No Baby Food Here!

Whether you breast feed or formula feed your baby, at some point they’ll begin to wean and eat solid foods. This weaning process can be done the traditional way or the approach we took, baby-led weaning. Now I would not consider myself a purest when it comes to baby-led weaning (BLW). We followed the principles of BLW as far as the introduction of solid foods but before Noah was one year old, I led the weaning process. I wanted to make sure Noah breastfed until a year old. After Noah’s first birthday I began to follow his lead on the weaning of breast milk feedings. At this point, he’ll fully wean when he’s ready.

Just what is BLW?

Wikipedia describes baby-led weaning as “a method of adding complementary foods to a baby’s diet of formula or breast milk. Baby-led weaning allows babies to control their solid food consumption by “self-feeding” from the very beginning of their experiences with food. The term weaning should not be taken to imply giving up formula or breast milk, but simply the introduction of foods other than formula or breast milk.” In fact Wikipedia has a great amount of information here.

For those of you who that would like to learn more pick up a copy of The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett from here and join this Facebook group .

I would also love it if you read an article that I wrote for The Family Magazine of Michiana. The article is titled “Food Before One is Fun” and it’s on pages 18 & 19 from their May 2013 issue .

While I think that BLW is great, please take the time to learn about the simple guidelines before handing your 6 month old a piece of steak or even a grape. It is important that you put your child’s safety first by being properly informed.

I can only speak from my experience, but BLW is not only great but an experience I wouldn’t change!

Banana Oatmeal “Cookies”

One of Noah’s little treats are his oatmeal banana cookies. They taste very similar to real oatmeal cookies but they’re gluten free.

We started making them not because we’re gluten free people but we needed to use up some super soft bananas.

We’ve also used super soft bananas for ice cream!

You’ll have to Google a recipe because there are tons out there that you might enjoy.

Oatmeal Banana Cookies

Ingredients
1 banana
1/2c long cooking oats
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Pure vanilla extract
Diced fruit (apricots, raisins, or apples)

1. Soak the oats in water for at least an hour. Drain in tea strainer.
2. If you’re using dried fruit, also soak for at least an hour. Drain in tea strainer. (Soaking them will make the soft and less chewy.)
3. Mash up banana
4. Add oats & fruit
5. Add nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla to taste (No raw eggs so it’s safe to taste the batter!!)

Since the size of bananas varies you may need to add more oats. We add enough dried oats until the mixture is the consistency of regular oatmeal cookie batter.

6. Preheat oven to 300
7. Spray your baking sheet with nonstick spray
8. Portion mixture into small bite size blobs
9. Bake for 20 mins (depending on your oven)

Since these are a hit in our house, I make a batch 5 times this size. It makes enough to fill two 11×15 cookie sheets and will last about a week.

I also stock up on bananas when they go on sale. Peel the bananas and put them in a freezer safe container. Then just pull them out the night before you need them.

Enjoy!

Has My Magic Juice Lost Its Power?

Our breast feeding journey might be coming to an end. I’ve got mixed emotions about this but I am honestly excited that he’s growing up. It’s just that this type of bonding is special to me.

Yet I feel like my once magical juice is losing its power!

I call it magical because, first of all, it’s amazing that my body produces nutrition for my child. Plus when nursing before bed it has the same effects as a Thanksgiving Dinner.

(Who doesn’t fall asleep after that meal?)

Before Noah was one I stayed mainly in control of the weaning process. I kept him to a schedule but noticed he was starting to lose interest in different feeding times. After a week or so of little interested I’d drop the feeding.

A little before he turned one we went from nursing 4 times a day to 3 times a day. At this point he was consistently eating 3 good meals a day and I just wanted to make it to my one year goal.

Now that he’s one, I’ve passed the reins to him.

Since he’s such a good eater, I’m confident he’s getting his nutritional needs met. However, I’m in no hurry to be done nursing. Nursing is still nutritionally beneficial plus it’s something that only he and I do together.

He’s becoming more independent but still wants to be close to me and nursing accomplishes that. However, with him now down to about 2 feedings a day, I feel the need to look at other ways of being connected with him.

My juice may have lost its power but my arms & lap have not.

Just like any parent-child relationship there are changes that occur as the child gets older. So instead of nursing for comfort, maybe now we snuggle while reading a book. Or he can sit in my lap while playing.

I’m not fearful of the changes ahead, I just want to be mindful that Noah might want a different form of love from me.

Throughout the changes, I still want a connected relationship. We’ll just have to redefine what that looks like together from time to time, and I’m okay with that.

For now, I’m enjoying each time he still wants to nurse. I never know when it might be his last time.

If you haven’t read this previous post. Check it out! It’ll help you understand how I try to be mindful of Noah’s firsts AND lasts.