Today we went for N's six month doctor's appointment. N turned 6 months a few weeks ago but we had a little scheduling issue so this was the first chance we could get into the doctor. Everything went great! He is 29" tall, so we are still okay in our infant seat for just a little longer. His weight was up to 16 lbs. 3 oz. which by my calculations is still a little low, but our doc wasn't concerned. At his 4 month appointment she had some concerns since he was pretty low on the growth chart, but she said he's come up enough that she's not at all worried now.
Everything else looked really good too! He did well with his shots, just cried for a few minutes, but basically as soon as I picked him up he was back to his happy, smiley self. This was a great change from the last time I took him for shots where he cried and screamed all the way to the car.
One thing that I'm not sure that I've mentioned on here before is that we are going to be starting some physical therapy this Friday. At N's four month appointment our doctor mentioned that we should do an assessment for First Steps which is an early intervention program since he didn't seem to be quite as strong as he should have been. It took us a while to get through the referral, intake, and assessment process, but we are finally beginning therapy this Friday. Our doctor and the therapist who did his assessment stressed that his delay is very mild, but think he will really benefit from the therapy.
The biggest thing we talked about at this appointment was solid foods. We decided to try BLW with N and began offering solid foods when he turned 6 months old at the beginning of the month. Our doctor said that she had heard of BLW but didn't know much about it. She is planning on reading the books so that she can make an informed decision about whether or not to support it as a method of introducing solids. She did say that she was concerned about choking, so I explained how I had prepared the fruits and veggies N has tried so far and she said that sounded perfectly fine. So I think our plan is to continue with BLW as much as possible, the biggest issue I'm having with it is figuring out how to offer meats. Any suggestions? I read the BLW book and cookbook, but didn't get a great idea of how to first offer meats. I'm thinking of trying some pureed meats and seeing how N likes them but continuing with BLW for the fruits and veggies. Has anyone done a blended form of BLW? How did it work for you?
We are doing a mixture of homemade purees and BLW at the moment.. well we are open to purees but really so far it has been mostly BLW, plus mushed bananas because Alidia LOVES mushed bananas (which we do spoon feed to her). I definitely think you can do a mixture of the two if that works best for you. There are no rules and I am sure all of these kids, all fed different ways, will turn out just fine! :) That being said, you can offer them meat through BLW and in the beginning he will probably just gum the meat and suck the good juices out of it. You can also give ground meat in things like lasagna which we could try eating with his hands (yes, messy, I know). So far, Alidia is doing great with BLW along with a little spoon fed mushed bananas. I think mixing actually has actually made her more adaptable because she will be used to all kinds of eating. Hope it works for you and N too! :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that the appointment went well and you are able to start up therapy soon; sounds like he will be in tip top shape before you know it. Chloe didn't stay on purees very long, and honestly I didn't want to give her any meat that was baby food, it just didn't look right to me. So the first meats she got were actual food - chicken, hot dog, turkey and ham from our restaurant. The chicken we would shred up but everything else we just cut into small pieces and she would feed herself. I have noticed the deli meats that are thin almost seem harder to her, like she thinks she doesn't have to chew them. So I had JJ cut them a bit thicker for her. I think a blended form of BLW sounds just fine, and a great way to introduce new types of food.
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