Wheezy Fishy

"You are giving your baby salmon?!?" That's what I heard the day after we decided to let Dino share our salmon with us at dinner. Honestly, I didn't even question it when I gave it to him, but after others questioned it, I sort of panicked! So of course I hurried to Google to make sure Dino wasn't going to have a crazy reaction and die! I was quickly reassured he was going to be ok and apparently my search was timely. A new study was just published November 12th in the journal, Pediatrics entitled, "Fish Consumption in Infancy and Asthma-like Symptoms at Preschool Age."

So according to this study, not only was the fish ok for Dino to eat, but we may have decreased his liklihood of asthma! The study was done in the Netherlands with over 7000 children. The results showed that when fish was introduced between the age of 6 and 12 months, there was a significant decrease in asthma-like symptoms compared to prior to 6 months and after 12 months of age. NBC's news report (When Babies Eat Fish) stated, "Between 40 percent and 45 percent of parents of children who did not eat fish until after their first birthdays said their children wheezed, compared to 30 percent of children who first ate fish when they were between six and 12 months old. That, the researchers said, works out to about a 36 percent decreased risk of wheezing for the children who first had fish between the ages of six months and one year."

Of course, this is only one study, so more research should be done to verify these findings. Meanwhile, we will continue to include fish in Dino's diet while I continue trusting my instincts of what he should and shouldn't eat.

Spoons, Spoons Everywhere!



Oops! I must confess that I have been a slacker lately with my blogging! Don't worry, little Dino has been eating- I just haven't been documenting as well. We have tried all sorts of new things lately! Last night he even got to taste some crab legs. His favorite food by far has been mashed cauliflower. I am not sure if its because of the taste of the cauliflower or the garlic or because he gets to use a spoon. A few weeks ago, we went to purchase a few spoons and noticed most were sold in large packs. We were unsure why, but bought them anyway. We now have a theory why you might need more than one spoon at a meal.

 

He lets us know he's ready for another bite by throwing his spoon on the floor.

 

Such a natural with using the spoon!



So, the mashed cauliflower. It is not only Dino's favorite, but his parents are loving it too. It is such a nice substitution (much healthier) to regular mashed potatoes...it just requires a little more clean up than other foods. I would highly recommend anyone trying it! Here's the recipe:



Little Dino's Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (optional)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper to taste (no salt for baby's portion)

 

Directions

1. Boil a large pot of water over high heat.

2. Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until well done.

3. Drain well; do not let cool and pat cooked cauliflower very dry between several layers of paper towels.

4. In a bowl with an immersion blender, or in a food processor (I used our Kitchenaid stand mixer), puree the hot cauliflower with the Parmesan, garlic, butter and pepper until almost smooth.



After a dinner of cauliflower, avocado, and crab legs.



CPR and Safey Course "Date Night"

Last week Dino's grandma came and kept him while Dino's daddy and I had an "Infant CPR and Safety Course Date Night". Well, besides the frozen custard we picked up on the way home, I guess it doesn't truly classify as a date night, but it was a rare time alone without Dino. Although we realized that Dino has about a 1% chance of surviving childhood (at least that's how we felt afterwords), this course was well worth our time! We were one of the few couples in the classroom that was not currently pregnant, and I am not quite sure how these ladies coped with the stressful thoughts this class provoked!! We learned what to do if little Dino starts choking as well as how to perform CPR if ever needed. We also learned all about infant safety. Needless to say, our conversation the entire way home (and the rest of the night) revolved around everything we need to do to "baby-proof" our home and keep little Dino alive and well.

Ok, now to the food part! We had a really great eating week. Dino is really progressing with his eating skills and gagging very little now. He absolutely loves food and has not refused anything yet! Our independent little Dino tends to get pretty frustrated when he cannot get the food to his mouth and then again when all the food is gone. He has mastered picking up the food and bringing it to his mouth, but he is still working on opening up his hand to release the food.

Dino tried several new foods this week including salmon, butternut squash, peppers, meatballs, eggs, pickles, lemon, apples, tomato sauce, blueberries, meatloaf, and spinach.

When we went to a sandwich shop this week, we thought we would let him taste the pickle to see his reaction. Surprisingly (well not really), he loved it and did not want us to take it away (I was concerned with too much sodium in it). Then Dino's daddy decided it would also be great to see his reaction to lemon, so we offered him a lemon slice. He definitely made a funny face, but he wanted to keep eating it.

We will continue to try several new colorful foods this week! Here's a few of our dinners for the week:

 Baked chicken with sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts

Salmon with spaghetti squash, Italian spinach, and cornbread

Pesto chicken pasta with green beans and mixed veggies

Tuna patties with cauliflower mashed potatoes and black eyed peas

A few snacks/lunches include:

Blueberries

Bananas

Pear

Spinach, cheddar and dill quiche muffins

Baked apples