I look at my daughter, see the number of teeth, imagine if I were her at that age, will I be able to take that food. Of course I over-do it at times. Or under-do it. But there were a lot of trial and error involved. There are no hard and fast rule, really. Just what you think is best for your child.
Everything is introduced in stages. Supaya perut tak terkejut. And I started with something very mild and easy to chew and digest.
Below 6 months
Iris was exclusively breastfed until 6months old. When she reached 6 months, it was the fasting month, and I couldn't cope with the milk pumping 3 times a day. I decided to mix with formula milk since she was already passing her 6 months mark. I didn't want to do puasa ganti sebulan. Tak sanggup.... I would have, if she hasn't yet turned 6 months.
6months
Iris started her first solid at 5months and 29 days because the grandma was so eager to put something in her mouth. And of course because she had shown signs of interest in food since she was 5months. She would look at your mouth when you chew your food, look at the spoon as you take it to your mouth, with her mouth open of course. (Google for signs in babies to know if she is ready for solid. Some babies show signs later than this, means she is not ready).
6.5 months to 7 months
Her first solid was fruit puree. Thanks to my bestfriend Ira for making Iris' first apple puree. So we made her banana, apple, honeydew and papaya, and she loved banana the most. She was only on fruit puree for about two weeks, then I started to feed her blended porridge mixed with banana and dates. Not very long after, I introduced her steamed, blended vegetables mixed with her blended porridge. So I had bayam, carrots, potatoes, pumpkins. I have also added sweet potato puree and she loved it so much. Still continuing with fruit puree though, although they were not the main food. So at this stage she was only eating twice a day.
7.5 month to 8 months
Started to introduce her fish. Mostly on salmon. Realised that she loved grilled salmon. And we have been giving her salmon almost everyday. So porridge mixed with salmon and vegetable. We stopped carrots and pumpkin because it caused her skin to be yellowish, carotenosis they call it. But she continued with everything else. And we have added more kinds of vege in her list. She already started to take dinner at this point, so three meals a day.
8 months to 10 months
Introduced chicken to her. Mostly grilled. At 10 months old, we stopped blending her rice, just put more water in her rice and started to introduce egg yolk. Sometimes mommy cooked pasta for her, but she prefers rice.
10 months to 1 year old
I tried to cook lauk for her with kuah so she can eat with her rice. Because at this stage, she eats normal rice that we eat, so I thought some kuah would be nice for her. I never added salt to any of her food. Tried to delay the salt.
1 year old
Started to introduce her red meat. A bit too late some would say. But I just thought red meat is a bit too hard to digest. I don't know. But anyway, at this point, everybody starts giving her little bites from whatever they are eating. So she has developed the sense of taste now. She no longer wants food without salt. She would cry for the food on the adult's table and refused to ear the one in her bowl. So for me, either I let her go hungry, or let her eat adult's food.
At first, I couldn't help it but cried when she rejected my cooking. Either because my cooking is lousy or she refused to take food without salt anymore. Husband comforted me saying that the little salt that we put in our cooking will eventually diluted and spread in the kuah. Berapa banyak sangat la kuah baby tu makan. Which makes sense.
So I have accepted the fact that my baby has grown up and she has well developed her taste bud. Insisting on eating baby food is like letting her go hungry. I know there are ways to make baby food that has good tastes, but I am no chef. I cook following recipes, I can't improvise my cooking to suit babies. I am just lousy at it.
I believe all mothers love their children so much and would like to have the best for their babies. If Iris wants adult food, and if that's what makes her eating, so be it. I tried to preserve feeding babies food (very little salt or no salt at all) to Iris, and I only managed to do it for 1 year. Good enough for me.
As long as you're eating, baby!
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| My super energetic baby girl modelling Prada shades |
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