Homemade Solid Food - Made With 100% Luv

Salam semua.

We just started semi solid food on Abdullah. Yes, he is not six months yet but according to my experience during Maryam and Mardeyah, they had their first semi solid food in their five++. Mommy give discount, ok!

Before deciding to start solids on him, I did some research (intelligent la konon…) on how to identify whether he is ready or not. Google is the guru, puan-puan. 

Here are some signs that your child is ready to try solids:

1)      He can sit up with support and can hold his head and neck up well.

~Abdullah has a good head control, he’s able to keep his head in a steady upright position. Even though he’s not ready for a highchair, he’s able to sit upright with the help of bumbo seat. That will do anyway.

2)      His birth weight has doubled.

~He has significant weight gain. His birth weight was 3.25kg, meaning that he should be at least 6.5kg when he reaches six months. But his current weight at his five months is 7kg. Ok boy, that will do…

3)      He’s interested in what you’re eating and may even try to grab food from your plate.

~Yes, yes. He shows curiosity about what we are eating. Eyeing our plate, reaching for the spoon, all he can do to get sympathy from us. Kesian…ok, boy. Let’s finish the checklist! 

4)      He can keep food in his mouth rather than letting it dribble out.

~Chewing motions. Baby's mouth and tongue develop in sync with his digestive system. To start solids, he should be able to move food to the back of his mouth and swallow. Abdullah has started to swallow efficiently as i noticed less drooling. 

5)    He shows signs of being hungry for more than he’s getting by clamoring for more when his bottle is empty or wanting to nurse more often.

~He always seem hungry, and I think it is a sign of growing apetite.

No.1 checked! 

No.2 checked! 

No.3 checked! 

No.4 checked! 

No.5 checked!

Yeaayyyyy! 

Passed with flying colours!

So I went to Manjaku to look for feeding set, bottled baby food, teething biscuits and what not. Five years ago I bought Heinz bottled baby food for Maryam. Dua tiga flavour je according to her liking. So this time pun I had that in plan. But this mommy of three ended up with buying little silicon spoon and teething biscuits but not the bottled food. 

Why? Firstly because I notice there’s no halal logo on it. Secondly, I doubted the ingredients they use. How can they keep that puree in a bottle for months without freezing it? So I keep in mind to prepare homemade puree for him - fresh baby food, made at home with lots of love.

His first puree was papaya puree. There was a ripe papaya in the fridge given by Oma last week, sweet and juicy. So I just lenyekkan (no water and sugar added) and sieved so that the output is superfine for the tiny mouth and stomach. And then stocked up the remainder in the freezer for another three days. 

Weekend tu I ajak my partner to shop for groceries. This super excited mommy bought fresh pumpkin, carrots and potatoes. Root vegetables are known to have a naturally sweet taste. So they are perfect for puree baby food – orang tua pun suka. Orange fleshed veges like carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin are rich in beta carotene - the vegetable source of vitamin A which is important for growth, fighting infection, healthy skin and hair. Hopefully my little boy membesar bagaikan juara!

And i sempat lagi tu membelek-belek blender. It was my intention at the first place to buy a new blender as I don’t want the smell from the blender affects the taste of my made-at-home-with-lots-of-love puree. Macam-macam jenis ada, personal blender – comel jer, boleh buat jus and terus minum dalam bekas tu sebab cantik macam tumbler. Glass blender – practical to avoid uninviting smell. Avent blender and steamer – way too expensive, costed about RM430, but easier (for a first-time-mom) to use. Itu naluri hati. 

Anyway, based on my experience, Maryam and Mardeyah were on their finely-blended semi solid food up to eight-nine months je. After gigi nak tumbuh, they preferred textured rice porridge and solid food yang dilenyek kasar-kasar, without blending it.

And my Moulinex, can simply be de-odorized using liquid cleanser for feeding bottles. After cleansing it, i shake once using hot water. Memang effective, no harsh chemical is needed here, puan-puan. 

So, being a rational wife, after considering these two factors, I had cancelled my plan of getting a new blender. *Jimat duit laki i*

Sampai rumah, I stepped into the kitchen and rolled up my sleeves to prepare the said made-at-home-with-lots-of-love puree. Yeayyy! 

Cooking veges in a steamer is one of the best ways of preserving nutrients. Kalau rebus, its nutrient akan keluar ke airnya. I use single ingredient to begin with – to identify the allergies. Later can start mixing the veges.

Chop the veges into small pieces.

Put in a steamer set over boiling water and cook until soft and tender. 

Blend the vegetable to a puree using some of the liquid from the bottom of the steamer (sikit je air untuk bagi blade tu functions well, later on juice dia pun akan keluar juga).

Carrot Puree

Sweet Pumpkin Puree

Spoon a little puree into your baby’s bowl and serve lukewarm. Pour the remainder into small size covered containers and freeze (can last up to three months – sama frozen EBM).

Betul, kalau kita google cara orang buat puree for babies ni, ramai will advise us to buy ice cube tray, baby puree tray, steamer cum blender, semua-semua must-have items. Please jangan rigid ye. Siapa-siapa yang tak punya semua tu, jangan menangis, jangan putus asa  dan terus malas nak prepare home-cooked puree for your baby. 

I believe, homemade baby puree ini mengatasi segala over-the-counter bottled baby food because it is made with 100% love. Suatu yang mudah tapi sangat signifikan!

Sayang kamu 100%!

Sekian.