Food Strike Ended

Sai Sai started eating again.

During the couple of days of the strike, Sai Sai went through some changes:

1.  Her two little bottom teeth came through.

2.  She learned to climb and stand.

I'm not sure if a developmental milestone will cause a food strike, but for sure the loss of appetite from teething makes a lot of sense.

Phew.

Let's continue eating!

Food Strike

It's been about one month since we started baby led weaning.  We started out slow and then Sai Sai got a hang of it. However...

She stopped.

Just not interested at all.

Sigh.

Baby Led Weaning - Day 15 and on...

Sai Sai started putting Sophie the Giraffe and the Baby Banana Teether into her mouth! She never did that before. What does this mean?

She is starting to "eat" and it is evident in her diapers.  However, she doesn't eat much, maybe a bite of the carrot stick or nibble a bit off her banana.  The rest just goes on the floor or I'd finish it for her.

I've also introduced some more foods: 

Chicken drumstick - baked; enjoyed. She gummed and tried to suck on it for a while. I don't think she got anything out of it, but she did seemed to enjoy gumming on it. 

Cantaloupe - raw and cut into wedges; cautious.  She sucked and nibble at a corner.  That was it.

Baby bok choy - boiled in water; loved. She sucked on it till it lost its original form.

Cucumber - raw; cautious. She had a go at it and then it ended up on the floor.

I offered some salmon, but she just broke it all apart in her hands and that was it.

Porridge finger - quick oats mixed with breastmilk and mushed banana. It took me a few attempts to get these suckers not to be too soft.  She mushed the first few before getting it close to her mouth. Therefore, not a big hit.

Scrambled eggs - had a nibble. However, I'm not sure if she had a reaction or not. Her back grew all red, but her back was already quite red from her existing eczema. I think I will try again once her rash clears up to see if she's allergic to eggs.

She has also been enjoying more of the "cautious" foods that I introduced earlier.  It is so fun to watch her nibbling on food and more exciting to find it in her diapers the next day! She did gag a few times but I just stayed calm and watched her work it out and once she's done, she looks at the food stick in her hand and continues. So adorable.   

Before B was skeptical about the whole BLW idea (such as choking, not eating, etc.), now that he's seeing her bringing food into her mouth, he's enjoying it too.  Maybe he realizes that he is enjoying his food and not having to feed her!  

Baby Led Weaning - Days 11 - 14

BLW - fail.

Sai Sai showed absolutely no interest in food.  I keep offering and nothing.  She doesn't even touch them.  

I thought maybe she wanted to be fed.

Nope. She grabbed at the food on the spoon and then throws it onto the ground.

On a "better" meal. she would play with the food: mushing it and squeezing it.  However, nothing is going into the mouth.

What went wrong? She started out right!

I had to remind myself, meals for her at this age are play and exploring times. It's meant to be fun, but it really sucks to clean up her "exploration".  

This is already not that bad...

Bib Review - Goo-Goo Baby Perfect Pocket Bib

When I was looking at Goo-Goo Baby Perfect Pocket Smock at the store, I also noticed the bib on the adjacent racks.  Since the smock was a failure, I decided to return to the store to see if the bib's fabric was more flexible. 

Yes and no.

Most of the bibs on the rack were the same as the smock - stiff.  There were only two left that had a more flexible fabric, the Bright Eyed Owls and the Dino Dudes 

Great right?  Not entirely. The bib is shorter than the smock.  I can't win.  However, since Sai Sai is on the tinier side, with the pockets unsnapped, the bib still covered pass her knees (the store lady also let me try it on her).

Another debatable matter, this bib is freakin' $20! Why?!

After standing there for like 15+ minutes, I decided to buy it. She needs to eat, and I don't want more stained clothes (she already has enough stained clothes from poop)!

I bought the Bright Eyed Owls (even though it is just a bib, the Dino Dudes seemed a bit too boyish - not saying a girl cannot like dinosaurs, but the owls seemed more gender neutral).

We tried it during dinner. There was definitely a noticeable difference: Sai Sai could move and seemed more herself.  

Yay.

However like all bibs, there is only one connection point: right behind the neck. Therefore, the bib is also a distraction, a toy. At times, it's more fun to lift up the bib and suck on it than eating. 

Silly little girl.

Overall, it works. Impressed? No. A more honest opinion, I would rather spend $5 more on the smock then getting this bib.    

Bib Review - Goo-Goo Baby Perfect Pocket Smock

Shortly after starting baby led weaning, autumn arrived.  Weather turned cold and out came the long sleeves and long pants.

I thought I could get away with using the short bibs I got from my gift basket from work.  Fail.  I now have permanently stained outfit from plum juice.

So to save money on many new outfits, I have to spend money on some new bibs.

With some Googling here and there, I discovered the Goo-Goo Baby Perfect Pocket Smock. I was drawn to this bib because:

• Waterproof fabric.
• Fabric is non-toxic, no phthalates, PVC, lead, and formaldehyde.
• Long sleeves.
• Extra length in the body.
• Pockets are formed by snaps, and therefore also creating an extra long bib when pockets are unsnapped.

Sold.

I was happy that a local baby boutique store carried this smock. I quickly pack up Sai Sai and head out to shop.

I found the smock.   However, I was a little disappointed. Although it's not a plastic bib, it felt like one: stiff.  When holding it up by the hanger, the arms stuck straight out.  For a $25 bib, I would expect to be ecstatic about it, but with my positive attitude, I thought, well, with a few wears, it could soften up.  I wouldn't know unless I tried it.

And so, I bought the "Elephant Romp" design home.

Dinner came around, and it's time to try this out.  I was right.  This was too stiff.  Sai Sai barely moved, so forget about trying to pick food up to eat.  I gave it a try for a few more meals.  Same.  

I'm a little sad about this.  Sai Sai is just learning to better coordinate hand to mouth, I don't need to add an obstacle.  However, I'll still keep it.  I think maybe when Sai Sai is better at self feeding and a bit older this smock will then fit.  

Baby Led Weaning - Days 1 - 10

Sai Sai is 6 months old.  Already.

I decided to introduce Sai Sai to solids via the baby led weaning (BLW) method, that is to give her "real" food and not unidentified pureed mush.  History and information about BLW could be read in Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett's book, as well as many websites, Youtube videos, and blogs by other moms. Therefore, I won't discuss it too much here.

I was really surprised she picked up the foods and gummed it a bit.  I didn't think she would do that since besides blankets and wet cloths, she doesn't put anything in her mouth!  So far, these are the food I introduced:

Avocado - peeled and cut into wedges; loves it.  She gummed half of it. It is seriously nature made baby food!

Banana - cautious, will try again. She licked it and made a face.

Broccoli - steamed; loves it. I think she just took to it because of the natural handle.

Yam (fries) - roasted; cautious, will try again. I myself am not a big fan of yams. However, I made myself a batch with seasoning. I have to say, not bad at all.

Carrot - steamed; cautious will try again.

Steak - baked; liked. I love steak. I think she had a lot of it when I was pregnant with her, since beef was the only meat I could eat. That's my girl. 

She's not swallowing much of anything, since I don't see much in the diaper.  It's tempting to feed her at times. I am guilty of doing so once or twice, or at least tried to. I put a little piece of mushed banana/avocado on my finger tip.  She opened her mouth at it and I smeared it in there. She made a face and spat it back out. FAIL So I will stick to true BLW and let her lead the way.