When my friends would talk about how excited they were to introduce first baby food, then table food to their baby-- not going to lie, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach. Wait, wait - I thought- I JUST got bottles under control now we are changing things AGAIN? When I say "under control" I mean I had this DOWN. I could bottle feed my twins while pumping (and usually catching up on a 15 min portion of a tv show). I hate to be the twin mommy always whining "but it is different with twins" or "my life is so much harder" but I didn't join in on the excited conversation and even months later, I have to confess--not excited about the table food situation still. I think it was because I was already stressing out about how to do this with two!
Maybe I'm overly cautious, but some of my friends were too and they have even passed me up. I know it isn't a competition but I can't help feeling concerned when a friend's child who is much younger than the twins is eating things I still don't want to give my girls. Regardless, we got the baby food thing down now. We did cereal and then oatmeal for a long time (probably longer than we should have but oh well they were well fed), then introduced baby food (we did Gerber- there's no way I had time to think about making my own let alone actually make it!). I held off on anything that gave them any type of reaction (none of which were actually a big deal looking back), only tried one thing at a time, and finally got comfortable with baby foods. I don't think there is any shame in going slow, I just had to do it my way. They did well and actually ate most things really well.
Now the girls are 11 months (almost a year) and we are really trying to work on table foods. They did puffs really well and the rice crackers, then Cherrios (huge fans!). I tried pasta (macaroni noodles cut in 1/2 or 1/3) for two months or so and Sydney wanted nothing to do with it. If you put it in her mouth she'd gag and spit it out, if you hide it among the Cherrios she'd pick around it. I'd find pieces on the floor, in her chair, in her hair, stuck to her bib...everywhere but in her mouth. Her sister on the other hand loved pasta after a few tries. So then here was my dilemma, one sister eats it the other doesn't. How do I make time to prepare some only one will eat, how do I make sure both twins are getting enough food, do I feed Sydney more Cherrios? Then I tried the step 3 foods (again). Both girls gagged and spit them out lots of times before so I took a break. This time I mixed it in with a veggie and tried to thin it out. This time Sydney took to it and Kasey wanted no part of it!
So after about 2 months (I think-- mommy brain gets to you after a while) they both eat both. It just happened one day where suddenly the food that made one twin cry and throw said food, now (quietly) ended up in her mouth. It was almost as if she didn't want me to know that she liked it because she had put up such a fight before. Here are things that I have found that one twin or the other will eat (and the way I've tried to simplify prep work.
-------------------------
-carrots (use a bag of frozen carrot slices)
I heat two days worth at once so the second day they are mostly cooked, these can be
cut into baby friendly wedges easily.
-sweet potatoes (the single microwave ready ones)
Again I heat the whole thing (7 minutes) and then cut it in half and cube one 1/2 for that
day.
-pasta (cook two cups at a time) then use if for "distraction food" while I prep their meal
-chicken noodle soup (homemade)
I gave them chunks of chicken and veggies
-avocado (tough part if that it is brown if you don't use it in one day)
----------------------
Right or wrong I'm still not ready to give them part of whatever we are eating but I'm getting there. They don't eat enough of any of the table food that I still feel like we need to give them (almost as much) baby food as before.
Things I want to try soon (again)
-spaghetti noodles
-chicken pieces
-beans
-cheese?
-maybe a piece of the homemade pizza that my hubby made last night without the sauce?
The other reason that I've been so hesitant is that you have people telling you a million different things. It used to be no eggs at all, now eggs yolks are ok but egg whites aren't still? Tried to read online about which are good foods to start them on, and one sight listed all of these foods that I don't even eat (and I like most things). I can't handle buying and researching how to prepare stuff that I don't eat. Lastly the time thing, routine is so helpful with getting through the day and feeling like the chaos is somewhat contained. The girls will be ONE YEAR OLD in 23 days and have been growing at a healthy rate and seem to be developing well if with my hesitate table food introduction, but at this point I'm really going to make an effort to have them try more regular food.
Maybe I'm overly cautious, but some of my friends were too and they have even passed me up. I know it isn't a competition but I can't help feeling concerned when a friend's child who is much younger than the twins is eating things I still don't want to give my girls. Regardless, we got the baby food thing down now. We did cereal and then oatmeal for a long time (probably longer than we should have but oh well they were well fed), then introduced baby food (we did Gerber- there's no way I had time to think about making my own let alone actually make it!). I held off on anything that gave them any type of reaction (none of which were actually a big deal looking back), only tried one thing at a time, and finally got comfortable with baby foods. I don't think there is any shame in going slow, I just had to do it my way. They did well and actually ate most things really well.
Now the girls are 11 months (almost a year) and we are really trying to work on table foods. They did puffs really well and the rice crackers, then Cherrios (huge fans!). I tried pasta (macaroni noodles cut in 1/2 or 1/3) for two months or so and Sydney wanted nothing to do with it. If you put it in her mouth she'd gag and spit it out, if you hide it among the Cherrios she'd pick around it. I'd find pieces on the floor, in her chair, in her hair, stuck to her bib...everywhere but in her mouth. Her sister on the other hand loved pasta after a few tries. So then here was my dilemma, one sister eats it the other doesn't. How do I make time to prepare some only one will eat, how do I make sure both twins are getting enough food, do I feed Sydney more Cherrios? Then I tried the step 3 foods (again). Both girls gagged and spit them out lots of times before so I took a break. This time I mixed it in with a veggie and tried to thin it out. This time Sydney took to it and Kasey wanted no part of it!
So after about 2 months (I think-- mommy brain gets to you after a while) they both eat both. It just happened one day where suddenly the food that made one twin cry and throw said food, now (quietly) ended up in her mouth. It was almost as if she didn't want me to know that she liked it because she had put up such a fight before. Here are things that I have found that one twin or the other will eat (and the way I've tried to simplify prep work.
-------------------------
-carrots (use a bag of frozen carrot slices)
I heat two days worth at once so the second day they are mostly cooked, these can be
cut into baby friendly wedges easily.
-sweet potatoes (the single microwave ready ones)
Again I heat the whole thing (7 minutes) and then cut it in half and cube one 1/2 for that
day.
-pasta (cook two cups at a time) then use if for "distraction food" while I prep their meal
-chicken noodle soup (homemade)
I gave them chunks of chicken and veggies
-avocado (tough part if that it is brown if you don't use it in one day)
----------------------
Right or wrong I'm still not ready to give them part of whatever we are eating but I'm getting there. They don't eat enough of any of the table food that I still feel like we need to give them (almost as much) baby food as before.
Things I want to try soon (again)
-spaghetti noodles
-chicken pieces
-beans
-cheese?
-maybe a piece of the homemade pizza that my hubby made last night without the sauce?
The other reason that I've been so hesitant is that you have people telling you a million different things. It used to be no eggs at all, now eggs yolks are ok but egg whites aren't still? Tried to read online about which are good foods to start them on, and one sight listed all of these foods that I don't even eat (and I like most things). I can't handle buying and researching how to prepare stuff that I don't eat. Lastly the time thing, routine is so helpful with getting through the day and feeling like the chaos is somewhat contained. The girls will be ONE YEAR OLD in 23 days and have been growing at a healthy rate and seem to be developing well if with my hesitate table food introduction, but at this point I'm really going to make an effort to have them try more regular food.