the joys of solid food

the joys of solid food

We started Savannah on solids last week. We started with some rice cereal mixed with breastmilk, which she took pretty well. It was really liquidy at first, so after a few spoonfuls, I put it in a bottle and she finished it off eagerly. I did the same the next day, and then after that I mixed it with water and kept it the consistency of grits (so, not as liquidy). This stayed on the spoon much better and was much less messy in feeding to her!

She has taken to the solids pretty well. A few days ago, we gave her some mashed banana but she wrinkled her nose and spit it out. I decided to wait a little bit before trying again. Then, the past two days, I’ve given her some pureed peas. At first bite she wrinkled her nose, but ate it. (It was really cute!) Then she opened her mouth for more. She’s figured out the concept of the spoon – she opens her mouth when she sees it coming and moves forward and closes her mouth over the food on the spoon. She doesn’t spit anything back out, but swallows it all. I’d say she’s learning fast!

I had been warned about the solid food diapers, and wondered when they would start. Yesterday at one point I sniffed and said, “Oh! You need a diaper change!” I don’t usually smell the dirty diapers when her clothes are still on, so I knew this would be a doozy. And hooo-eee! It was! It was dark and thick and smelled HORRIBLE! Savannah, as is her habit, immediately stuck her hand in her dirty diaper when I opened it, so then I had to clean off her hand and everything her hand touched, and then hold all her appendages while I tackled the diaper. I swear I need to grow a few more arms. Four baby wipes later, the mess was all in the trash (she was wearing a disposable because all her cloth diapers were in the wash), she had a new diaper and a new outfit on. The diaper didn’t leak, but all three pieces of her outfit got dirty as I was trying to control her flailing arms and clean the diaper.

I’m sure every mom is laughing at me, but I was surprised at this new experience! I really need to get a diaper sprayer…

8 thoughts on “the joys of solid food”

  1. I know! It’s shocking and really gross.

    We started cloth after we had introduced solids, so I never did get to experience the “just throw the bf-ed poopy diaper into the pail.”

    Here’s what we did to make it easier.

    First, we change diapers on the bathroom floor. I sit on the toilet seat and put the diaper pad before me. A towel also works. I lay Johnny down and if I need to, I use my bare feet to pin his arms away from his diaper. Not hard! Just enough to keep his hands out of the way. Or if he’s cooperative, I hand him a toy.

    That keeps my hands free to do the diapering.

    I strongly suggest getting some of those flushable diaper liners. They aren’t perfect but they do help get the poop off the diaper. I don’t know how flushable they are for older potties. It is good to let it sort of fall apart in the toilet for awhile before flushing.

    Also, the sprayer will help but there are also plenty of times when it didn’t do much for us. We used a diapers-only spatula and wore gloves.

    oh MAN, this is such a gross phase. But, to be sure, it’s a PHASE. This isn’t how it’s going to be forever!

    As soon as she passes a certain food threshold and her inner bowel changes, the stools will form into actual solids and you can just shake it into the toilet. No sprayer. No gross. That took us a few months, though.

    Bananas are supposed to be good foods for helping create those stools.

    In the meantime, prefolds + that flip cover might be your easiest things to clean.

    Hang in there!

  2. Wow, she IS taking to solid food well! Opens her mouth for it already?? That’s great! Go, Savannah! :-)

  5. I am a mom and I am not laughing. I know exactly what you are talking about. Neil likes to stick his hand in his diaper AND THEN WANTS TO PUT HIS HAND IN HIS MOUTH. YUCK! YUCK!! YUCK!!! I have to be so vigilant now. If it is a really messy diaper, I call hubby to help out. (so glad he works from home!) Plus, there is the added joy of having a boy, he has his weapon to spray right on to your face. And it happens pretty regularly when the diaper is off and I am cleaning him with a cold wipe.

  6. Oh! I have not gotten the hand in the mouth yet! Yuck yuck! Wow you definitely have your work cut out for you! :-) Tonight Paul and I both worked together to change the second really horrible diaper (though not as stinky as yesterday) – it was nice having his help.

  7. It helps to use the mobile and give her a toy, btw! That sprayer sounds like a French toilet — I forget what they are called but they clean you with a fountain. :) Portuguese people have them in their bathrooms. Anyhoo, it will get better when she isn’t eating pureed peas!

  8. A bidet? Yeah all the houses in Peru had those… They were nice! :-)

    So should I get a mobile? We’ve tried the toy thing – that helps as long as she focuses on the toy… Often she’ll be so intent on sticking her hand down there that she doesn’t even notice the toy.

Comments are closed.

Comments are closed.