7 months later
7 months later
Long story short, my blog got away from me for a bit. I went back to work mid-June and the little man started daycare then as well. Since the last blog, wow, so much has been going on.
Noah is a food monster and loves eating everything from bologna & cheese sandwiches, to pizza and broccoli. He still drinks his bottles 5 times a day but has 2 or 3 meals mixed in there and a few different snacks. Here are some tips or tricks I have learned or figured out for feeding my son as a blind mother.
· Pick a highchair that is easy to use and snap together. We always used the straps even if Noah was little and had no way of getting out. This gets them use to feeding time and gets them use to their highchair.
· Feeding purees or pouches is just darn right difficult. It is messy and tough to know how much is on your spoon when feeding. If you put your left finger near the edge of their mouth, it acts as a guide for your hand holding the spoon. With this method though, the kiddo usually will turn towards the left hand near the corner of their mouth, thus making it a bit tricky. I tend to leave this type of feeding to daddy.
· Feeding “real food” is the fun part. Noah eats tiny pieces of meat, cheese, eggs, toast and anything you can literally think of. At first I was terrified but after a while, he learned quick and uses his gums to knaw at his food and swallow.
· Noah will reach for my hand with the food in it and shove it into his mouth. He does not know how to grab his own food off of his tray yet and put it into his mouth but I’m sure that will be happening shortly.
· Understand the difference between choking and gagging. With starting “real” solids, gagging will happen but if your child is quiet, non-responsive and not moving, they are choking. Make sure you are brushed up on your CPR skills. I tend to feed my son in a quiet spot so that I can listen as carefully as I can to make sure he is still chewing and moving etc.
· Offer a small cup or a straw cup with meals. Fill it with water and offer sips throughout the meal. Noah learned very quickly how to use the straw cup and plays with it sometimes but mostly uses it to drink from when he is thirsty. This will prepare them for when you wean off of using bottles and start putting milk in the sippy cup.
· Bibs are your friend.
· Give your child some toys afterwards to play with so they get used to their highchair and so you have a couple of minutes to clean up or put food and dishes away.
· Keep a pack of wipes or get a warm washed cloth after meal times to clean your child’s face. Sometimes food even reaches his forehead which I have no idea how that even happened.
· Try to have each meal in the highchair, even snacks.