babies au natural :)

Since the beginning of my journey through motherhood Ive always thought babies are better off as close to nature as they can get. I became a young mother at the age of 16 and I didnt know much but the first natural parenting decision I made was to breastfeed. I didn't make it long and lacked alot of educational resources available today but what I did do was set the tone........and each child since has been breastfed longer than the one before. In addition to breastfeeding I prefer thin light fabrics and shade to sunblock, a gentle bath in water to babysoap and absorbent cotton to whatevertheheckthatgelcrapisindiapers. I leave the stump alone, forget the epidural, let a fever hang out for a bit and few of my children have ever had antibiotics (i myself am allergic to many and have only had them a few times). Ive been known to make my own laundry soap, clean with vinegar and i have washed anything and everything in a simple drop of Dawn (does a fab load of laundry in a pinch). I avoid chemical and alcohol laden wipes in favor of oh so soft warm water moistened infant wash rags. I find it simple and fun and I never worry about that mystery rash that baffles most moms at some point.

One of my most favorite and fun natural decisions was to make our own baby food. I started with Paxton (my second) and met many naysayers along the way. as I began the babyfood journey I played their voices in my head alot. I still wanted to give it a go, but for me that meant starting with all the first foods currently offered by Gerber. I assumed they must know best??right? I also strictly adhered to my pediatricians standards for order of introduction. Sticking with certain colors, moving from veggies then fruit (because if you start fruits first they will never eat veg UH HUH). All the order and rules sucked the fun right out of the extravaganza. It got a little fun around stage 3 food time, but by that time truth be told, your child can prob eat table food and your work is done :(

After Paxton I gained experience, made more mommy friends (thankfully from many cultures) and had an epiphany. One day a Mexican mommy friend asked if i had given my baby avocado yet. Instantly I informed her that you shouldnt give a baby that, it was not on the list, they could be allergic, the world would end, your ped would find out and turn you into the powers that be, and life as we know it would be over!! for sure :) She laughed and said, "all babies in Mexico start on avocado". I paused and thought, of course, babies all over the world don't import Gerber. Green Beans arent in season year round, they don't even grow in Alaska. I thought of all the simple natural foods excluded from the lists (watermelon being a favorite :). It dawned on me that only the easy to puree and preserve foods make the cut and thats no fair. I had full plans to introduce Piper to a variety of foods and I was excited to break free of my chains!! To my dismay, she had none of it. Piper barely ate babyfood at all and moved very quickly to picking up finger foods. I became a master chef at making anything into soft bitesized pieces and her mealtime featured me, my cutting board, and her high chair pulled right up to the counter. As nature would have it, all children are different and some babies will never go for the traditional smooshed food at all. This made sense, Native mamas weren't using hand turned blenders in their teepees after all?

Fast forward to Pearce and there I was with my babyfood fantasies churning full force. I developed a strategy. I would buy a round of store bought food, save the containers and use those to make whatever I saw fit. It worked out great, minus the expense on that first round of food. Pearce loved cantaloupe (his first food) and pumpkin and all sorts of local in season foods from the Arizona farmers market that runs year round! It was great! but like every mom Im always on the lookout for what is best for my babies. I liked the convenience of those containers but hated buying them, was skeptical of their reheatability, and in general i loathe plastics. I learned with Pearce to throw out those food schedules and patience is key. I started foods much later than most (8mos) and by that time he was truly ready and enjoyed food. There was no pushing it out with their tongue. This is believed by peds to be a normal reflex, but believed by Courtney to be a waste of time. Babies get all they need from breastmilk (or formula) and the food is just a bonus. Until a year it is merely a tasting and learning experiment and should be taken as such. If it isn't fun, wait a month and try again.

Employing this tactic I recently started my fifth baby on foods. I bought my usual storebought stash just to acquire containers. I didn't want to do it, but they are the oh so perfect size. Then we hopped on over to Costco for sample day. I tasted some sorbet that was served out of halved lemons and oranges and coconuts and then came the lightbulb. The plan= to eat and save the fruits, freezing the rinds for the oh so perfect, most definitely microwave safe, ready to serve baby dish :) The results are amazing and im thrilled. The kids are tickled and eager to help me store up some rinds. Parker is working on my coconut as we speak :) I have to give a big thanks to last nights dinner guests (the Vandewegs) who brought the watermelon and did an even trade for fresh cantaloupe. they are the best!! I still have a bazillion plastic containers on hand, ill use em up and phase them out for the new more natural version asap :)

as for further food adventures to come, I have made a ton of quinoa puree with green beans and last night tried my hand at chicken parmesan mousse. Ill let you know what the critic thinks soon :)