which I have kept an eye on too. I also read French Kids Eat Everything when I was pregnanct and really enjoyed it (and it has finally helped me get my big boys to stop snacking insistently and my picky eater to start eating more real food which is something to celebrate!) It isn't specifially about feeding babies, but I was insprired by the variety and approach to feeding little ones that she talked about. Along the same lines is this beautiful website by a french mama- she posts her baby's weekly menu too, which is fun to read and glean ideas from! I also read Real Food for Mother and Baby while I was pregnant and it laid things out in a way that helped me feel calm and sure that feeding and nourishing mamas and little people is totally doable.
I am loving being part of the Feeding our Families discussion with other mama bloggers. Please check out the other posts, and join in on the comments too!
Melanie from Our Ash Grove
Jules from A Little Crafty Nest
Melody from Bespoke
Sarah from Our Island Home
Tonya from Joyful Living
Heather from Shivaya Naturals
Renee from Heirloom Seasons
http://heirloomseasons.blogspot.com
I remember this stage with A. A few rice crisps can keep a baby entertained for a good while. I love watching those chubby little hands move with such careful intent. One by one they make it to that sweet mouth.
Planting a tree for Dorian. Ari has an apple tree, and Perry and I have our wedding apple. Now Dorian has a cherry tree for his very own. His placenta has been in the freezer all winter, making me smile when I'd come across the bucket from the hospital labelled "Dorian's placenta." Now it is in the ground to nourish this pretty little tree. 
Welcome to the earth sweet baby. We feel so blessed to share this journey with you. 
Dorian got to taste some food for Easter and the Easter bunny brought him a new bib for the occasion. He seems to like the bib, but the food he's not so sure about.
He seems to enjoy the tactile experience of painting his yams onto his tray but he has to be reassured that I am not going to abandon him to solid food. He looks at me worriedly and seems to be wondering if this mush is all I'll be serving up for supper. But of course, there is mama's milk to spare. And I am secretly pleased he is not gobbling up the yams and avocados just yet. I wasn't quite ready for my baby to grow up that much. 
Dear Dorian,
You are working on your bottom teeth right now, and they are pretty uncomfortable for you. Even when you are miserable though, you will give us a grin. And still you don't really cry. You bemoan, certainly, lament in such an adorable sad way, but rarely cry. And when you do, we are there in a flash, since it is such an unfamiliar sound and we want to do whatever we can to make you feel good again. And oh your laugh! Is there any sound more joyous to a mama's ears than her baby laughing?
Oh, my sweet sweet baby, you are such a delight. Your presence is calming and lovely. You are such a joy. Thank you for choosing us, baby, we are so glad you are here.
those little hands! Those little feet!
And, though I know everyone says newborns don't smile, this one does. He gave me my first smile in response to my voice on day 4. Yup, it's true. A couple of blurry shots as proof.
