More Flavor for the Newest Solid Food Eater

Fi was quite happy to be able to taste something with flavor. I started giving her baby food in sweet potato flavor last Friday. She was so excited and couldn't wait for the food to get to her mouth. She was eating really well. She must be thinking "finally, not the flavorless rice cereal!" Today, I gave her carrot and peas. She was making loud noises and bouncing on her exersaucer when she saw me holding the jars of baby food. Couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. Obviously, she wanted what I had in my hands and ate as much as her tummy can hold. I love this stage! :)

My Daughter Can Eat Oreos

A smear of Oreo and a smile.

Because my daughter has allergies to some food (mostly dairy products), we are very careful in everything we give her. Last night, my husband tried to give her Oreos. He said Oreo cookies actually don't have milk in it. So, he gave her a very small piece of Oreo and we waited for few minutes to see if she will get allergic reaction to it. When my daughter is allergic to a food, she usually gets instant allergic reaction from it. Her lips swell and rashes appear on the sides of her mouth. But with Oreos, there was no swelling of the lips or rashes around the mouth! Yay, my daughter can eat Oreos!

You may wonder why it makes me happy that my daughter can eat Oreos when in fact it's not healthy at all. Well, my daughter doesn't get to eat most of the sweet treats that other kids can. Besides, it doesn't mean that because she's not allergic to Oreos, she can munch it as much and as often as she wants. That's a big NO. She can have Oreos sometimes—as a special treat. After all, most of what she consumes everyday are veggies and fruits. Sometimes, it's nice to give her something that she doesn't normally eat. Perhaps when she's old enough, she can dip Oreos in her soy milk while sitting beside her Dada enjoying his Oreos too. :)

Frozen Grapes: Teething Relief to Special Treats

Photo courtesy of webgrl on Flickr

Do you know that frozen grapes are a great teething relief tool for toddlers? I started to use this natural teething remedy for my daughter when she learned to eat solid food, like chunks of veggies and fruits. I won't suggest this for babies who do not know how to chew yet because choking would be the worst that can happen, if ever. That would be a real, tough challenge as a parent where your kid's life is at risk.

Frozen grapes as teething relief was suggested by my mother-in-law. Thanks to her, or else I wouldn't know how mother nature's harvest combined with human technology work wonders to a little person whose teeth are racing to sprout.

Introducing frozen grapes to my daughter was never a problem. She never refused the first time we gave it to her. Although there's that initial reaction and look in her face on "what's this thing?" followed with few licking and tasting. The acceptance to this "new thing" was quick and successful. She actually does not know the primary purpose of the frozen grapes. All she knows is that, it's different from what she normally eats and it's pleasurable in her mouth.

As this teething relief technique progressed along the way, frozen grapes are no longer just a delightful bite to soothe teething discomfort, but also now have become her treats. Because we do not give it to her that often, she thinks that frozen grapes are very special snacks. You can tell her excitement through the glimmer of her eyes and the smile her lips outline.

Soothing the pain of teething in babies using frozen grapes is never a hard work. All you have to do is rinse the grapes thoroughly, remove the excess water, put it in a container, and keep it in the freezer. As easy as that. It does not only ease the pain, it's a natural remedy too! You might even like to feast on frozen grapes for snacks (not because you're also teething) :). You will be surprised how satisfying it is in the mouth. 

Appetite is Back

I am the happiest mother today. My little one's appetite is finally back on track! Her disinterest on food these past days when she was sick was quite stressful on my part. It's something that I am not used to. She's typically a food attacker. So I worried because she's not eating the amount of food that she's supposed to. I even had this fear that her love for food will diminish after the sickness. She literally rejected all her favorite food. She would shake her head whenever we attempted to feed her. There was an instance she missed to drink two consecutive milk feedings because she didn't want it. Many food went to waste. Absolutely a huge challenge for me. She'd been sick before, but she would still eat. But this recent illness utterly shut her appetite down.

Today, she ate all the food I gave her for breakfast and lunch. I made her favorite spaghetti for dinner and she gorged everything in the plate. She also devoured half of the avocado. I can tell that she missed food. Everything is back to normal. Thank God! My heart is smiling again. :)

Salmon, Broccoli, and Rice for Lunch

My toddler had salmon, broccoli, and rice for lunch the other day. I fried the salmon in olive oil. I used extra virgin olive oil to fry the fish because it's so much better for her health than vegetable oil. As usual, I steamed the broccoli for few minutes, just enough for it to get soft to chew for a little person with 11 teeth. Rice was steamed. We use jasmine rice at home. I love the aroma of it. Besides, most jasmine rice are better in quality than other kind of white rice.

Right after I handed the plate to her, she immediately grabbed a handful of rice and shoved it in her mouth. Steamed broccoli was the most popular food in the plate. Unfortunately, she didn't eat all the fried salmon. She only ate a quarter of the fish. Probably because the meat was bland. Even if I dashed a little bit of salt on top, the meat inside was tasteless. I can understand why she didn't like it as much. She had fried salmon before and she usually finished the fish. But this time, not a good day for salmon. Because I didn't want to put the fish to waste, I decided to mixed it in her dinner with other veggies such as peas, corn, and carrots. Of course with rice. She ate some of the fish, at least.

Evie Loves Broccoli

It's been a while since the last time we gave my daughter broccoli. For a time, we decided to take a break in feeding her this vitamin-full veggie because it made her pass foul-smelling gas. But last week, we're back to giving her broccoli.

It's amazing to see how my daughter loves to eat steamed broccoli. She must have missed it. I do not put any seasoning to make it flavorful, but still she munch it like she's a "broccoli monster." I do not know what's in broccoli that my toddler likes. Broccoli is just one of the vegetables that she loves to chow down. Looking at her while she attacks each bite-size of broccoli is quite a pleasure.

I am a little bit surprised that the gas she passes is not as bad as the smell she had before. This is really good for me and my husband who are the main recipients when she breaks her unpleasant wind :) Broccoli makes her produce green poop too. But you know what? I am the happiest mother because she's eating something nutritious. Go broccoli!

Cow's Milk Allergy: A Threat to My Daughter's Life

We didn't know the severity of the effects of cow's milk on my daughter until last Friday morning. She found a glass on the table with a very little amount (almost empty) of cow's milk in it. Whenever she sees a glass, empty or not, she always thinks that she needs to drink it. That's what happened when she saw the glass on the table when she got up that morning. I immediately took it away from her but she already had a sip or two. Knowing how little she chugged down, we weren't so concern of the effects.

Swelling of Throat

Few minutes after she had a taste of cow's milk, my husband noticed that her voice was hoarse while they were watching Sesame Street online. She was saying something but he can barely understand what she was saying because of how raspy her voice was. He quickly gave her a dose of Benadryl. I encouraged her to talk to make sure she's alright. I was completely shocked to hear a croaky voice coming out from her. I couldn't understand a word she said.

We kept an eye on her the whole time. Thankfully, she didn't have a hard time swallowing the fruits I gave her for breakfast. She was not acting weird and was breathing fine. It took 5 hours for her voice to get back to normal. That's how a very little amount of cow's milk affected her.

Danger of Throat Swelling Due to Cow's Milk Allergy

After this incident happened, I researched online about this very scary allergic reaction. We know that she is allergic to cow's milk. Normally, rashes and welts appear on parts of her body contacted by milk or any other food that she's allergic to. Swelling of the throat never happened before.

Throat swelling is considered as a severe allergic reaction that is dangerous to the life of the person experiencing it. It can cause the person to stop breathing which will put his life in serious danger if not taken cared of immediately.

In the case of kids, specially babies and toddlers who don't have the ability yet to communicate clearly what they feel physically, this allergic reaction is very terrifying to a parent like me. I never thought that my daughter will have this kind of serious reaction to cow's milk (and perhaps even to other groups of food she's allergic to). To Moms whose got a child allergic to some foods, we need to be very careful of what kind of food we give our children. With processed foods, it is always important to check the ingredients on the label before putting it in our child's mouth. If we're giving them something to munch that they haven't tried before and we're not so sure if they're allergic to it or not, the best way to know is give them a very small amount instead of letting them eat the whole portion. Next step is wait and observe. From there, you know what to do next time.

Food Allergy Treatment

Wherever we go, we always bring with us the Children's Benadryl-D Liquid. Benadryl is an antihistamine that we use to treat our daughter's allergies. This medicine really helps a lot in relieving our daughter's allergic reactions such as itchiness, rashes, hives, welts, and lately, throat swelling. Half a teaspoon does all the remedy.

It is always best to ask your child's pediatrician what to give him/her to treat allergies. Some can be treated with over-the-counter medicines and some don't. Asking the expert is very vital. Beware of doing your own diagnosis and prescription.

For more information about food allergies on babies check these links:

All About Allergies

Allergic Reactions

Benefits of Sweet Potatoes to Your Baby

The benefits of sweet potatoes to your baby is awesome! As a Mom, I am quite happy that my daughter loves this food. Sweet potatoes are one of her favorite afternoon snacks. She can consume one whole boiled potato, and even two if I allow her to.

Sweet potatoes have a wide variety. The most common sweet potato you can find in your grocery store is the orange-fleshed one, popularly known as "yam". If you go to Asian supermarkets, you will find 2 to 4 different kinds of sweet potatoes. Finding what I was used to took a little bit of time, but, the search paid of. Japanese yams are the closest variety of sweet potatoes I grew up eating. The flesh is white (turns yellow after boiling), very sweet, and the texture is soft and moist when cooked. I give my daughter boiled Japanese yams for snack and she just rummage the whole plate.

Nutritional Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

Your baby gets a lot of nutritional benefits when you give him/her sweet potatoes. It is ranked by the Center for Science in the Public Interest as the number one best food. This sweet-tasting, starchy vegetable is rich in:

• Beta carotene
• Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6
• Potassium, Folate, Calcium
• Complex carbohydrates
• Dietary fibers

As Moms, our children's good health is a high priority. Feeding them with the right stuff is not difficult to do. It's not pricey either. You can get a pound of sweet potato between $0.59 to $1.50. All we have to do is look around, do a little bit of research, then act.

"Big Girl" on Big Girl's Chair

Sometimes I wonder if my daughter thinks that she's already a big girl. Just like Mama and Dada. What makes me think this? It's when she sits on our regular dining chair when food is served on the table. After she settles herself on the chair, the food on her reach is doomed to be eaten by the little monkey. Just like what happened this morning. She surprised us again with her "food attack" scheme. After her Dada put my share of bacon and pancake on the table, the next time he turned his head, the "big girl" had the bacon on both of her hands and enjoying every bite of it. This is not the only instance where she startled us with her presence on the table feasting on the food.

I bet she likes to be on the "big chair." Whenever she's there, she'd wiggle and rock her legs—an expression of her delight.

Devouring Mama's bacon

Sitting on Mama's chair, attacking the pancake :)

Bottle Weaning: Day 4 to Day 9

Day 4 to Day 7: A Huge Success

Weaning our daughter from the fourth to the seventh day was a big success. She no longer refused to drink her milk using the cup. She didn't throw a fit everytime we handed her the milk. What a miracle! :) Although within these days, there were few instances that we had to remind her to finish her milk which was not a problem at all. We even let her use the cup to drink milk before bedtime.

Day 8 to Day 9: Goodbye Morning Bottles

From day 1 to day 7, Evie was still using the bottle in her first feeding in the morning. This was our last challenge—to get rid of the bottle in the morning. She usually wakes up at 6 and ask for her bottle. After eating, she goes back to sleep and wakes up at 8.

Day 8 and 9 were different. She woke up at 6 whimpering. She wanted milk like she's used to. However, I tried to let her go back to sleep by holding her. Mama's touched put her back to sleep. Two consecutive mornings were successful. We gave her milk in a cup after she got up at 8. She didn't complain at all.

We're still working on the morning bottles. Having done it effectively for two days is a good sign. Hopefully it continues.

Bottle Weaning: Day 2 and 3

Day 2: Saying Yes to the Sippy Cup

Day 2 was kind of successful. She didn't refuse to drink the milk from the sippy cup when I gave it to her (morning and afternoon). However, she didn't finish the entire drink. She left about a quarter in each cup. So, I had to keep reminding her that she must finish her milk. She did. I was quite happy of the result. It's a big progress.

Day 3: Refusing to Drink

She refused to drink from her sippy cup both morning and afternoon. I am not too sure of the reasons. My guess though is that, she was over-stimulated with what was going on in the house today. This morning her Dada and me were busy and the house was noisy from the sounds of the vacuum cleaner and Rug Doctor. She either wanted to get involve or play. There were even times she would cover her ears because of how loud it was in the house.

Later in the afternoon, she was very excited to go out after we put her shoes on. Each time we gave her the cup, she shook her head and pushed it away. All she cared about was opening the back door so she can go out. In fairness though, even if she expressed her refusal a lot of times in our attempts, she still managed to drink her milk in the cup and emptied it. And yes, it wouldn't be possible if we did not stretch our patience and insistence. That's just one of parenthood's value—developing inner virtues. No wonder I love parenting.

Bottle Weaning: Day 1

So today, we decided to start our feat in trying to wean our daughter from bottle (again). We attempted few times before after she turned one, but failed. She didn't like the milk in the sippy cup. She spat it out. We stopped.

Saturday night, my husband got food from Olive Garden and ordered a child portion of spaghetti for her. It came with a cup of strawberry drink. Since she has allergic reaction to strawberries, her Dada ended up drinking her share. After the cup was emptied, she grabbed and sipped the liquid (from the ice). Then came the idea! Why not try putting her milk in the cup? Evie loves to drink with a straw. I don't know why. Maybe because she sometimes sees us drinking with straw and thinks it's cool.

We poured a little bit of soy milk in the cup. Alas, she emptied it! Great! Then questions popped in my mind? Is she ready to give up her bottle? Is it time to wean?

Sippy Cups and Straws

New sippy cups were purchased last night at Walmart. It's the one with straw. Very colorful, with cute graphics that might interest her. She will love it, I thought, specially knowing the fact that its got a straw. This should work.

Trial #1 (Sunday Night)

There was a problem with the suction. She had a hard time sipping the milk. I thought it's how the cup is designed. Besides, she kept tilting the cup, using it like a bottle. The result? She only consumed a quarter of what she's supposed to eat before bedtime. Solution: bottle. Test failed.

I later discovered that the suction problem was, I didn't put on the straw the right way. It was too low, making it touched the base, keeping the milk from flowing.

Trial #2: Day 1

The plan was to give her milk in a sippy cup twice a day until she gets used to it; doing it one step at a time. Even if I have already figured out the problem with the sippy cup, she still wasn't able to finish her milk. The main problem was, she always tilted the cup like how she drinks from a bottle. So I thought, a sippy cup with straw is probably not the answer. Why not use her regular sippy cup? The reason why I didn't use the regular sippy cups is that, she might spit out the milk again like what she did before. I have this notion that she thinks milk are not supposed to be in those cups. But, I was willing to try again.

Experiment was successful! She drunk the rest of her milk from a regular sippy cup!

Trial #3 (After Nap Time)

She gets her milk every 4 in the afternoon. That's when she usually wakes up from her nap. This time, I put her drink in the (regular) sippy cup. Since she just woke up, her mood was not the typical jolly Evie.

She refused to drink her milk. She shook her head, telling me she doesn't like it (in the sippy cup). But I didn't give in to what she wanted. I put the sippy cup on the floor and left it there. Kept reminding her to drink her milk. She wanted me to hold her, but I was acting like I was ignoring her. I think my reaction made her think that I was mad or not happy of her refusal to drink her milk. She picked up the sippy cup, came over to me, and pressed her head against my leg with a whimper. I picked her up and held her in my arms. I told her to drink her milk. She was the most obedient girl for Mama. She drained her sippy cup! Trial #3 was successful. :)

Tomorrow is another day. We'll see how day 2 will be. Hope it's a smooth one.

Using a Spoon at Meal Time

I deemed that it's time that she feeds herself with a spoon instead of bare hands.

Grabbing the spoon from me every meal time is a typical scenario. It's a message telling me that she wants to do it herself. I gave her the spoon once in a while and let her do it. But because of how she couldn't coordinate well with the scooping and ushering the spoon to her mouth, I decided not to let her do it on her own  yet. However last night, the moment has come. After she gorged half of her dinner, I decided to hand her the spoon and see if she's ready for a "feeding-myself-using-a-spoon training." She actually did a good job. This time, she's able to shovel food on the utensil and take it to her mouth. I believed that the pretend play she does everyday with an empty plate (sometimes with cheerios) and spoon helps the coordination development. Well, there is still the temptation to use her hands picking up food. Later she put down the spoon (probably getting impatient of how slow she can feed herself using it), picked up the bowl and pulled it to her face. She could be thinking that it's easier and faster to stuff her tummy if she drinks her food. Weirdo :) I love my little apprentice. She's smart!

Brussel Sprouts and Farts

These past few days, my daughter had been passing out gas a lot of times. And that funny sound was always accompanied by  a very stenchy smell. Of course, I had to check to find out if she had her toilet time (which most of the time I was so sure she did because of how bad it smelled). But many times I was duped. She just needed to release the bad air circling around her tummy.

We weren't able to pinpoint the root cause of her gassiness until we visited Evie's grandparents and talked about her food. The culprit? Brussel sprouts! I didn't know that brussel sprouts can turn a baby into a "farter." I know about broccoli. But brussel sprouts? I didn't have any idea until that day.

My daughter had been eating the soup her Dada exclusively made for her. It's a mixture of tomato sauce, beef, and various vegetables such as carrots, onions, celery, peas, green beans, corn, spinach, cauliflower, and yes, brussel sprouts. From then on, she exhausted really bad smelling gas.

Brussel Sprouts Make a Person Gassy

That's according to the online research I did about brussel sprouts. The National Digestive Diseases Information ClearingHouse (NDDIC) explains that brussel sprouts contain a kind of sugar called "raffinose" that causes the person eating the veggie to pass gas. Well, brussel sprouts is not the only veggie which contains this type of sugar. Other veggies on the list include: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beans, asparagus, and more.

If you do a search online, you will notice that a lot of people have a lot to say about how foul the gas odor is from someone who consume brussel sprouts—even with animals. I never have had brussel sprouts. But with the experience I had with my daughter, I don't think I'll eat this veggie.

No more brussel sprouts for Evie. Cauliflower and broccoli are fine—they seem to be odorless. And as long as cauliflower and broccoli don't upset her tummy, she can eat them.

What to Do with the Soup

"Should we throw it away?" I asked my husband. He made a good amount of soup, I tell you. "I was thinking that we can eat it." He answered seriously. That blurted me into laughter. If a toddler's little tummy filled the whole room with stinky gas, how much more the two adults whose tummies are ten times bigger than the little one? Just imagine.

"Now I know that Brussel Sprouts are bad, just a small amount in a soup served in a small volume (2 Tbsp) to a toddler is enough to fumigate a large bedroom. Judging by the smell, it's bad for you, and it's bad for the environment. Just say no to Brussel Sprouts." - Facebook status of Evie's Dada today.

Similac Infant Formula Recall

Abbott, maker of infant formulas has volunteered to recall millions of cans of Similac powder infant formula due to a suspicion that the products may be contaminated with parts of beetles or larvae. Last week the company discovered these bugs in one of their manufacturing plant sections. Accordingly, powdered infant formulas polluted by these insects could cause digestion problems and stomach aches in babies consuming the contaminated product. Similac brand products affected by this recall are those distributed in the U.S., Guam, Puerto Rico, and some countries in the Carribean.

If your are using Similac powder infant formula for your baby, you are advised to find out immediately if the baby formula your child eats is one of the recalled Similac formulas. To do it, click this link: Similac Infant Formula Recall. Enter the lot number of the product (found on the can itself) and hit "search." If the baby formula you have in hand is affected by the recall, you are advised not to give it to your baby for feeding ASAP. You can return the formula and will get a full refund. For complete information on how to return the product, you can call Abbott's consumer hotline at (800) 986-8850.

Who Says My Daughter Can't Eat Ice Cream?

Well, that's what I thought before. When my daughter had a bad allergy reaction from eating just a little amount of ice cream, I thought that she could never eat ice cream all her life. Dairy products are not her skin's best friends. Cream, cheese, milk, yogurt—any dairy-based goods that she had, made her so itchy and made her skin red and bumpy. One day, her Dada hugged her after she had a skin breakout. While she was wrapped in his arms, softly, he told her with so much assurance, "Dada will find you ice cream." Watching them was so touching.

One night, he went home with 2 pints of vanilla and coconut ice cream. Its brand name is called Purely Decadent made by Turtle Mountain. He got it from Fresh & Easy. The products are dairy-free. Whoaaa! The vanilla flavored is made with soy milk, while the other one coconut milk. Alas! She was fine after few tastes. Few weeks later, he came home with yogurt—for her. It's called Soyogurt manufactured by Pulmuone Wild Wood. He got her blue berries and peach. She likes blue berries more than the peach yogurt.

I am quite happy that my daughter can eat the same kinds of food that most people can, except that hers has special ingredients on it. It's a little bit pricey compared to the regular ice cream and yogurt goods. However price is not an issue when it comes to her food. I'm so thankful that there are food producers who make special products for people who are dairy-allergic like my kid.

If your child is also allergic to foods made with dairy products, there's nothing to worry about. With how advanced the food industry in this generation is, everything can be made according to one's needs.

Reheating Baby Food: Microwaving vs. Steaming

Eversince Evie had started eating purely un-pureed food (chunks of veggies, fruits, and meat), I see to it that I make them ahead of time which usually lasts for 3 days (veggies specifically). I cooked peas, carrots, corn, broccoli through steaming and boil green beans, drain excess water, let it cool down, store in a plastic container, and off to the fridge. Before, I used the microwave to reheat the food. Most of the time, I heard peas and corns popping inside the microwave, or worse some scary ignition. I had to cover the bowl to prevent it from happening. After reheating the baby food, the peas usually shrunk and wrinkled. Probably because it got overcooked from the reheating itself. Reheating frozen slices of roast chicken was fine, but, some outer part of the meat became dry.

Just recently, we gave her ground beef. Same process was done—cook and freeze them in portions. But when I reheated the meat using the microwave, it turned out dry and overcooked. Something not so pleasant for my daughter's palate. I thought of how to solve the problem, and what came out was the idea of reheating the baby food by steaming instead of microwaving. The result? Perfect! The texture, shape, and taste of the veggies didn't change, and the meat were not overcooked and dry.

Steaming compared to microwaving takes a little bit of effort because I have to boil a pot of water that could take a few minutes. However, the end result is what I wanted for the food to be reheated—tastes fresh, and looks fresh! I'm sticking to it.

Saving Bucks with Bright Beginnings Baby Formula

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

Baby formula is one of our daughter's vital needs that we spend money the most. She consumes a can (25.75 oz) each week. One thing we are quite grateful about is that, we no longer spend as much as when we fed her with the leading brand names of baby formula. Thanks to store brand baby formulas, which cost helps keep our family budget on the ground. We may be first time parents, but we have learned how to become practical without compromising her good health and nutrition. Using store brands baby formula like Bright Beginnings from Parent's Choice is one of the wisest decision we made. Price wise, we save $40 to $45 a month against Similac or Enfamil containing the same nutritional value such as DHA and ARA. Had we continue to purchase national brands of baby formula, we wouldn't enjoy this much savings that Bright Beginnings or other store brands offer.

The only drawback of this type of baby formula brand is that, it is not available in all grocery stores. Because they are exclusively distributed by one particular store, we have to make a special trip wherever it is being sold. Bright Beginnings for example can only be purchased at Walmart. However, I just discovered that Bright Beginnings available at diapers.com. If I order more than $49, I get a free shipping and will receive the goods in 1 to 2 business days. Sounds like a good deal to me. This method will save us gas from not making a special trip to Walmart just to buy baby's formula.

Practicality is one of the essential things I learned in becoming a Mom. But I made sure that my being practical does not imperil the well-being of my daughter. And when it comes to baby formula, I go for the one that consists all the nutritional values set by the FDA guidelines and standards, yet, so much cheaper compared to other brands.

Munching Corn: New Thing at Meal Time

Munching corn almost every meal time has been Evie's "new thing" now. It's funny to watch her holding a small piece and chewing it using her two tiny teeth. Her cute, chubby hands look so amusing everytime she spins it. She loves corn! And most of all, I think she likes it a lot that she can feed herself—"little bit of independence" she probably thinks. Another funny thing is, she throw the corncob on the floor when it's already empty. What a girl! :)

We first introduced pureed corn at dinner time. First taste was already a success. Later we mixed it with pureed sweet potato. She liked it even better because it's sweeter. Then I realized that corn is quite abundant during summertime, so, why not give her corn in the cob? Well, not the whole cob. I sliced it into thin discs (half an inch thick) just enough for her small mouth. I keep some in the fridge for the rest of the day. My little girl is already starting to eat "big girl's" food :)

Jarred or Homemade Baby Food?

Well, my husband and I had a collective agreement of choosing homemade baby food over jarred baby food. This decision was concluded last night. 

I personally like to make my daughter baby food from fresh veggies and fruits. I love the thought that I made it myself (or her Dada). I truly enjoy doing it. Moreover, I love the idea that what we give her comes from unprocessed produce. 

The freshness of the baby food we feed her is just one of the two primary reasons why we opted to continue making her homemade treats. The other one is, "financial practicability." A 4 oz jar of commercial baby food costs $0.70 - up (depending on the brand). A pound of organic carrots costs $0.79. Currently, Eve eats her meal 3 times a day. Basing on her daily consumption, most probably she can chow down 2 jars daily. A case of 12 jars (4 oz) from Gerber costing $10.69 would only be good for 6 days. But a pound of organic carrots that costs less than a dollar could already feed the baby for a week. What a difference when it comes to "money saving!" We know that the price per pound of other fresh veggies are slightly higher than others, but still, we can save a lot if we prepare homemade baby food.

I am not against jarred baby food. Don't get me wrong. My husband and I just realized that making baby food ourselves sounds more practical and delightful knowing that we feed her new variety of veggies and fruits each week, made from fresh produce, prepared with love. And of course, the bucks we save each week is awesome!

I am not saying that we will no longer give Eve jarred baby food. There should be special situations where commercial baby food is more suitable for an occasion than the homemade one.