First Foods: Week 2
Thursday: Banana 🍌
Leo loved his first try of mashed banana and yogurt last night, so today I offer the banana mashed with a preloaded spoon and also create a banana ”popsicle” with part of the skin left on to make it easier to hold. Leo loves the banana but prefers the spoon again!
Friday: Mashed peas & broccoli and courgette 🥬
Mashed peas are a serious winner, despite Pud’s expression. They're also super quick and easy to prepare so I reckon I'll incorporate them in plenty of Leo’s meals in future. Courgette gets a mixed response - probably a bit bland even for beginner tastebuds - but I mash some together with the broccoli and overall it still goes down well.
Saturday & Sunday: Watermelon 🍉
Watermelon’s an interesting one. We have our first gag. Apparently watermelon is generally worse for gagging because of it’s mixed watery and solid consistency. Leo keeps dropping the pieces but it’s also quickly apparent he loves what limited taste he’s getting, so I hold one of the pieces up to his mouth so he can have a proper nibble. I reckon this one is soothing for those tiny toothy pegs and sore gums too. Watermelon is one of my favourite foods and I eat it all the time in the summer so I'm glad it’s a hit with Leopud too!
Monday: Sweet potato 🍠
I prepare the first lot of sweet potato by steaming it for 30 minutes and cutting it into strips with optional mash. Leo enjoys both the strips and spoon-feeding himself the mash, so sweet potato goes down a treat with my little sweet potato (how original, I know I know).
Tuesday: Mashed raspberries & Greek yogurt and sweet potato 🍠
We’ve got an early start so I have to think of something quick. Mashed raspberries are so quick and easy to prepare with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Leo cannot get enough of this one and eats the entire amount, although the kitchen cleanup probably ends up making us late to wherever we’re going.
In the evening I crinkle cut a sweet potato, drizzle it with olive oil and roast in the oven for around 25-30mins. Again, these go down well, and Leo even grabs the ”chips” although he switches back to the spoon again quite decisively midway through. He knows what he wants!
Wednesday: Egg - Omelette strips 🍳
I was a little nervous about trying egg, I'll admit. Egg is one of the more common allergens in babies and I've read that pretty often babies will have an egg allergy that goes away later on in life, so I was fully prepared Leo might react to this one in some way. I prepare an omelette using a couple of eggs cooked in olive oil. I keep it bland so I'll know egg’s the culprit if he has a reaction. Once cooked, I cut into strips quite wide and roughly the length of my fingers. Leo explores holding the omelette fingers and nibbles them relatively easily. Thankfully, it goes down really well and he hasn't shown signs of an allergy.
Another week: smashed! All foods were a hit , Mama stayed calm through the gagging with the watermelon, and I felt very proud when Leo started nibbling the strips of food and not just reaching for the spoon. The more foods Leo tries, the more confident we’re both becoming. The water’s also gone better this week. Leo still rolls the cup around, but if I hold it up to his mouth he drinks the whole lot and absolutely loves it. Thinking of getting him a smaller cup that he can grasp better by himself for now.
Bring on week three!
