a year with twins: solids & baby food

As we cross into toddlerhood with the sisters, I thought I’d write a few posts to celebrate the ways we’ve survived & thrived over the last year. This series, A Year With Twins, will cover some of the basics of baby world. Feel free to give me additional suggestions, and as always… give me your feedback on the subjects as well!


solids


Although the girls have been on table food for a few months now, the restrictions have lifted some since they turned one. We’re still avoiding strawberries, honey, and peanut butter. In addition to nursing and table food, the sisters still eat baby food. We make our own for several reasons. It’s cheap, it’s easy, it’s cheap, it’s healthy, and it’s cheap!

Whenever I buy produce, I pick up a few extra items for the sisters. To help keep costs down, I follow the “Dirty Dozen/Clean Fifteen” guidelines. The sisters eat a lot of squash, zucchini, and sweet potatoes. We also keep a ten-pound bag of carrots and a bag of avocados in the fridge, since everyone snacks on those. I focus on vegetables because it’s rare to find a baby who refuses something sweet! We have frozen blueberries in the freezer for yogurt, and I’ve been serving their veggies in applesauce.

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but we like whole foods around here. Everything gets chopped up and thrown in a pot, and I boil it for a few minutes before draining. I want the veggies soft enough to mash, but I want to maintain as much nutrient as possible. I leave the sweet potatoes by themselves, but I mix the other veggies together and mash – squash, zucchini, and carrots. I typically add a bit of applesauce to sweeten it up and hold it together. We store it all in mason jars.

I thought I struck gold when I found these Motts three-packs at Costco. So much cheaper than making my own applesauce! I don’t remember them containing high fructose corn syrup, but apparently they do? Chris pointed it out this week, so we’re back to making our own for now (I just throw sliced apples and water in the crock pot for a few hours).

We make baby food once a week or so, and we try to knock it out together. Chris recently experimented with the blender, which broke up the peels and allowed for a shorter boiling time. The result is a much more blended puree, which might be great for younger babies. Don’t forget, though… the World Health Organization recommends parents to feed babies breastmilk or formula exclusively until six months of age!

The sisters haven’t mastered any real form of drinking yet. They still get bottles of breastmilk while I’m at work. When I’m home, they nurse. I’ve been hesitant to buy transition sippy cups because I don’t want to waste the money if they hate them! I’d rather hold out until they feel comfortable with all of Ames’ cups.

Pincer grasps are coming along very nicely! Isaiah Jane works on hers during therapy each week, and the difference is noticeable. I know it’s probably frustrating to learn basic functions like feeding one’s self, but it’s so fun to watch those girls.

Thanks to a very generous family member, the sisters will soon join us at the table. Birthday high chairs are on the way! Until now, they’ve been in Bumbo seats & trays on the floor. It’s unbelievably messy. Honor Rose usually tumbles her way out halfway through dinner, leaving a trail of food in order to crawl over to us and beg for scraps. I can’t wait to have everyone at the table together at mealtime.

Solids! With twins!