Sucking down the nutrients

I recently showed my son pictures of himself when he was first eating solid foods. He asked what type of food was his favorites. It was bananas. He couldn't wait for me to slice them so he could shove them into his mouth and gum them down.

I remember that time of his life fondly: We tried all kinds of foods with him, and there were winners (sweet potatoes! carrots! oatmeal!) and losers (green beans, peas). It's funny to think about how his tastes have changed (even though he still doesn't like green beans).

One thing I am certain of is that we tried foods with him at the right time, and with our doctor's knowledge. We introduced him to new foods slowly, and he got used to the textures on his little gums (he didn't have teeth for a while).

One thing my son never had was those food pouches - those squeeze packs of pureed foods. I definitely saw them in the store, but never bought them. We were having too much fun at home with his little utensils.

It turns out that those food pouches may be delaying our little one's development. That news may come as a shock to many parents, since they do contain pureed fruit and vegetables. But, sucking down nutrients from a pouch doesn't allow our babies to get used to utensils. So, like so many lessons we need to learn, it is all about moderation: The convenience of the pouches causes many parents to overuse them.

It's hard enough to make the transition between breast milk/formula and solids, especially for new parents. The best advice is to chat with your doctor along the way.

What was your baby's first favorite food? Share in the comments.