Cure for Mondays: sister

Introducing solid food to my 6-month old

Happily anticipating her first "bite".

When she turned four months old, she could hold her head upright in a steady position, was always chewing and was making noises with her mouth, and could sit well on my lap. All of these were signs that she was ready to go a notch higher on her diet.

You know what they say about the power that babies have to change the lives of those around them. Now everyone suddenly wants to be named household president after the coming of our baby girl. Frannie, my sister’s daughter and my namesake, is now in her terrible twos, which means the limelight for the celebrity baby has shifted focus and has been turned towards my six-month old Attika.

They say mothers know best, but then the females of the species in our family have grown up and all of us have become mothers ourselves (I have two sisters and we have cousins closest to us who are also an all-girl bunch). Sometimes, discussions about raising children become exasperating especially if you’re a mother who likes to think that you have to think you know everything. I raise my hand and declare myself guilty. But then, my foolish pride simmers down at the realization that the people around me only want the best for the little ones in our family.

Seeing the signs
When Attika was only three months old, I started researching about the introduction of solid food to babies because I wanted to know when the right time was to do it. I stumbled upon so many articles that said mothers who breastfeed should not be in a hurry to feed their babies solid food because what they get from breast milk is more than enough to keep them growing healthy. Some of the articles even suggested that breastfed babies could be given their first solid food much later, like when they’re 12 months old. There were also others on the other side of the spectrum that said babies in general are ready for their solids anytime between four to six months old. So my question at that time was: should I start feeding Attika her first solid food on her fourth month?

When she turned four months old, she could hold her head upright in a steady position, was always chewing and was making noises with her mouth, and could sit well on my lap. All of these were signs that she was ready to go a notch higher on her diet.

She said, she said
Besides the information that I got online and from mommy books, I also give my mother and my younger sister credit for their contribution to my confusion. My sister said I should feed Attika at four months just like what she did with my niece and my mother thought it was best for me to give her solids at five months old. I became one of the millions of mothers who was drowning in an overload of information, so I let my instinct as a mother lead the way for me.

I was breastfeeding Attika full time up until about she was four months old, and my instinct was telling me that our mother-baby tandem was on the right track as we were taking things in a graceful stride. The fact that Attika was getting the healthy amount of proteins, fats, vitamins, and carbohydrates from my breast milk made me a very happy mommy, not to mention proud. (I failed to breastfeed our first born because I was a misinformed 25-year old. This is totally a different story which I know I will talk about anytime soon).

Bringing out the bowl, finally
Attika turned six months old in January and it was around that time when I felt that I already needed to introduce solid food to her. My first choice of baby food was avocado which is known as the super food. It has Iron, Folate, Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, vitamins A, C, B group vitamins, and small amounts of other important nutrients that every baby needs. It is loaded with the good stuff so you don’t need anything else if you want to give your baby the healthiest food there is. Unfortunately, I could not find avocados last month so I turned to a family favorite; a staple in our cupboard — Cerelac. Yes, everybody in the house eats Cerelac so it’s a plus one now that Attika seems to love the cereal too.

Our very first feeding turned out to be a major success. She swallowed most of her food and was always excited to get her next “bite”. I can’t say she has completely lost her extrusion reflex (the reflex that make babies push food out of their mouth) but it certainly did not get in the way.

Here's a look at our first feeding experience.