Look Who's Ready for Real Food!

On July 10, 2011 my little girl, Audrey, turned 5 months old. FIVE months old, already?!! How can that be?! My darling little girl is growing up so fast right before my eyes. It's so amazing to see her develop both physically and cognitively. Her sweet little voice makes the most precious little coos, and recently she's learned how to scream. Talk about cute! She'll usually throw a little scream in when she gets real excited about something or when she's laughing. She really does already have the sweetest little personality. One thing you should know about Audrey is, she is the observer. She sees and hears everything! Nothing gets past this little girl. She's definitely a little genius. I'm pretty sure she's going to be a rocket scientist when she grows up. But let's not talk about her growing up right now, or anytime soon for that matter. For now, let's just enjoy her as she is, my sweet little five month old baby girl, who in fact, has only recently started eating real food! I suppose you could consider rice cereal real food, right?! I mean when your diet consists solely of breast milk, any new addition should count as real food, I would think. So, here she is tasting her first food (rice cereal) via soft-tipped spoon, and believe it or not, she's actually enjoying it!

We're already looking forward to introducing more new foods (bananas, applesauce, or green beans perhaps) into her diet within the next couple of days and weeks. Hopefully they too will be well received!

If you're a new mommy and aren't quite sure if your little one is ready for real foods, which is generally around 4-6 months, here's a couple developmental milestones to look for in your little one:
* independent head control
* sitting well when supported
* ability to accept a spoon (has outgrown the tongue-thrust reflex)
* showing interest in what you're eating

I waited until 6 months of age to start my older daughter, Ava, on solids because she was born early and needed a little extra time to prepare herself for the experience. But, she took off beautifully once she was ready! If your baby isn't quite ready, be patient. The time to eat solids will eventually come. We certainly don't want to make our babies grow up any sooner than they have too ;)