My Life as an African Gypsy

We're at that stage, and I am happy to report we are doing quite well. I am finding a schedule that Anaya eats the most and happiest. For now it is twice a day, usually late morning (10-ish) and mid-afternoon (3-sih). She is breastfeeding every 3- 3.5 hours, so if I feed her solids after about 2hrs, she is usually most cooperative.

I am an impatient Mommy and while it is recommended to wait 4 days after each new introduction of food to watch for allergies, I have been doing two to three new items at a time. Neither Jon or I have allergies, so I am hoping we won't run into any problems. For the past week or so we have been doing oatmeal, bananas, and apples. Today I made those three plus pears and butternut squash. I am excited to see her reactions. I also have an avocado ripening... soon!

After reading this: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/tipspices.htm, I decided we are a spicy family and I'm going to give it a shot, even starting early. I have hopes that this will help the transition to just eating what Jon and I eat down the road. So far we've used cinnamon; however, today I added some vanilla (read note on left side of website), ginger, and nutmeg.

Here's my little how to or how did. Ha.

Cut the food up

Boil in a little water until nice and soft. My first time with apples I under cooked a bit and had a few little chunks. This time it was a lot smoother, so be patient! Doesn't take long!

Place in processing container and add a little water for a nice puree. (Some people use a little breast milk, which I am sure would be preferred, but I am not a fan of pumping any more than necessary. Some people would also only use bottled water... I live in Africa. I don't do things quite by the book.)

Screw on the lid and a few seconds of the blendy-blend.

A little spice to make it nice

Like so. Here is a little ginger and nutmeg. Voila! There you have it = Baby Food.


Bananas, pears, apples, butternut, and oatmeal

Anaya isn't a big eater yet, so this will last me a few days. The banana gets a little dark in the fridge, but I've tasted them and they taste fine, and a stir does wonders. Someday I may freeze some and do bigger batches, but for this is working for me and doesn't take too long. Plus, I have tasted and YUM!


Miss Anaya is a messy one, so just the diaper is allowed. Much easier clean up! =)