Chuckling at Myself

In a previous post, I mentioned that I had been researching introducing solid foods and would elaborate on our plan of action another time. Well, the whole thing feels a bit silly at the moment. Here's the story:

In true Heidi form, once we decided we were ready to introduce Jack to baby food I immediately started obsessing. How much do we give him (1 tsp, 1 Tbsp, the whole jar)? When should we offer it (dinner only or lunch and dinner)? Should he take a bottle with the meal? Or before? Or after? Do I need to adjust the amount of ounces in his bottles? Do I need to offer foods in a specific order? Like I said...obsessing.

So I sent my pediatrician an e-mail asking all of those questions. Then I checked my usual sources (our pediatrician's website, the american academy of pediatrics, various google searches and fellow moms) and determined the following:

• Introduce 1 food at a time. After 3-4 successful days, add another. That way, if there are any allergies or reactions you can easily identify the trigger.
• Start with veggies. Fruits taste better so if you start with fruit you run the risk of struggling to get them to eat the less flavorful (but oh so important) veggies.
• Begin with orange veggies then add green (orange, apparently, are easier to digest).
• Never feed directly out of the jar unless you know they will finish the entire jar (or you risk bacteria/contamination from the saliva on the spoon).
• Offer at lunch and dinner.
• Formula is still the primary source of nutrition. Offer the bottle first and then the solids - as much as they are interested in. 1-4 Tbsp. is a typical amount to start with.
• Eventually, as the solids increase, they will require less formula.

With all of that knowledge under my belt I put my plan into action. I went to Target and bought all orange veggies. I then printed a blank calendar for the month of June and made a food schedule. One for us and one for Holly - so were consistent in our offerings. Sweet Potatoes on June 5, add carrots on June 8, add squash on June 12, etc. Yes. I really am that anal.

This afternoon, I received a reply from our Pediatrician regarding introducing solids. I've mentioned before how much I love Dr. Peterlin. She is about my age, has a 3-year old son (so she's recently experienced the very issues we are going through) and is about as laid back as they come. She's a perfect balance for me. In her words:

"You guys can start with either veggies or fruit- -doesn't matter what order. I started my kid at dinner and then gradually filled in a lunch to have 3 meals per day. only rule is 1 new thing every 3-4 days so you know if he has a problem with one -- which one it is. Note that when he starts eating more solids, he won't drink as much -- so he may take less formula overall. generally most kids his age take approx 4-6 oz per feed- sometimes more. follow his lead-- he knows when he is hungry and when he is full. Have fun!"

That's when the light bulb moment occurred. And I could do nothing but chuckle at myself and how absurd my over-analyzing really was. "He knows when he is hungry and when he is full." Of course he does. And he has never had any problem communicating that to us. It dawned on me that I am not attempting brain surgery or astrophysics here. I'm merely feeding mushy food to a baby. A baby who loves to eat. A baby who pulls his head away when he is full and opens his mouth wide or sucks on his fist when he is hungry. Jack knows what he wants, and he knows how to tell us.

Don't get me wrong. I don't regret my research. In fact, I consider it responsible parenting. But I also recognize that I need to tone it down a notch (in other words, C.H.I.L.L.)! I'll probably keep my calendar (or some form of it) so Holly and I are consistent in our food introductions, but beyond that I'm going to take Dr. Peterlin's advice...I'm going to follow Jack's lead and Have Fun!

But not until I'm done chuckling at myself.