AMA: Baby Eating and Cooking
Hi!
Annnnnnd we’re back.
If you haven’t noticed, The Sam Report has been on hiatus for a couple of months. Not for nothing, I have been in the trenches of life, learning, failing, recovering, taking notes, and now ya girl is ready to talk her shit.
In the coming weeks, you can look forward to the following:
P*tty Trai*ing Fucking Sucks
Toddler Bed Transition
How I’m Taking My 2024 Fitness / Nutrition By The Balls
If I Could Buy Strollers All Over Again
Today we’ll warm up the Subbiestack with a little eating/cooking check in. I did an AMA on my Instagram Story, and here are the answers to all of your questions.
For reference, my child is currently 2.5 years old and has no food allergies!
*Disclaimer: There are a million ways to approach feeding a child. This is what I do that works for me and my family.
Did you do Baby Led Weaning?
Yes! I fastidiously followed the teachings of BLW. I started researching and preparing while I was pregnant haha.
How old was your baby when she started solids?
6 months old, in congruence with BLW.
Is there a plan for solids that you followed?
I followed the BLW plan from Katie Ferraro of Baby Led Wean Team. I used all of her tools and timelines.
What was your baby’s first food?
Avocado!
How did your baby do with BLW? My baby doesn’t seem to want to have anything to do with food?
My baby did great with BLW. I was enthusiastic about the process, and luckily she responded with equal enthusiasm. We were also fortunate to bypass any allergic reactions.
When did you stop being scared of choking? BLW is shaving years off my life.
In the beginning I was terrified. I took an infant CPR course, learned the difference between gagging and choking, watched a lot of footage of both. While it didn’t make me less nervous, it did help me feel more prepared. I am still always nervous about choking, so I stay close by at all meal times.
How to get baby to not throw food on the ground?
We went through a throwing phase at around 16 months. I made up a script and choreography of what baby can do when they are “ALL DONE!” and I modeled it at every meal every day. I asked everyone to get involved! Eventually she started doing it too.
I think with a lot of the eating/dining, it’s about keeping the mood light and enthusiastic, and the environment and etiquette consistent.
How did you get her to eat so independently?
BLW played a big part in it, the philosophy is built around independent eating. I safely introduced utensils and cups right away, and continue to give many opportunities for her to explore.
How do you get her to sit and focus on her eating?
This one I’ve been working on since we started solids. I have some rules that I stick to:
We sit down to eat, or stand at the counter in the toddler tower. There is no chasing or grazing.
Speaking of grazing, we have set meal times and snack times, there is no grazing in between. This helps with regulating appetite, ensuring the child is hungry and more likely to be focused at meal times.
No screens
Encourage them to get involved in table conversation. “How was your day?” “What did you do today?” “What was the best part of your day?” “Can you pass the rice please?”
If she finishes before the rest of the family, we practice waiting by providing activities (stickers, drawing pad, sensory toy) to do at the table. This is our newer ruler. I started at having her wait 30 seconds, then 1 minute, then 2 minutes, and so forth. When we are out, I will keep the meal experience brief, and in situations where I can’t (for instance a family birthday lunch) I will walk with her around the premises or somewhere she can safely move her body around and get her wiggles out.
We practice this meal time etiquette at every meal, snacks included. The etiquette applies to everyone in our family, everywhere we go, as well as right inside our home. It takes a lot of modeling and consistency to establish, but its doable.
Which toddler tower did you get, and do you like it?
We went with the Audwell “Oslo” tower, and I love it’s construction and minimal design. We use it all day everyday, such a great investment. But because it isn’t full coverage like some of the other towers out there, I just kept a very very close eye on baby the first 3 months of using it. Teaching how to safely get up and get down.
Is your girl always so good with appetite? Did she ever go through the picky stage?
At first she ate everything. At around 2 is when she became more selective. I was devastated but then stopped crying about it because this is very normal for their development. I learned that the point of BLW and offering 100+ different foods by the age of 1 is to establish a wide palate before the inevitable narrowing. When the selectiveness does come, we hope to still have a sold repertoire of nutritious foods they still love and enjoy.
For my baby, she’s not housing asparagus and bell peppers like she used to. But she still loves avocados, lentils, edamame, pesto, tofu, cauliflower, various nuts, etc. Enough goodness to ensure that even at her pickiest moments, her palate is still pretty open enough to receive the nutrition she needs.
After the radical acceptance, I started getting strategic. Here are the strategies I use now to address the ongoing selectiveness.
To build her resilience, I regularly challenge her to pick between 2 options that aren’t exactly what she asked for. Example:
Kid: I want granola and milk for breakfast.
Me: Ah. We don’t have granola and milk on the menu today. Today we have waffles or oatmeal.
Kid: Oh. Hmmmmmm. Granola and milk!
Me: I hear you want granola and milk, but today will you choose a waffle or oatmeal?
Kid: I choose waffle!
I feel like small choice exercises like this one are great practicing for flexibility.
Is she adventurous about trying new food?
Not all the time. But because I am adventurous, variety and trying new things is a normal occurrence in our family. Stress free, regular exposure to “trying something new” and building it into something that is familiar is the main key, whether it’s a new vegetable, or a new type of bread, or simply a new pasta shape. The goal is not for the baby to like every single thing they eat, the goal is to build their open-mindedness, their willingness and confidence to try.
I make sure I approach a new vegetable and a new cookie or a new flavor of ice cream with an air of casual nonchalance. My message is, “Hey let’s try this new food and see if we like it.” And the new rule in the home is “Just try one bite everything on the table. There’s a chance you will like it. And if you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat anymore.” Keep it simple, keep it calm, you either want more or you move on. Either way it does build the “trying” muscle.
How do you navigate foods or if she didn’t like the taste?
If she tries a food and doesn’t like it, I say thank you for trying and I don’t press any further. But I will casually offer it again down the line, or try a different cooking technique, or a different shape.
Lately she is off of carrots, but I recently julienned them very thin and served with ranch dip and she’s back on cuz she thinks its funny? IDK!
When did you start cooking with her and what dish did you start with?
We started cooking around 18 months, with super simple actions that match her motor skills. For the longest time it was simply pouring water from a tiny pitcher into the oatmeal bowl. And pressing the orange cook button on the rice cooker.
As her skills develop, I add new tasks to the process, which keeps it endlessly exciting for her too. There is always something new to learn.
Can you share resources/links/must haves that will help me introduce cooking to my 1.5 year old?
My favorite food account for kids is Cooking for Levi. We love watching the baby eat and now Levi helps with the cooking, which is inspiring our cooking too.
The main thing you need is time and patience. Pick a time where you’re not in a rush and no one is hangry. Accept that there will be more mess and it will take 3 times longer to complete the meal.
Second resource you need is repetition. Again we started with pouring a small bit of water from a pitcher into a bowl. We did this every morning without fail for about 6 months before moving on.
Must have tools are:
A toddler tower is very very helpful
Not necessary, but we have a chef’s hat and an apron and it’s just so cute.
Intro cooking ideas:
Salad kit bags
Homemade pizza
Breakaway cookies
What’s your baby’s favorite Filipino food?
Lumpia!
Foods she used to love but now refuses?
Black beans, ground meat, steamed carrots
Do you let her have sweets/processed sugar?
We started allowing sweets at just shy of 2 years old. Piece of ube donut, baklava, almond croissant were the first exposures to sweets. I love a cultural tie in. Oh also some dark chocolate rice cakes. Nowadays, ice cream is part of the rotation. I love the portion of a mochi ice cream. Trader Joe’s makes tiny ice cream cones as well. There is the requisite cake at birthday parties, and some candy, but not much and not very often. I don’t think sugar should be foreign. As with all things, I think of it as normal, casual, and served in moderation.
Do you plan out her meals in advance?
I planned everything out meticulously and in advance when we first started solids. There was a lot to consider — sodium, sugar, potential allergies, choking. I’d say at around 18 months I made a significant to just cooking for me and sharing with her.
I do family meal planning for the week, but we’re definitely out of the “baby food prep” stage.
Unrelated, does your baby try to pull out her earrings?
No! Thank goodness! That sounds like it would be tricky to navigate!
And to finish this one off, here are some of my previous writings on the topic!