Feeding baby food is a big deal. For most Mom’s there is a lot of thought that goes into the food you choose, the schedule you follow, and the age you begin. Do I make my own? How much do I feed them? How often? There are so many questions!
With each of my kids, I started cereal between 3-4 months. I was always told to try it because they may sleep better at night. Never worked like that for me. However, it did help them begin to learn how to eat from a spoon and get exposure to the texture of actual food. Then around 5-6 months, I typically started jar baby food.
Sienna just turned 8-months (I can’t even believe it). Her journey has been a bit different than the others for a couple of reasons. The first being she was born with just one kidney. Weird, I know. It was there at my 20-week ultrasound when we learned the gender. Then at my 24 week ultrasound, it was gone. No real explanation. The second reason being just the circumstances in our lives right now.
As a single kidney baby, Sienna has more doctor visits than my other two did. Every 6-months we see a kidney specialist. She has an ultra sound done and at least once a year will have routine blood panels done. The plan is to watch her kidney growth and function closely. While most people with single kidneys live normal lives, the first 5-years are most crucial for growth. We have a goal that her kidney needs to be the size of a normal adult kidney by the time she is 5. This will ensure it can support her into adulthood.
With Sienna, I was told not to rush her onto food. Definitely postpone her milk transition. That they would likely want her to continue on formula until 18-months (longer than most kids) before we transition to milk. So my initial plan regarding feeding baby food was to wait until after her 6-month appointment to really begin. Unfortunately, life stepped in because that’s the exact time we lost Cameron.
These last couple of months, getting Sienna transitioned hasn’t been a priority. When I looked at the calendar the other day and saw the date, I knew that had to change. How could she be turning 8-months? So I went out and stocked up on my Beech-Nut baby food.
Why I Love Beech-Nut
Now stick with me for a moment as I know this sounds a little salesy (is that a word?). This is a brand I discovered when Melia was little. My discovery came not through their typical baby food, but through their pouches. I was always looking for easy, grab-and-go type food for the kids. These fit the bill. Healthy fruits & veggies that tasted like a smoothie. Didn’t need refrigerated. Great to take on-the-go because the kids could eat them anywhere! To this day, Melia still eats them. Even at 7, Cameron was eating them.
When it was time to decide what to feed Sienna, Beech-Nut made sense to me (and no this is not a paid post). While I admire the mom’s that make their own food, that just isn’t me! So I was looking for a brand that could get me as close to that as possible. Beech-Nut did that. They are part of the Non-GMO project so all of their ingredients are tested and verified. They believe the best food for babies is not baby food, it’s real food for babies. Even their process for making it is simple (check out the video here).
They have some really cool recipes! Their organics line was inspired by recipes mom’s use at home. Who else offers jar baby food with recipes like guava/pear/strawberry, beets/pear/pomegranate, spinach/zucchini/peas, or mango/apple/avocado. When you look at the list of ingredients on any of these, those are the only words you see. Plus, they taste good (I’ve tried them)!
So our journey begins. Sienna is showing lots of interest in eating. She is still a little unsure of the textures. We are enjoying the funny faces as she eats. Hopefully the added food will help her kidney growth. It was a bit smaller than the doctor wanted to see at our 6-month appointment. Working toward our goal of hitting the 90% target.
My goal right now is to get her started with 1 jar per day at a minimum (1/2 jar at each sitting). Then we will ramp up from there once she gets the hang of it. Or maybe I should say once I get the hang of making this our normal routine. That’s half the battle! Wish us luck.