What happens when a real "foodie" gets to give her babies their first spoonfuls? The most surprising combinations! And, if they follow their mum's example, good eaters too. On the Kabrita blog, I'll be keeping you posted on the food adventures of my twins Amy and Maisie (6 months). This month: the first spoonfuls.
Exotic plans
Litres of milk have flown by these past few months. Amy and Maisie never seemed to get enough of their bottles. And me? I couldn't wait to finally give them a spoonful of something tasty instead of the endless bottle teat. Even before the girls turned six months old, I'd already bought broccoli, cauliflower, bananas, and a mango, and dug the hand blender out from under the dust. Time for the real thing! But after a bit of research online, I discovered it's best to introduce a baby to one flavour at a time. So much for my plans for exotic fruit mixes. I also read it's smart to start with vegetables, since they're less sweet than fruit. So I knew what to do: wash, chop, and purée the broccoli.
Broccoli
The very first spoonful didn't go down well. I've never seen a baby pull as disgusted a face as Maisie did at her first spoonful of broccoli. She pushed the green mush straight back out with her tongue. Amy, on the other hand, loved it - her bowl was empty in no time. In the days that followed, Amy and Maisie tried cauliflower, pumpkin, banana, pear, and mango. Cauliflower turned out to be the clear favourite: both girls tucked in happily, and weren't exactly thrilled once their bowls were empty. Could they really already have preferences, young as they are? Either way, I'm buying a cauliflower every week from now on, puréeing it whole, and freezing it in portions.
Mixing
The "don't mix fruits" rule went straight out the window last week. I combined pear with banana, and added a banana to the puréed mango too. A tip for puréeing pear: add a spoonful of rice flour. Puréed pear is very liquid on its own - mine looked practically like pear juice. Adding a bit of rice flour gives it a little more bite, which seems easier for little ones to eat.
Bulgur
Amy and Maisie have only been eating solids for two weeks, but I'm already looking forward to combinations with rice, pasta, and potato. Or something more exotic: bulgur or couscous. Having an Indonesian dad will probably work in their favour there - Indonesians know good food! I can only hope they'll enjoy all these culinary adventures as much as I do. I'll let you know how it goes...
Carlijn (26) is the proud mum of twins Amy and Maisie. In everyday life, she works as a copywriter.