Baby's First Foods

Tomorrow (Sunday) Molly gets her first taste of real food. 

I hope it goes better than her first taste of medicine, which, despite the bubble-gummy goodness (?) of pink amoxicillan (thanks baby's first ear infection!), did not go (has not been going) so well.

On the menu: Pears!

I'm mostly convinced my doctor does not agree with feeding the baby pears first. I'm thinking it has to do with the commonly held belief that the baby will get spoiled by sweet foods that she will not want to eat the more bland/more nutritious-tasting flavors of rice cereal or vegetables.

I haven't experienced this problem with either of the two boys yet.  I guess, I'm just of the philosophy that I'd like to get her interested in actually eating and swallowing food than I am concerned about her actually eating it for nutrients.

This goes along with what I've read that table food in the first year really is more "for fun" anyways since either nursing or bottle will supply all their real nutrients.

I smirk when I hear this because feeding a baby is quite disproportionate in the hassle-fun ratios.

Admittedly, it is neat to take these first steps, but feeding a baby table foods is stacks of work. Prepping it, convincing the baby to take it, getting a small fraction in her mouth, then the clean up afterwards.  The first time doing it is "fun" but the reaction of the baby is not nearly terribly rewarding. It's not like I've ever gotten the expression on the baby's face, "HMMM! This is EXACTLY the taste I was hungry for! I've been waiting for this exact experience to happen to me! I've been so tired of the same old menu up to this point. THANK YOU!"

My boys so far haven't really reacted at all. They aren't happy, they aren't mad, they just experience it.  So the parents are all happy and hyped up with video cameras rolling and all this to do, and the baby is just like, "Ok. Yes, I will sit here while food is placed on in my mouth. I will lick my lips, not because I like it but because I always do things with my mouth because it's the one part of my body I really can control well. This sensation that is happening to me when I lick my lips is an experience. I don't know how to categorize this experience so I will continue to stare blankly ahead while more of my random lip smacking distributes this substance all over my face/chair/bib/back of head/etc.

It's really the 10 month feeding stage that gets more interesting, convenient and not totally disproportionately a hassle. The kids can pick up their own food and shovel it into their mouths, they seem to demonstrate preferences, and it does seem like they are eating to eat and not just to have another experience.  In other words, a hungry 10 month old can eat table food and feel full. A hungry 6 month has very little remedy from a 2 oz serving a watery pears.

 Despite my somewhat dry tone, I am looking forward to tomorrow and will surely give you plenty of pictures to document our adventure in solids.  I'm looking forward to having Molly join us at the table because I look forward to looking around at the table and seeing yet another smiling face join us.  I'm looking forward to this sort of unofficial beginning of the non-grub phase of Molly's life. 6 months old is a