A Labor of Love

Making baby food has always been something I wanted to do. I wanted to know what exactly my son was eating, give him the healthiest option, give him an ever expanding variety, and limit the amount of crap he would ingest. 

So, making baby food has become my labor of love. Is it fun to stand over a sink and de-seed a bag full of cherries? No, but I love the smile on my son's face when he eats it and the yum sound he makes. Does it take more time? Of course it does, but I save time by not having to read labels on everything to make sure that I know what he is eating. All of this and people still treat me like I am crazy. They ask me when he will eat normal food (i.e. sugar, juice, etc.). They give me weird looks when I still excuse myself to breastfeed my 11 month old and ask "When are you going to be done with that?" 

So, lets clear some things up... my son has had limited exposure to sugar, but in the long run I just don't feel it is something he needs in his diet. It provides no nutritional basis and could cause eating problems in the future. My son will also get food off of mine and my husbands plate from time to time and he loves nearly everything we give him (the only thing he has not liked is green beans and I can't say I blame him). Also, my son at 11 months old only has 2 teeth and they are not even fully out (maybe half way) so eating things that require chewing and grinding is not the easiest thing in the world. Finally, my son will stop breastfeeding when we are ready... which is not yet. He will without a doubt be breastfed until one year old and my hope is that he does get breastmilk as part of his diet until at least two as recommended by the WHO. 

I have no problem answering any questions, discussing our choices, or explaining what my son is eating. Just please don't give me dirty looks or shame me in any way. You can raise your child as you like and so can I as long as neither of us are harming them in any way. 


P.S. As I step down from my soap box can I just say I LOVE LOVE LOVE Happy Puffs! They are Jude's favorite and he loves all the flavors. The best part of these puffs (which we give in addition to cheerios) is they have no added sugar, they are simply flavored by the fruits and veggies inside! 

P.P.S. If anyone ever wants to know some of my recipes or baby food combinations just let me know and I'll happily share! :)