Banana

Eating is one of those parenting issues I struggled over. The pediatrician said Virginia was ready to start sampling food after her four month check. But at La Leche meetings they advocate baby led feeding. Now let me tell you what Virginia and I wanted.

What I wanted:

• Introduce Virginia to healthy foods
• Let Virginia feed herself
• Make Virginia a part of the family meal

What Virginia wants

• Anything on the table
• Anything Mom and Dad are putting into their mouths
• Basically, food

My point is that, yes Virginia is perfectly healthy living off breast milk alone, and she has no real teeth (aside from one tiny point) but she really does want to try food. The challenge was finding something she could feed herself without expecting her to pick up piles of glop. Enter my new favorite invention: a baby feeder.

So far what I have done is mashed up bananas and frozen the goo in an ice cube tray (mostly for preservation purposes since she doesn't eat much). One banana cube fits into the feeder really well. I've been letting her have it frozen in the hopes that it is also helping with her teething.

The first time she tasted banana she looked concerned, but now she likes it. She goes to town on those frozen banana cubes.

Now dinner time is very happy. John and I get to eat. Virginia gets to eat. And we have a sticky, smiley baby to clean up afterwards.