Patience

It's interesting how Z's mood affects whether he will 'play the solids game' with us each day. Last night he happily scoffed down more salmon pâté, (and then an hour later threw it up all over his play rug, whilst having tummy time), yet this morning he wasn't the least interested in his avocado and egg yolk breakie. The thing is I don't think it's the food itself, it's his mood.

I'm finding his little personality is already dictating the meal; happily feeding, biting whilst feeding (his newest and most endearing skill) or opening his mouth for me to welcome more of his favourite coconut yoghurt.

I'm understanding that it's important to have some Z friendly solids in the fridge so it's easy to take advantage of an inquisitive mood, and the chance to get a couple of delicious bits into his tummy.
Some polenta & taleggio awaits him tomorrow morning.

A pre-dinner snack

Z had a little fishy snack tonight before his main course of a bottle (warmed whilst our baby brussel sprouts blanched).

A sweet start

The philosophy that I'm embracing for Z is the same way we eat. Food that's delicious and good for us.

The information about what should and shouldn't be first foods is so contradictory and confusing that I'm not surprised that so many people turn to the packets of factory made 'food' that they sell for babies. 

Z is used to tasting my diverse diet via breast milk so it seems a step backwards to offer bland mush now. 
The rule is if I wouldn't eat it, then he doesn't, and if I don't like the flavour then he probably will not as well. Luckily I eat everything.

Here's what's worked for us so far. 

Some good fats.

Mixed plate of flavours.

Mushed sweet potato and roast lamb shoulder
(aka dinner leftovers)

Z and the sweet potato and lamb, I think we got about 1 1/2 tablespoons in.

16 weeks

It's 16 weeks today.

It is an exciting milestone, Z can start solids.

Just quietly, we have been dabbling with different tastes since he was born. Champagne (bad), mandarin (loved it), duck (sucked like crazy), gorgonzola (squinted then gestured for more), smoked prawn (great), avocado (more!) and of course lots of breast milk (but thats a long, long story for another time).

On the weekend Z had a couple of teaspoons of roast sweet potato, the first proper couple of bits that we allowed him to actually swallow, not just taste. He loved it. I knew he would, he has been watching us eat for weeks, like a salivating dog, fork to plate to mouth, repeat. The sweet potato was a gift that just kept on giving to Simon and I, as excited new parents we kept seeing the evidence of the sweet potato for days. Proof of our success.

Food, were do I start? Its perhaps too tricky to explain in sentences, perhaps easier for you to learn as we go, but I have a crazy, somewhat obsessive interest in it. That paired with the experience or lack there of, that comes with being a parent for the first time and the that huge responsibility to 'get it right'.

My nutrition, his nutrition.

I understand, its complicated. Very complicated.

The dust off...

Firstly, welcome to the new Eating with Jack.

These pages recorded precisely as the name would suggest for about 3 years; what I ate, where I ate it and a fair share of rant and opinion at the same time. Food is my life, this was a way of expressing, recording and venting all in one.

A new business meant something had to give and Eating with Jack went into hiatus. It takes time and anyone who has set up a hospitality business knows, you don't have much of that. Spin forward two years, and a blessing by way of a son gave me the motivation to dust off the blog, start afresh and share a very special part of my life and an increasing personal interest with who ever cares to read.

Nutrition is important to me at any time. When I was pregnant though, I had a desire to read as much as I could about the relationship between what I consumed and baby's development. I’ll elaborate on my reading list in a later post but there are some gems out there, many thoughtful and passionate writers whose research provided an invaluable resource for me.

I knew from the very beginning of this journey that a food education would be one of the most important lessons I could teach my child. A respect for food and the sense of occasion that comes from sharing a table, the amazing sensory experiences that food can provide and at its most basic, knowledge to look after yourself properly. (A fairly basic human premise you would think, unfortunately many struggle). So I started this process as soon as I could.

Zac was a leap year baby, born 4 months ago. The first 4 months is obviously a liquid diet, straight from the source as it were. Natures ultimate superfood. Not an easy process it needs to be said and one that requires dedication and commitment but luckily for Z I’ve always been the stubborn type. 

We involved Z in our meals from the very beginning, he became a regular taster and sniffer; a little smear on the tongue to get the taste buds going, a wave of the wine glass under his nose waiting for a response. It was a resounding success almost everything was met with a positive reaction. Z’s curiosity for food seemed obvious, then again, was it simply proud parent syndrome? In any case, I liked the way things were going.

And to now, where things get interesting – solids. This was the moment I had been waiting for. Four months is generally regarded as the earliest you can start, so I was on a countdown. For all the mess and extra laundry it was about to create, Zac now had a whole world of flavours and textures to experience. This was going to be an adventure for both of us.

So I decided to dust of the old blog and chronicle Z’s foray into solids. I’m looking forward to documenting this for personal reasons as well as a sense that maybe I have something to offer other parents, a voice of trial in a sea of rights and wrongs. 

I also love the idea that in the future, Z will be able to see the dedication his parents put into this formative part of his food education. It will be a bumpy ride I’m sure, no doubt others will get the chance to learn what worked for us and what ended in messy tears.

It’s going to be fun and we’re at the four months mark, so lets get going.