Bibs are made to get Dirty

If you’ve been reading any of my posts so far, particularly Helicopter Mommy, you know that I’m a nut job about keeping Eliana’s clothes clean in this whole adventure into solid foods. The truth is, I’ve been this way since the beginning. As soon as she began drinking from bottles, and not very neatly at that, I began to freak out about needing to have a bib and burp cloth for her at all times. (And yes, of course, they matched her clothes. Duh.) I was such a nut about it that I bet my poor husband heard me screeching, “Use a bib!!” even in his sleep. But now he has been well trained to always use one (for Eliana) so it is no longer a problem.

So, using a bib for babies isn’t a unique concept—I get that. But you want to hear what qualifies me as an OCD Super Spazz? I don’t just want to keep Eliana"s clothes clean. I want her bibs to be clean too. Believe me, I know it’s a bit crazy. I mean, it’s a BIB! A bib is made to get dirty. That’s. Its. Purpose. I repeat this to myself quite regularly. I’m such a crazy person about her bibs that a bib hierarchy exists in my home.

It is sort of a caste system for bibs.

(Are you wondering yet if I see a therapist for my issues?)

Here’s the breakdown of the bib hierarchy and I APOLOGIZE in advance if you gifted Eliana any of the bibs that fall into a less-than-desirable category. It’s not you. It’s me. ALL me.

Level 1s: The Vitamin Bibs

These are the bibs that I’m just not that into. Sure, some of them are sort of cute. But they aren’t my style and I’m not really a fan.  Therefore, these bibs have been deemed “Vitamin Bibs.”  Why Vitamin Bibs?  Well, each day Eliana gets her vitamins in a bottle. Her vitamins are a super stinky green liquid that stains. So, I use these bibs when she drinks from those bottles. Let them get stained. These are the bibs that fulfill their bib destiny. (I think by creating the term “bib destiny” I just ratcheted up the level of My Craziness!) This wasn’t a conscious decision I made. It just sort of happened this way. I realized that even though another bib was already pulled out to match her outfit, I would go and get one of these bibs from her drawer just to use with the vitamins. So now, that is their place in life. It’s okay. They’re cool with it.

As I said, some are cute. But, I'm just not into them. 

Apples stain so she's wearing a vitamin bib!

Level 2s: The Okays

These are the bibs that are “okay” in my mind. I don’t love them, but they do the job. Again, they are by no means ugly—they just aren’t particularly cute. I even bought some of them myself but they do not win any points for style or cuteness. (The exception is the “99 Problems But a Bib Ain’t One” bib. That one makes us laugh.) The “Okays” are the bibs that I pull out when the colors coordinate with Eliana’s outfit and there are no better options. And I don’t get bent all out of shape if they get stained or dirty. Well, okay, I get a little bent out of shape.

This post gave me a good excuse to dig through old photos.

Level 3s: The Reliables

Plain, simple, white.  They go with everything. These are the reliable fall-backs when nothing else matches Eliana’s outfit. And yes, I did break down and buy white burp cloths too so that the bibs and burp cloths would match. Can you imagine how much longer it took to put Eliana’s outfit together when I had to coordinate the blanket of the day as well?

Plain, simple, white

Matches everything!

 Level 4s: The Alphas

These bibs are my favorites. I love them. These are the bibs that have been hand-picked by me and unless under extreme circumstances, they will never, never be used with a vitamin bottle. They are super pretty and cute and I freak out if one goes into the wash dirty and I didn’t spray oxy-clean all over it. Oh, the horror! 

The other day I was giving Eliana a bottle before her nap. I looked down and noticed, aghast, that she was drinking a bottle with vitamins AND using one of her super cute Alpha bibs. Nooooooooo!! Normally, I would just turn the bib over so the back gets stained. But, these bibs are cute on both sides. Shoot! Or, I would have pulled the bottle out of her mouth, and dug a vitamin bib out of her drawer. But, the poor little lady was so calm and sleepy that I wasn’t going to disturb her. So, I slowly twisted the bib around to get to the tag on the back and used the tag to wipe up the bit of green mess. PHEW! Great save, MacGyver Mommy.

Sooo pretty! 

Burp cloths and bibs in one.

Nothing that stains when she wears this one. 

How can a bib from this amazing restaurant not be a favorite?

You may be shocked to learn there are times when Eliana is actually bib-less. 

Here's proof: 

This was great, until oatmeal fell onto her pjs. Oops. 

It's okay, Mommy. My clothes will survive.

Now, before you breathe a sigh of relief that I'm getting over my issues, I need to come clean and confess that the only reason I could handle living on the edge without a bib was because of what she was eating. Egg whites and oatmeal won't stain, right??

Now, these are the "bibs" that are just funny.

She's cool with it!

Hey, Daddy has to eat too! (Yeah, Eliana is sleeping under there!)

Go Forth, Young Eater

Investigating an avocado before I opened it.

Her first solid! Applesauce

Some of my friends and family have asked me about the order in which I've introduced solid foods to Eliana. I have no real rhyme or reason. I did purposefully make her applesauce on her 6-month birthday as her first "solid" because she loves apples. I thought that would be a fun way to start. I didn't really think about that initial stage of pushing everything back out of her mouth because she had no idea what to do with the stuff I had just shoved in there.  But anyway, since her pediatrician gave us the directions to make for her whatever we are making for ourselves, I've pretty much just cooked up whatever organic veggies or fruits I've found. (And if you've read any of my recipes, you know that I typically add onions, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to her vegetables.)

So, Eliana's adventure into solids has gone pretty much like this:

• Applesauce with Cinnamon (alone and with oatmeal and/or Greek yogurt)
• Roasted Butternut Squash
• Watermelon slices (Baby-Led Weaning style)
• Apple slices 
• Avocado with a bit of salt
• Mashed Banana (alone and with oatmeal and/or Greek yogurt)
• Zucchini Puree
• Pear Puree (alone and with oatmeal and/or Greek yogurt)
• Carrots with Farro 
• Hummus
• Corn Puree (alone and with Greek yogurt)
• Yam Soup
• Kale and Potato Puree
• Red Pepper Puree







Eating my apple. She made such an aggressive noise when I took it away from her.

Kale and potato goatee

Checking out the menu for tomorrow.

Applesauce with yogurt

Hey! Look what Mommy made! (Red Pepper Puree)

Open wide

This tastes weird! (She spit it right back out.) 

Helicopter Mommy Update

Last night I got to catch up with my friend Tracy who is an amazing mom to twin boys who are Eliana's age. I was telling her about my OCD about getting Eliana's clothes all messy when I'm feeding her. Tracy gave me a brilliant idea: stuff a napkin inside Eliana's collar under the bib.

So, I tried it today.

                                                       But then this happened.

I'm in charge of the spoon, Woman!

We didn't escape mess free- but it helped. Corn puree wasn't on her clothes.
Just my clothes and neck.  And all over her face, hands and some of her hair.

I might go ahead and get those smock-like bibs I keep hearing about!

Baby Food Recipes

Here are some of the recipes for what I have fed Eliana so far. I will try to post at least one recipe a week. 
A few notes about my recipes and cooking:

• I give Eliana as much seasonal, organic produce as possible. My friend Dawn brings up a good point about buying local, in season produce because other countries might not necessarily have the same rules about pesticides as we do.  If I were super clever, I would have thought to freeze the yummy organic fruit that was available in the summer. But, over the summer I had a newborn, so cleverness was not my strong point! 
• Organic fruits and vegetables that are flash frozen are still very nutritious so I will use them sometimes.
• Whenever I steam her food, I use the Beaba Babycook my brother and his family gave me last month. Typically, I blend it in there too, since it is BPA-free plastic. 
• "Puree" is a bit of a misnomer. I leave a few small, soft lumps as advised by our pediatrician.

Having said all that, here are some recipes. If you have any questions about them, feel free to ask! 

Roasted Butternut Squash
-1 organic butternut squash peeled, seeded and chopped
-1 small organic yellow onion- chopped
-Olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Toss squash and onion with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on a cookie sheet and roast for 40-50 minutes until tender at 400°. Mash with a fork or blend in food processor.

Let cool slightly before serving to baby. 

Carrot Puree

-2-3 organic carrots peeled and chopped

-¼ small organic onion chopped

-½ tablespoon cooked farro and some reserved cooking liquid

-Olive oil, chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste

Cook farro according to directions on package and reserve some of the liquid. Heat olive oil in pan on low-medium heat and add onion, garlic and salt. Cook until golden - around 4 minutes and set aside.  Steam carrots.  Combine carrots, farro, about a tablespoon of reserved cooking liquid and onion mixture and blend. Add more liquid as needed.

Let cool slightly before serving to baby. 

Applesauce

- 2 apples peeled and chopped (if apples are organic, can leave peel on)

- About ¼ cup of water

- Cinnamon to taste

Put ingredients into a small saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes or until apples are soft. Mash with a fork or in blender, adding cooking liquid as needed.

Let cool before serving.

Variations: Combine with plain oatmeal, Fage Total Greek yogurt, or both.

Pear Puree

-  Follow same instructions as for applesauce.

- Variations: Add ginger instead of cinnamon. Combine with plain oatmeal, Fage Total Greek yogurt or both.

Happy Cooking!

Helicopter Mommy

This is about as messy as I can handle.

I'm waaaay too crazy for this mess.  In theory, I want Eliana to experience food inside and out, to get to know the smell, feel and, duh, taste of her food and to become a "good eater." I say, and do actually believe, all of that. Until she tries to grab the food off the spoon, smear it all over her face, her hair, the bib, her clothes, me, her Bumbo seat and the counter. 

Oh no!

Oh dear. 

I swear that if it were not winter, I'd strip her down to her diaper, feed her outside and hose her down when she's finished. Yes, I have considered doing all of this in the shower.  


Even I realize that's a bit extreme.

So what do I do? I hover over her with the spoon in one hand and a damp napkin in the other and swab that gorgeously dirty little face after every other bite. Poor thing tries to grab the spoon and my heart palpitates as I begin to worry about where the food on the spoon will end up. 

Nuts, right? 

Do you believe my crazy Mommy?

I know. I've got issues. 

Creating a teeny tiny foodie

As I understand it, there are many different views and opinions on how to introduce a baby to solid foods.  I think of the two main camps as "old school" and "new age." Based on my unofficial research among my "New Mommy Friends", your camp has to do with your own opinion/comfort level and your pediatrician.  Our pediatrician is from the "new age" camp and that works just fine for me.

Yep. That's a pickle.

At Eliana's 4-month check-up, our pediatrician told us to let Eliana lick or taste basically anything we were eating. Yep, anything.  All those things we thought were big no-nos were okay. So, peanuts, eggs, shellfish, dairy - all good. She didn't explicitly mention honey but I'm keeping that off the list. Our pediatrician also said to make sure we gave her a variety of flavors, textures and tastes so Eliana would have a "wide palate" and not eat a diet of bland, boring foods. 

Let the fun begin!

So, Matt (that's the hubby) and I let her try it all. It is fun and funny to watch her taste a variety of sauces, fruits, and vegetables. Eliana literally lapped it up. Apple slices, soy sauce, dal, hummus, oatmeal and more!  I could tell right away she took after her Mama and was into food. 

Don't even THINK about taking this apple away!

Is there something on my face?

At the 6-month check-up, we got the lowdown on how to deal with Eliana's introduction to actual food going into her actual mouth vs. being held by one of us or licked off one of our fingers. So again, we were told to basically let her eat whatever we are eating.  Except we should puree her food, but not make it totally smooth so there are still tiny bits in order for her to learn to chew. She should have spices and oil- just the way we would eat something is the way she should. Two different "meals" twice a day. I heard the doctor say this method is called "Baby Linguine"!?  So I googled Baby Linguine and realized that I had misheard the doctor - she actually said "Baby Led Weaning"   Basically, you give your baby "chip sized" aka french fry-sized pieces of food and let her do with it what she will. I haven't done so much of that yet. It makes me nervous for both her airways and her clothes! (More on that in the post 'Helicopter Mommy.')

So, now my mission is to keep introducing her to different flavors and textures.  Not the typical rice cereal or apple sauce for three days in a row.  Oatmeal with her applesauce, greek yogurt with her pureed pears, carrots with garlic and farro blended in, just to name a few. She loves it! 

Corn puree. YUM-MY!

Tonight's menu? Sauteed kale with potatoes. Yum.

Welcome to teeny tiny foodie

Thanks for visiting teeny tiny foodie. My daughter, Eliana, just turned 7 months old and we've been doing the solid food thing for a few weeks. Each day I *attempt* to feed her two different "solids" twice a day. Attempt because there are days it happens and days it doesn't.  

We all have goals, right? 

I took the year off from work to stay home with the little lady and since I like to cook,  I'm a bit of a food snob, and (I'll confess) a control freak, I'm making all her food. 

So far, at least. 

Check here for updates on how these adventures in eating are going!

Eliana, my happy little lady!