The Adventures of Baby Arthur

by Lincoln



If we had to pick a favorite "Arthur first", the first taste of solid food would rank up near the top. Let's face it, a baby's reaction to first tastes can be priceless! (Above: That really is Arthur's first solid food experience, and he did NOT like his applesauce!) And I'll never forget how his face turned so red after trying a taste of Chana Saag! I didn't think it was that spicy! But, entertainment value aside, Liz and I love to eat and I enjoy cooking as a hobby. Food and mealtime is an important part of our family life, so once Arthur was able to eat some good solid food, we were excited.

We started Arthur on solid food at precisely 6 months of age after Dr. Frenchy gave us his dissertation on solid foods:

Dr. Frenchy: "Just let him eat what you eat. And then he won't be a picky eater later on, trust me."

Us: "Wait, eat what we eat? He doesn't really have teeth, do you mean blend up whatever we're eating?"

Dr. Frenchy: "Yeah, do that."

Us: "How about Congee? It's like porridge, it's a rice dish."

Dr. Frenchy: "(Angrily) Just let him eat what YOU eat!!"

OK, so the exchange didn't quite happen exactly that way. Dr. Frenchy didn't know what Congee was and mistook it for the baby rice cereal, which is the kind of special "baby food stuff" he meant for us to avoid. Dr. Frenchy's approach to allergies was also a bit different. His position was to: 1) Let the baby try whatever the food is. 2) If he has a reaction, then stop feeding him it. 3) Try again later to see if he reacts the same way. If he does, then he's probably allergic.

We 100% bought into Dr. Frenchy's philosophy. It made a lot of sense to me. I've never avoided eating anything in my entire life and I have no known allergies. When I was in the 5th grade, I was diagnosed by a pediatrician to be allergic to just about everything! I mean he said I was allergic to tea, grass, and a whole slew of other things that I don't even remember. Even at that young age, I laughed it off and completely disregarded the doctor's orders. My mom surprisingly went along with this and I ended up fine. You could say that it's not my philosophy to coddle. I think a little fun in the mud with the germs can go a long way too. And here was a doctor that agreed with me!

Arthur has never eaten a bite of baby food in his entire life. It's not like we didn't try (organic with all natural ingredients of course), he wouldn't eat it! At first we gave him a heavy diet of Congee made with a variety of different meat and vegetable combinations. As time went on and he grew more teeth, we would blend up whatever we were eating. By about 12 months, he was eating his food "nearly" as-is (also an exciting day!). Nearly meaning we would still dice up the meats and serve him softer foods that he wouldn't have trouble chewing. However, the blender was out!

Through it all, I would only serve him food that I would personally eat. I would put the same seasonings that I would put in my own food, despite the objections of Grandma, who firmly believes that children shouldn't eat anything with flavor! I've been fighting Grandma on that one. Although I wasn't able to fight off the meal of oatmeal mixed with eggs (YUCK!!), overall, Arthur has been eating what we eat as Dr. Frenchy ordered. Besides, he has already figured out how to SPIT out whatever he doesn't like!

His top favorites:

-Porridge with pork and frozen vegetables
-Steamed flounder with ginger and scallion with white rice (True to a Chinese baby, Arthur LOVES rice)
-Yams
-Sweet Corn - he cannot get enough of it. He literally will grab the corn and not let it go.

There doesn't seem to be a heck of a lot of actual research on whether or not certain types of foods should be emphasized or avoided. You can find "expert advice" on spicy foods and guides for making baby food. The American Academy of Pediatrics does provide guidance on certain types of foods (that not all pediatricians agree with!). Many seem to think that rice cereal is the best first solid food (To the chagrin of Dr. Frenchy!). But I think there is evidence, even if it's anecdotal, that the guidance on baby food is mostly driven by culture. I've heard from friends and TV of Korean and South Asian children eating super-hot food from a very young age!

Regardless, Arthur has proved to be a really great eater with an excellent appetite. Luckily, we haven't encountered any food allergies either. I look forward to the day that we can go out for nice juicy porterhouse!

Labels: feeding, food, parenting