In all of the excitement, you are faced with choices. Lots and lots of choices. Life altering choices.
Cloth diapers or disposable.
Huggies or Pampers.
Formula or Breast Milk.
Similac or Enfamil.
Stay at Home or Working Mom.
Jarred food or fresh.
Whether to wear your baby or not.
The list could go on and on. And on.
There seems to be opinions and advice coming at you from every direction. Whether that advice is wanted or not... well... I'll let you decide. Everyone thinks that their way is the best way, and well... It is... for them. In the end it just leaves you confused and feeling inadequate. At least that is how I felt. (Just to carify, there is some advice that is definitely welcomed, when asked for.)
In the end I decided that I would do things how I felt like doing them. I mean I can't screw him up too bad, right? People may judge me and wonder why I was chosen to be Gage's mom, but I have confidence that my motherly instincts will not fail me and Gage will grow up without too many lasting scars.When Gage first started eating solid food, I wanted the absolute best and freshest food for for him. Of course I was going to make homemade baby food and never give him anything that had been processed or bought in a box. Right? Cause that is what all good mom's do!
Ideals.
I wish I could stick to all of my ideals.
Off I went, making and freezing baby food. Lots of baby food. Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Broccoli, Apples, Mango, and well... that was about it. Those are the vegetables and fruits that I had on hand, but it was a good starting point.
After I fed Gage the same fruits and vegetables for weeks and weeks and weeks, we were getting low. My desire to feed him only the best was still there, but the energy to get it done was not. I was a working mom working 5 days a week. I did not want to spend my weekends making baby food and cleaning up the dishes. Call me lazy, I don't mind. My pocket book was not willing to afford the variety of food that I wanted to feed Gage either. I didn't want him to grow up only liking sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, apples, and mango.
But, I should just feed him what I already have in my fridge, right? Because of course it is full of fresh produce of all kinds of varieties.
Ideals.
One saturday as were were walking around in Wal-Mart, I did it. I walked over to the baby food isle. I just wanted to browse and get some ideas. At that point I realized that making all of Gage's baby food was not realistic FOR ME. It may be a perfect fit for someone else, but for me, jarred baby food was what I needed. So... I did it. I bought jarred baby food. I looked at the ingredients. Hmm... wait... you mean there are only sweet potatoes in these sweet potatoes? Sweet! That is just how I make them! Maybe this jarred baby food stuff isn't so bad after all.And get this, the world didn't end. And he keeps growing at a healthy rate. Awesome, right?
Yeah, it may be more pricey, but it is worth my time. I love having time on the weekend with my family. I don't miss making baby food. I can feed Gage jarred food combinations that I would never feed him otherwise. For example, I would not buy berries just to make baby food. It doesn't seem practical to me. I love that I have a variety of food at my fingertips! I can buy a variety without spending lots of money on something that will take Gage months to get through. He gets a chance to like foods that I would never purchase or even like. Plus, have you ever tried to throw frozen baby food into your diaper bag to take to the babysitters house? Yes, that's right. I buy jarred food for convenience.
(I realize you do not need me to convince you or give you any advice, I just want those moms out there that are like me to know that it's okay if you decide not to make your own baby food. Your baby will turn out just fine!)
As Gage has gotten older and is able to eat more table food, we feed him what we are eating. Whatever I can mash with my fork, he gets a bite of. He love black beans, breads, cheese, turkey, and any vegetables. (okay so he will eat anything and everything) He still eats pure foods, I am just not making all of them. Does that make me a bad mom, maybe, but a more sane mom.
I don't feed Gage milk (yet), peanut butter, nuts, strawberries or a few other various foods. Once he has reached a year old, I will branch out more and start feeding him some of these foods. I guess this is where I could ask you what you feed your one year olds. Are there things you shouldn't feed your babies? Or are most foods free game?
I may buy easy foods for convenience, but I can tell you that most likely (I won't say never) hotdogs or chicken nuggets won't become a staple for Gage anytime soon. As much as I want it to be easy, I want it to be healthy too. I want him to grow up loving fruits and veggies and whole grains. I want him to grow up eating what WE are eating. I will not make a separate meal for him. I want to teach him about eating a well balanced diet. I want fruits and veggies to be something that he WANTS to eat, not something that he has to eat.
Again, these are ideals. You can check back with me in 18 years and we'll chat again.
Sure, I still feed him baby puff snacks, yogurt melts, cheerios, baby cookies, baby cheetos, but we wouldn't get through church, appointments, or car rides without them. His current favorite food may or may not be jarred Macaroni and Cheese. Gross! Let's face it, maybe there is no hope. I may have a child that only eats junk food, watches TV all day and refuses to go outside and get some fresh air... but well... at least it will be easy to keep an eye on him. :)
I know we could argue all day about what I should and shouldn't feed my child, but this is how I like it. Variety and convenience all wrapped up in one cute little package. This is what works for me. Find what works for you. If that means stopping by Mickey D's on the way home to get a cheeseburger, then by all means, go to Mickey D's. :)
Kamie was nervous about posting, but I begged. I wanted everyone to hear a different point of view. I think as Mom's we are so hard on ourselves (especially first time Mommy's)...and it is okay that we aren't perfect, no one is!
10 comments:
When I was reading this, it sounded like you took the words right out of my mouth. Good job... I love it and it is refreshing to hear that I am normal!
Who is this Kamie lady? I think I like her!
YEP!!! Never say never. I have eaten those words so many times! The more kids I get and the older they get.. I surprise myself constantly. I will add one tip.. an allergist told me... my son at age 1 (now 5) was found allergic to nuts/peanuts. I guess you are not supposed to introduce them to that until age 3. Then my daughter at 5 months (because her brother blew on her belly after recently eating milk and cereal) found she was allergic to milk and soon after eggs. She has now grown out of theses allergies THANK HEAVENS! But I guess the rule is (the allergist says) :) is 1 year old before milk and 2 before egg. Now I think egg means straight out egg... because eggs are in EVERYTHING and it is REALLY hard to avoid it that way... trust me!
Great blog post! Thanks for sharing! :)
I love your perspective. Not everyone can fit making baby food into their life, it just doesn't work. But you still feed him all those great fruits and veggies!
I did want to make this point though for baby food after you said wow it's sweet potatoes and it only has sweet potatoes! Just so I can put a plug in so those of us that make our baby food don't sound so silly now...the produce grown in the non-organic brands is grown with artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Also sometimes they have to add chemical additives to make the shelf like longer. And when you move up on the "stages" in the baby food some of the different flavors have added things (including sugar). Like for instance Gerber and Heinz add a lot of thickening agents (flours and chemically modified starches) to more than half of fruits, mixed and creamed vegetables, desserts, and dinners for babies over six months (those higher stage baby food containers).
BUT most baby food companies have just now stopped adding MSG as an additive which is great. Also there are SO many more options of different brands. Like the Growing Healthy baby food brand is awesome. And I know that many of the jars of Gerbers are pretty good too. I just think you have to be aware and take a little bit of time to investigate, just a little.
Anyways I just had to make that point. Not everyone can or even wants to make homemade baby food. But making it yourself certainly isn't silly or a waste of time to do it. (Not that you were implying that) but I get a lot of slack and rolling of eyes when I say I do it so I just wanted to expand on that point.
I was right there too! With my first little one I tried to make my own baby food for a while but like you I realized I could get more variety and enjoy my sanity a little more for a price I was willing to pay at the grocery store.
"Does that make me a bad mom, maybe, but a more sane mom."
No. You care. That automatically makes you a good mom. This is one of those things that there is no universally right or wrong answer - what's right for some may not be a perfect fit for others and that's okay. (And if someone gets on your case about it, just tell them they can feel free to parent their children however they like, and you'll parent how you like). Love you and that adorable Mr. Gage!
This is Kamie's father... It is so neat to see a daughter and her transitionto first time mom. You always wonder how they will be and I can honestly say I am so proud of both my daughters and the mothers they have become. Kamie is not one who you can tell what to do, but she knows what is best for her little one and she makes her decisions based on that. Sorry to jump your post but thought I'd put in my 2 cents...
Rick
I ♥ Kamie!!
Thanks for having Kamie post. I loved how open she is and willing to share. We all know what is best for our family and kids. And our right may not be the next guys. Just follow your heart.
Kamie, you are an awesome little mommy!! :)
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