Going Bananas!

After several attempts to let Isaac try bananas...he finally ACCEPTS it and now, he enjoys bananas!

Check out his expression when he was first introduced to bananas at the age of 5 months.

Fried Bee Hoon

Isaac has been feeling really bored of his porridge. Since we are having fried bee hoon for lunch, I decided to let him try. He really enjoyed a change in his usual diet!

Ingredients :

1. Chicken breast meat
2. Bee Hoon
3. Carrots
4. French Beans

Steps :

1. Boil chicken breast meat to cook it separately. Keep the stock and shred the chicken to small strips.
2. In a frying pan, put little oil just to stir fry the garlic, carrots and french beans. Add a bit of pepper, light soy sauce and water. Bring the sauce to a boil.
3. Add softened bee hoon and chicken breast meat to the sauce and simmer till the bee hoon is soft.
4. Bee hoon should absorb all the sauce when it's cooked.

Hearty Breakfast

Isaac had a hearty breakfast (so I thought) today. Scramble eggs with cheese chunks, lightly toasted wholemeal bread and yoghurt. Yummy, but he didn't finish all but that's ok, as long as he has enough.

Scrambled eggs :
One Egg
Water (about 1 tablespoon)
Cheese chunks

Simply put the mixture into the pan (on low fire) and slowly cook and scramble it! :)

Papaya

New fruit introduced today - Papaya. Isaac loved it. In fact, I gave him 3 big pieces and after eating, he wanted MORE! Greedy little fella, yah? Anyway, should not give him too much papaya as it may make him turn a bit yellow on the skin! :)

Cough cough

Remember to let the yoghurt to stand at room temperature for a while first before feeding your baby. I did that the first time but I forgot the second time. Isaac is starting to cough a bit and hopefully it will go away soon. Not that serious....only cough occasionally, especially if trying to throw tantrums and crying. :)

Protesting against Cereal

Isaac has started taking lightly toasted wholemeal bread with cheese spread. After taking this, he doesn't want to take his cereal again! I guess he is bored with his cereal and prefers a more textured food such as bread.

I am training him to chew a little better and once he is better at it, I will introduce different types of breakfast for him.

Yoghurt

New snack for Isaac to try : Yoghurt. I am currently giving him Yoplait's Petite Miam and Isaac is ok with it.

So far...he doesn't like bananas at all, after 3 attempts, he is still not taking the fruit. :(

Frog legs??

New ingredient added to his porridge - Frog legs!!!

I was told that frog legs is full of protein and the Chinese believe that it will actually strengthen the development of baby's legs (??). Well, I'm not sure about that but decided to just let him try. Frog legs actually taste very much like chicken.

How to prepare? Boil the frog legs together with the porridge. When it's cooked, take it out and shred it to small small pieces. Finally, put the shredded frog legs back to the porridge and cook it further to soften it.

Isaac really enjoyed his new porridge ingredient. Looking forward to more ingredients to try.

Pasta

Ingredients :

1. Minced Beef
2. Carrots
3. Some onion
4. tomatos (finely chopped, removing all seeds)
   
5. alphabet Pasta

Boil the pasta and set aside.
Pan fry onion, carrots and minced beef, with a little bit of olive oil, add in tomatoes and finally put in the cooked pasta just to warm it up a little.

Isaac didn't like his pasta at all....FAILED ATTEMPT :(

Kiwi

Another new fruit introduced to Isaac today - Kiwi. This fruit is rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium and even folate. It is slightly acidic, which may cause mouth rashes, so it's best to introduce it to babies at slightly later stage around 10 months. I am a little late in introducing Isaac to this fruit but better late than never. :)

Blueberries

New fruit for Isaac today. He had a taste of fresh blue berries and he simply loves it! It's really easy to prepare, just buy some fresh ones, wash, peel off the skin and mash it lightly. He is already 11 months old, so I don't need to mash it too fine. He needs to learn how to chew on slightly bigger pieces of fruit. Blueberries are rich in anti-oxidant and its less sweet. One of the highly recommended fruits for babies.

Egg Yolk with his dinner

Introduced Egg yolk to his dinner this evening. Let's see whether there is any allergy reaction. He only took about half of the hard boiled yolk, which I mixed it with his porridge. Egg yolk alone is especially dry so it's best to give a little bit at one time or to mix it with something else.

Introducing these foods

Now that Isaac is 11 months, I am more comfortable in introducing new food in his diet. Hopefully, by letting him experience different tastes and texture will nurture him to be adventurous in food and not be too picky in the future.

Here is the list of food I intend to let him try before he turns one,

For Breakfast, new food to be introduced slowly:

1. wholemeal bread
2. egg yolk (YOLK ONLY, egg white only after he turns one)
   
3. yoghurt

For Lunch and snack (fruit) time, new food to be introduced slowly:

1. Continue his milk feed till he turns one
2. Will introduce berries to him, instead of just the current apple puree
3. yoghurt for snack
4. green bean or red bean for snack
   

For dinner, new food to be introduced slowly:

1. Let him try on rice, mix with vegetable soup
2. scrambled egg yolk with his usual vege like french beans, broccoli, spinach

More ideas on 10-12 months food can be found here.

Brain Food??

8 brain boosters Want to sharpen your memory or up your child's IQ? The key lies in eating the right foods, many scientists and nutritionists claim. ESTHER TEO reports You might think that labelling some of the things you eat as 'brain food' might be stretching it a bit.

However, many scientists and nutritionists believe that foods you eat can directly affect the way your brain performs, that you can boost your intelligence quotient (IQ), focus your concentration, sharpen your memory and keep your mind young.

They may also have an effect on how children develop and grow.

So are we what we eat? Dr Ang Poon Liat, senior consultant paediatrician at the Paediatric Centre in Thomson Medical Centre, said that a person is 20 per cent genes and 80 per cent food.

To him, nurture supersedes nature and one should eat for several reasons.

'Purpose-driven eating is very important; you must eat for brain growth and development, to prevent cancer and to stabilise hormones,' he said.

Aside from breastfeeding, which has proved to increase the IQ of babies and children, the food you feed your kids can also determine their academic potential.

Dr Ang identifies eight brain foods which should be part of your child's diet. However, these are foods that will benefit you through life.

1: Fish

Why: Fish like salmon, sardines (Image 2) and cod are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for brain growth and function.

Dr Ang says: Not just salmon, all types of fish are good. You can even take cod fish body oil, which is rich in vitamin A, to supplement your diet. Your brain is 60 per cent fat, so fish is a good source of that.

2: Eggs

Why: Other than being a great protein source, egg yolks also have a high amount of choline - a nutrient in the B vitamin family - which helps in memory development.

Dr Ang says: The best way to eat your egg is soft boiled. Frying or having it hard boiled destroys its protein, causing it to be allergenic.

3: Nuts

Why: They provide vitamin E and are also a source of antioxidants that protect the membranes of brain cells against free radicals.

Dr Ang says: Macadamia and almonds are recommended. Ground peanuts are less ideal because they often result in allergic reactions.

4: Colourful vegetables

Why: They provide high levels of antioxidants that keep brain cells strong and healthy.

Dr Ang says: Choose fresh products in a wide variety of colours to give you a range of antioxidants. Also, go for brighter and hence more intense antioxidants, which help prevent cancer.

5: Wholegrains

Why: Provides gradual release of glucose that the brain needs to function due to the fibre regulating its release. It also contains B vitamins.

Dr Ang says: The slower release process of glucose prevents glucose swings - the process in which a child is energised and then quickly becomes fatigued. These mood changes are unhealthy for a child.

6: Berries

Why: High levels of antioxidants, such as vitamin C, which can help prevent cancer. Some studies have also shown improved memory.

Dr Ang says: The best fruits are berries. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and even cherries. They are less sweet and present less sugar problems; also, they have antioxidant values that are rated the highest.

7: Beans

Why: These provide energy from protein to complex carbohydrates which are good brain foods. Proteins are needed to synthesise the nucleic acid of brain cells.

Dr Ang says: Green beans and red beans are good. As far as soya beans go, it is best to consume fermented soya products.

8: Yogurt

Why: Good source of protein and B and D vitamins, which are vital for the growth of brain tissue and neuro-transmitters.

Dr Ang says: Yogurt is preferred over milk because a semi-solid food is a better choice for a growing child. Also, because it is fermented, it is also pre-digested and is easier for a child to process.

"Purpose-driven eating is very important; you must eat for brain growth and development, to prevent cancer and to stabilise hormones." - Dr Ang Poon Liat, senior consultant paediatrician at the Paediatric Centre in Thomson Medical Centre.

Added Potatoes and Silver Fish

Another new recipe for Isaac

• Chopped fresh silver fish to boil with porridge (good for calcium)
  
• Minced chicken/pork/beef
  
• Potatoes (finely chopped)
  
• Green leafy vegetables (either broccoli or spinach, finely chopped)

The silver fish is really yummy, plus the potatoes, his porridge really smell great! I tried a bit and it was simply tasty! All natural!

Porridge Variation

Not a new recipe but different way of preparing the salmon

• Salmon
• Green leafy vegetables (either broccoli or spinach, finely chopped)

After porridge is boiled and cooked, added small pieces of salmon and boil further to make sure the salmon is cooked.

Porridge Variation

Another new recipe for Isaac

• Minced chicken
• Carrots (finely chopped)
  
• Green leafy vegetables (either broccoli or spinach, finely chopped)

For carrots, it's not advisable to give it everyday as babies may turn yellow. So, I try to alternate carrots with potatoes, sweet potatoes and peas.

Fruits and vegetables are still his top priority food...

Porridge Variation

Decided to change his porridge recipe after giving him "vegetarian" porridge for almost 2 months.

This is his new recipe :

• Minced beef
• Silver fish (finely chopped)
• Green leafy vegetables (either broccoli or spinach, finely chopped)

Boil silver fish with porridge and after porridge is cooked, add in minced beef and finally vegetable.

Salmon with porridge

Isaac's staple food is porridge with either pumpkin, sweet potato, potato or pea puree. He is not very keen on fish so far.

Finally, I did this :

Grilled salmon (actually for the family and took a small portion for him...yes! That saves time) and add a little into his "staple vegetarian porridge". Haha....he got tricked into eating some healthy fish!

Could he be a vegetarian?

So far, Isaac's diet only included mainly fruits and vegetables. I tried cooking fish in his porridge but he just doesn't take it at all. I think the smell and taste may be too strong for him and since then, I have stopped giving him fish. He is currently taking the following :

• Sweet potato puree
  
• Potato puree
  
• Pumpkin puree
  
• Apple puree
  
• Pear puree
  
• Bean curd
• Peas puree
  
• Brown rice cereal
• Oats and prune cereal
  

Thinking of adding this to his diet :

• Fresh silver fish
• Broccoli
• Dried scallops
• Tomato
• Rolled oats
  

New Fruit Introduced : Avocado

Avocado
(4)6 months+
Vitamins: A, C, Niacin, Folate
Minerals: Potassium, Phosphorus, Iron, Magnesium, Calcium


1. Peel and take out the pit of a ripe avocado - do not cook
2. Cut “meat” out and mash with a fork
3. There should be no need to use a machine as just like bananas, avocados have a very soft consistency and texture. Avocados do not need to be cooked.

How to Select an Avocado -
When selecting an Avocado, you want a dark green color with bumpy texture. The fruit should be firm yet yielding when gently pushed. When an avocado is sliced in half, the flesh color should be a green that gently transforms into a buttery yellow around the pit. Visit our Avocado Topic for More Information

(Source : www.wholesomebabyfood.com)

Another tip : I actually buy a few avocados at one go and normally select the green ones. I will have one at room temperature to continue the ripening process (turns black and much softer) while the rest stays in the fridge (still green and hard).

Constipation LIFE-SAVER!

After trying so many different purees, the one thing that really helps Isaac with his constipation problem is PEAS PUREE!!! It's so effective and he has been very regular since the day he started with peas puree and that has been for almost 2 weeks!

Anyway, peas though small but it's packed with very good nutrition. So, this is really one of the great ingredient for your baby's weaning journey.

I am trying out different food and fruits for Isaac and it has been really interesting. I really enjoy feeding him and just to watch him eat well just makes me so happy.

Other Homemade Purees

Just like the apple puree, you can do like wise for the following :

• Pumpkin
• Sweet Potato
• Pear
• Peas
  

For peas, it's best to use a sieve to properly separate the puree from the skin. Peas, though small, but packed with great amount of vitamins!

Homemade Apple Puree

After several attempts, this is the most ideal apple puree for Isaac.

• 3 apples, remove skin and cut to small pieces
• put in a BOWL and steam for about 15 minutes (use a bowl as the apple will produce water)
• let the steamed apple cool for a while and put in a blender
• blend till you get the preferred puree consistency

Any excess can be stored in the freezer using normal ice cube trays. Remember to put the ice cube tray in a zip lock bag as it should not be exposed openly in your freezer.

Week Two : 23 Apr to 29 Apr

Changed Isaac's feeding schedule a little to adjust his timing to our own meal times so that when he is ready for "adult" food, he will be able to eat with us. I have left some Heinz Iron Fortified rice cereal and decided to mix it with Bellamy's oat cereal, maybe that will help transit him to a different cereal. This oat cereal really smells so good...even I am very keen to try! Haha....

Upon waking : Milk Feed
9am : Rice Cereal, transiting to Bellamy's Oat cereal + Homemade sweet potato puree
12pm : Milk Feed
2pm : Fruit puree
3pm : Milk Feed (slightly lesser than the 12 pm feed as this is "snack" time)
6pm or 6.30pm : Porridge (Failed at it, the porridge I cooked looked more like GLUE!)
8pm : Milk Feed before bedtime

Week One : Wednesday 16 April to 22 April

This is currently Isaac's schedule :

Upon waking : Milk Feed
9am : Rice Cereal
12pm : Milk Feed
2pm : Fruit puree or fruit juice (realized that apple juice or puree is really effective to help ease his constipation problem)
4pm : Milk Feed
7pm : Milk Feed
9pm : Milk Feed before bedtime

Apr 16 - 17 : 2 tsp powdered rice cereal (Heinz iron fortified rice cereal) + BM + 2 tsp of organic sweet potato puree from Earth's Best (sweet potato to help his constipation problem)

Apr 18 - 22 : 2 tsp powdered rice cereal (Heinz iron fortified rice cereal) + BM + sweet potato puree (home made)

Suggested Feeding Schedule

I am currently using Earth's Best Organic Sweet Potato puree for Isaac's rice cereal, as sweet potato helps prevent constipation. I was checking out on Earth's Best site and found this suggested feeding schedule guide to be quite useful. Click here to download from Earth's Best website.

Isaac's currently taking this :

Bowel back to normal

In my earlier post, I mentioned about holding off his rice cereal till Isaac turns 6 months, another 5 days more to go before he starts his rice cereal which smells really good actually!!

Anyway, I have been giving him fruit puree as well as fruit juice and I am glad that his bowel is really back to be normal and getting more regular. Ok...it sounds like I'm always talking about his poo but seriously, that's an indication on how well your baby is really responding to the food you are feeding.

So, I guess he is almost ready for solid food and this time, I will really have to start him slow on his rice cereal and have to give him lots of water and get this....PRUNE JUICE, to help ease his constipation.

Happy Weaning to all mothers out there!

Ten more days to go...

Another ten more days to go before Isaac restart his weaning journey...yet again...the THIRD TIME.

I realized that it was a bad mistake to start solid food so early as I think his internal system is not yet ready in the change of diet. Although I started him with very small portion, but the impact of his bowel movement is quite significant. Of course, every baby is different. A friend of mine started her baby on solid food at the turn of four months and the baby was doing well, no constipation and remained very regular in his bowel movement. So, poor Isaac is just not one of those lucky ones with good tummy! :)

Anyway, I am looking forward to starting his solid food intake again in ten days time. It's a busy and messy journey but truly enjoyable when I see him happily enjoying his feed.

Feed Your Child Right - GOOD BOOK!

I finally bought this book and it has a whole lot of information on nutritional facts and tells you what to eat even during pregnancy...*sigh* I wish I had gotten this much earlier! But nevertheless, I think this is a great guide once I start Isaac with solid in about 10 days' time!

Happy weaning and hopefully no more constipation!

Nasty constipation

Ok, seems like his constipation is still not getting any better and I'm so worried for his internal systems not really able to accept the change in diet. As such, I have stopped (yes, again) his rice cereal and now, he's back to his milk feed, fruit and vegetable puree.

Will start his rice cereal again when he is over 6 months, I guess that is still the "safe" age to start solids.

"Modified" Rice Cereal

Started Isaac with iron-fortified rice cereal and ended up with serious constipation. As sweet potato is a very good source for relieving constipation, I added sweet potato puree to his normal iron fortified rice cereal. Real effective! One day later, his bowel went back to normal.

This is not really a recipe, but I guess a "modified" version of plain rice cereal to really help fight constipation :

2 tbsp of rice cereal, mix with BM to a thick consistency cereal, add in 1 tsp of sweet potato.

On top of that, I give apple puree in between feeds as well as fruit juice.

His constipated days are finally over....I HOPE!!

The Poo Finally Arrived!

After starting Isaac on rice cereal, he was constipated for THREE DAYS!!! I was worried sick and finally, his poo arrived today!!! Not that I want to be disgusting, but the poo sure smells now! It is less watery now and harder to clean, Yucky! It must have been a tough time for Isaac, he was moaning all the way while trying to poo. After the whole episode, his usual active self is now "sedated"....he is just lying there probably in relief and I must say that he is really sweaty all over. What a tough task! Heehee!

Feeding Schedule

It's not an easy phrase now. Introducing solids entails discipline and frequent feeding of liquids. My whole day is all about feeding Isaac with milk, cereals, fruit juice (diluted), fruit puree and water. As he had a serious case of constipation after introducing him the rice cereal (as it's iron fortified), I really have to make sure he gets enough liquid to help him ease his constipation, that's where the water, fruit juice and fruit puree is really important.

Upon waking - milk feed
9am - rice cereal, followed by water or milk
12pm - milk feed
3pm - fruit puree/juice, followed by water or milk
6pm - rice cereal, followed by water or milk
9pm - milk feed

That's the current schedule, it's even more hectic than his previous 4 hourly milk feed, 8pm, 12pm, 4pm and 8pm (+ 5am milk feed, if he wakes up).

Anyone any advice/suggestions about the new schedule? Just submit your comments....thanks.

(Update : Decided to mix the fruit/vegetable puree into the rice cereal and currently, I am adding sweet potato into his rice cereal....so, let's see if his constipation will go away)

Not too happy with these food...

So far, Isaac is quite happy with his rice cereal. I tried introducing some fruits and vegetable puree as he experienced some constipation after starting his solids but so far, he wasn't too happy with what he was given.

Bananas - REJECT!
Sweet Potato - REJECT!

Apple Juice - still ok, but I think I will start giving him prune juice instead to ease his constipation.

PD's recommendation

Given all the "complications" I experienced on this weaning journey with Isaac, I have decided to consult his PD to get more advice and suggestions.

I have started his rice cereal again this morning, and right after that, I gave him water. I have also bought some Heinz baby apple and pear juice as well as some pureed fruits, just to try out and see if he likes it. I guess all those streaks of blood were caused by constipation given that the cereal is iron-fortified plus the lack of fluid in his body.

So now...Isaac's weaning journey will begin again and I will update on his progress, new food introduced to him and how he is taking it.

Cheers!

So, lessons learned :

1) Water is really essential now that solid food is introduced, water content in breastmilk is not sufficient.
2) Introduce fruits (either commercially pureed or freshly made ones) at this stage to prevent constipation.

Wish List - Book

I am heading down to the bookshop this weekend to get this book, Feed Your Child Right, The First Complete Nutrition Guide for Asian Parents. I have seen this book before Isaac arrived but didn't buy it then. it's been recommended by an IBF (Isaac Blog Fan) and even my sister-in-law thinks that this is a great book. So, another shopping trip this weekend to get myself ready to feed Isaac right.

P/S : Decided to stop Isaac's solid food as there were traces of blood yesterday again after I started him with his cereal.

Rice Cereal Saga Continues...

After days of regular bowel movement, I have started his rice cereal again.

1 Tbsp of iron fortified rice cereal + Breastmilk to get a slightly thicker runny cereal.

Isaac finished all his cereal and drank some water after that. I have to make sure I give him regular water intake as the cereal, given it's iron-fortified, may cause constipation.

Will increase his cereal tomorrow and check to see if he has constipation again.

Rice Cereal STOPPED!

To my horror, I found some traces of blood in Isaac's stool twice. He seem to be constipated as well and I worry that he may not be ready to take the cereal yet. I have stopped his rice cereal as I think his "system" is probably not ready for solid food yet. I am also giving him more water, hopefully to stop his constipation.

Usually, small streaks of blood in the stool are usually not that serious, but it calls for immediate attention if it's dark red jelly or are streaked with mucous. For Isaac, he seems to be perfectly fine, he will grunt a little when trying to poo and the streaks of blood is very very small. So, I just have to monitor to make sure there is no persistent bleeding.

Is Your Baby Ready for Solids?

Milk is still the main food source for babies for the first year, so there is really no hurry to introduce solids to them. It's best to introduce one type for a few days to make sure there is no allergy and it's accepted by the baby.

Some of the cues when baby is ready for solid food besides being at least four months old :

• Show interest in your food
• Feeling restless after the usual milk feed
• No change in weight

It is also important to introduce gluten free food to your baby until your baby reaches 6 months old.

To sterilise utensils or not? Well...once they are four months, there is not really a necessity to do so. What's more, you will notice that whatever they get their hands onto, they tend to put it in their mouth and they are perfectly fine. So, to sterilise all utensils is not really required.

It's best to avoid peanuts as they may be choking hazard, besides, there are more cases of nut allergies in small children and by the eight month, children can eat virtually the same diet as their parents. However, you will need to check to make sure that fish is bone-free, fat is removed from meat. You will need to mince or mash the food to a smooth paste (puree) and as they grow older, make the texture to be more solid and slightly more lumpy.

Day Eight - Isaac's Solid Food

After one week, Isaac is still on Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal and there is absolutely no sign of any allergy. That is good news!

I have increased to 5 teaspoons of cereal and prepared with a slightly thicker consistency. Isaac is very enthusiastic about the food today. In fact, so enthusiastic that I have to feed him continuously to keep him happy! I think he must have taken close to 2 tablespoon of cereal, that should be quite sufficient for now.

Day Seven - Isaac's Solid Food

This is the 7th day taking Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal. I have increased to 4 teaspoons of cereal and prepared it with a slightly thicker consistency. Isaac finished everything and was actually is more excited now when the spoon is placed near him. Looks like he is getting used to having cereal and slightly more comfortable having fed through spoon. Look forward to more exciting feeding times with him.

I have also found another place that sells organic rice cereal and once I finish with Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal , I will probably switch to Earth's Best Whole Grain Rice Cereal.

Day Six - Isaac's Solid Food

Continued with Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal for the 6th day and today, I increased to 2 teaspoon of cereal, to see if he is able to finish all. I have also made it slightly thicker and realized he enjoys a thicker cereal rather than a watery one. I finished off his breakfast cereal with another 80ml of milk.

Day Five - Isaac's Solid Food

Continued with Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal today with the same amount of cereal and consistency. BUT...BIG BUT, he doesn't want a single bit. When I put the spoon near his mouth, he kept turning his head away. And when he saw his milk bottle, he cried for it. So, he ended up having his milk without any cereal. I guess he doesn't like to be fed with a spoon as it's real SLOW!

Bellamy's Organic Baby Food - Porridge

I am looking forward to giving Isaac this Organic baby porridge when he reaches six months of age. This is a gift from a good friend of mine and she is really happy with this product. This is an Australian Organic Product from Tasmania from the age of 6 months. Made from organically grown oats and milled, cooked and dried into fine flakes it is ideal for breakfast or a light, nutritious meal through the day. Easy to prepare by mixing with breast milk. You can also use cooled and boiled water or warmed infant formula. Ingredients: Organic oats (99.97%),Vitamin C, Mineral (iron), Niacin, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Folate.Contains gluten.

Day Four - Isaac's Solid Food

The fourth day taking Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal and today, he managed to finish his full serving as he was really hungry. He actually expected the cereal to flow continuously like milk and cried when I had to scoop a new spoonful of cereal for him. Mmm...a bit impatient. But anyway, he has to learn to be patient.

After his cereal, he had some milk and then, the zzz monster attacked him, that leaves me some time to write this post!

Day Three - Isaac's Solid Food

Continued with Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal for the third day. No allergy noted so far.

However, Isaac didn't finish his rice cereal as he was distracted by the toys around him at his Exersaucer. So, lesson learned : feed him without all these toys around him, choose a place that has no distraction, so he can just focus on having his breakfast.

Isaac took another 120ml of milk today and again, complete with his usual burp .

After his breakfast, it's back to learning to sit on his own and a short walk around the compound to get some fresh air.

Day Two - Isaac's Solid Food

Continued with Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal but I have decided to increase to one and a half teaspoon of the cereal and mix with breastmilk. Today's cereal consistency is slightly thicker than yesterday but still "runny".

Isaac finished everything! And I gave him another 100ml of milk as he was still hungry. I have cut down his usual 150ml per feed to 100ml since he is taking cereal. Not too sure if that is too much but since milk is still pretty much babies' staple diet for now, I think it should be alright to let him drink.

And all this feeding complete with his usual burp . Heehee....

Day One - Isaac's first solid

Isaac just had a taste of his very first solid food :

Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal - Mix 1 tsp of Heinz rice cereal with breast milk to make it to a thin consistency cereal.

Isaac finished only half of the cereal, he seems to be ok with it, just that he is not used to being fed using a spoon and felt real uncomfortable.

I will have to monitor for any allergy reaction and will continue with his rice cereal tomorrow if no allergy found.

Really fun to feed him this way, though it's messy and takes longer.

Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal

Just bought Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal for Isaac's breakfast tomorrow. This is the only brand I managed to find at a nearby supermarket today which is iron enriched, rice based and suitable for babies 4 months and above.

Iron fortified rice cereal

Now that Isaac is four over months, I think it's really time to introduce some solid just to see if he is interested and whether he is ready for more.

I intend to start with dry iron-fortified baby rice cereal as it's highly recommended as the best first food for babies. Rice is the least allergenic grain and is also easily digestible by baby's system.

Some of the brands recommended by experts include Gerber, Earth's Best or Beech Nut. Here is the link to the article.

Porridge vs Purees

In many Asian households, porridges rather than purees are the first foods offered to babies. Parents and caregivers go to great lengths to buy the best and even expensive ingredients to add to the porridge. Much care is taken to cook the porridge over low heat until the final product is very soft and flavourful. Many parents are convinced that it is best to follow this traditional practice, as slow-cooked porridges are very nourishing and easy for baby to eat........precious ingredients are lost through prolonged cooking.....

(Source : First Foods Expert Advice and Easy Recipes by Dietitians for Parents of 6-24 Month Olds by Anna Jacob, Pauline Chan, Samantha Thiessen, Janie Chua and Wong Yuefen)

First Foods

I have been recommended this book by many local parents here in Singapore and yes, immediately, I headed down to Borders and bought a copy. It's a great book that covers basic nutritional requirements for babies and for a bad cook like myself, those simple, easy to follow recipes really help. Although Isaac is not on solids yet, I am looking forward to following the recipes in this book and explore this whole new journey with him!

For Singaporeans, this book can also be found at the Singapore National Library, click here for the location of the book, but so far, I think it's only for reference, not available for borrowing.

Feeding Schedule (Month Four)

Isaac's routine is more established and he is taking about 700ml a day and taking 5 feeds a day at 8am, 12pm, 4pm, 8pm and 4am. My plan is to start him with solid food for the 8am feed for 3 days and subsequently adjust his timing so that his dinner is at 5.30pm

Feeding Schedule (Month Three)

Isaac's intake of milk dropped slightly to about 750ml per day on average. His schedule changed every now and then especially during the night feeds but will stick to 6 feeds per day, starting at 8am.