Checking out Solids!

Julien is now 4 months plus and definitely teething. I think he started around the middle of 3 months, but was not sure then, though he does seem to be more difficult and want to be held the whole time these days. Just 2 days ago, his appetite dropped to just half the amount he usually takes at each feed and he also skipped feeds on one day. Then, he bounced back full force yesterday and fed and fed and fed, as if it was never enough. We are totally confused by him and each day is a new guessing game, as we try to read his cues.

Putting him to sleep is also harder, as he no longer seems to have an established pattern like before, when he would just fall asleep on his own almost immediately once placed in his Moses basket. He wants to be held to sleep, and once you try to put him in his bed, he rouses and would cry. I read somewhere that teething causes discomfort and that can make Baby want to be held and cuddled, as he is upset and distressed by it.  But, apart from him feeling fussy and irritable, he is fine, so I am really glad, since we have been told that some babies can have fever due to teething.

Recently, we bought him a teether with a section filled with water, so that it can be cool and soothing against his gums if you pop it into the fridge first. He seems to like it, when we gave it to him. I think it gives him some relief. We try to teach him to hold it by himself, but he is still learning, I think. He holds it sometimes, but often drops it.

Today, when I felt his gums, I could clearly feel the shape and hardness of little teeth. And I decided to try giving him some mashed carrot.  Actually, we had tried giving him some solids earlier (on New Year's day, in fact), but had failed miserably. It's not Julien's fault really, more ours. We had seen some baby porridge in the shops and thought we could try it. Bought it, cooked it and tried giving him. Except that we did not buy baby cutlery... and the dessert spoon, while small for us, was clearly still too big for a baby's mouth. Not to mention that we made it like porridge, our idea of porridge and although it looked very soft and liquidy to us, it was clearly not liquidy enough for Jules - it was too viscous to slip down easily from the spoon into his mouth. We learnt later that apparently, to help Baby transit easily, the softer and more liquidy it is, the better, since it would go down easily. Then, Baby can just focus on getting used to the idea of a foreign object aka the spoon being thrust into his mouth and also concentrate on exploring the new texture and flavours instead of being alarmed by so many new things. So, anyway, Julien rejected the porridge, the fancy organic 4-grain porridge we bought! Ah well... I just hope the experience did not turn him off feeding on solids and from a spoon!

There are all these delicious recipes for baby food for weaning in the Internet. I read about sweet potato and brocolli puree (with Cheddar cheese or cream cheese blended in! Yums!), apple and pear puree, mango and berry (with yogurt in), avocado and pea etc... All sound so delicious! But I thought we will start small first, just get Jules used to the spoon-in-the-mouth feeling and tasting simple flavours at the beginning. So, I steamed the carrot or rather just about 6 small, thin slices of carrot. And mashed them after that with a metal spoon. I had thought of blending it to make a puree, but the amount is so little that it would be ridiculous and ineffective to use the blender, I thought. 

I tried it myself and have to say it is really quite nice. Sweet. And I think to myself, all the condiments we use the whole time in cooking just mask the actual taste of the ingredients we use. And I am hopeful that Julien will like it. Armed with the new baby spoon and a large dose of hope, I approached Julien steam the steamed carrot mash. I had tried to make everything comfortable for him, seating him on his sitter, sandwiching him firmly with a little pillow (since he is still a bit small for the sitter). Jules looked at me and the looming spoon suspiciously. I tried to be as gentle and precise as I could, so that it would not be an ordeal or unpleasant experience for him. I managed to get a bit into his mouth. He still could not get used to it, and from his reaction, you would almost think he was offended by this intrusion! 

Next, I tried a bit of persuasion. I took a spoonful myself and smacked my lips loudly after that to indicate it was really yummy. Jules watched my every move. And interestingly enough, he did seem more inclined to give it a try after that.

I tried a few more times, but he still was not sold. After a few times, Jules seemed to understand the mechanics of it and would protest and back away when he saw the spoon coming. But I was determined to try and still hopeful that the sweetness of the carrot would eventually win him over. So, I decided to distract him and took out my camera. I have learnt from my experience with other frens' children that all kids are fascinated by the camera and love to look at their own photographs. And after so much photo-taking, Jules already recognises the gadget. He doesn't pose, but he does calm down considerably.  So, every time I offered Jules a spoonful, I took a picture and showed it to him immediately. He protested less and while looking at the picture, would chew and taste his food gingerly. It was funny to watch him.

In the end, Jules still did not finish the carrot. It is a spoonful to us adults, but a gigantic mound of many spoonfuls for him. And seeing as how he still does not like it, I decided to stop. Still, I think we have made progress today :) And hopefully, with more attempts, Julien will be intrigued enough to finally give solids the green light. After all, he is already checking out our food every time we eat. I literally see his eyes follow our spoons and bowls rather than focus on us. Exciting times ahead! Mummy Low is gonna check out more baby recipes! :)

Julien trying the organic 4-grain porridge

Not liking it...

One spoon for you and one spoon for me!

Hmm... the spoon is coming!

Not liking it, Mummy!

Argh... not liking it indeed!

Take it away!!!

I really much prefer my fingers, thank you!