baby care

Introducing solids – our mixed approach

Family, Motherhood, Uncategorized

Cooking for my loved ones is one of my favorite things to do, so I was super excited to introduce solids to Lex. Solids can be introduced to babies from 4 months but most start around 6 months. As always this is an account of my own personal experience and should never be taken as professional medical or nutritional advice. Do your own research to figure out what is best for your family.

If you feel like your baby is ready for solids, here are a few of the readiness signs to look out for:

  • Sitting up (some resources say unsupported, some say with some support such as towels. We did not do baby led weaning until he was sitting up fully unsupported but we did offer him some puree when he could sit up supported)
  • Can hold up head/neck strength
  • Loss of tongue thrust instinct
  • Fascination with food/meal time

Lex was able to sit up supported with some towels around 5 months and also showed A LOT of interest in our food. We spoke to our pediatrician and she said that we can start him out on some rice cereal while he sits in his baby bouncer. I did a little bit of research and felt that rice cereal was not actually that nutritious, so we decided to try some mashed up banana as his first food. We spoon fed him a little bit of the puree but quickly found out that he still had his tongue thrust reflex where he was pushing everything out with his tongue. We decided to wait a little bit and try again later.

At 5.5 months, we decided to give it a go again! He no longer had this tongue thrust reflex so we decided to start off with some single ingredient purees. We did not feel comfortable starting BLW (baby led weaning) yet because he was still unable to sit unsupported. It is important that he can do that for BLW so that he does not choke. We wanted to start off with single ingredient foods so that we can make sure he was not allergic to anything. We do not have any family history of food allergies but if you do, you should speak to your doctor before introducing top allergens such as nuts or dairy. Don’t introduce a bunch of new things at once or else it will be difficult for you to isolate which ingredient is the issue. When we introduced peanut butter (OUR FAVORITE) for the first time, we thinned it out into yogurt or oatmeal cereal and watched him carefully. If nothing happened for a few minutes, we gave him more. It is beneficial to introduce top allergens before 12 months and to do it consistently! Apart from peanut butter, I also purchased a 7 nut mix that I add to Lex’s breakfast consistently. He also had no issues with dairy or seafood, etc. Lex was not that keen on being spoon fed and would always grab the spoon and feed himself. It was a mess but it was so cute watching him discover new flavors and his dexterity in holding the spoon.

At 6 months, Lex could sit up properly without support so it was time to BLW! Baby led weaning is a method of feeding where you mostly skip spoon fed purees and offer your baby finger foods that they can grab and feed themselves. Some strict BLW followers say you need to skip purees all together but others argue that purees can also be offered on a preloaded spoon for babies to feed themselves with. Baby led weaning boasts a lot of benefits, including allowing the baby to self regulate their feeding, improving hand eye coordination, better relationship with food/more adventurous palate, and convenience for parents also! I purchased two books that I found very helpful. One is Baby Led Feeding by Jenna Helwig and the other is Simple and Safe Baby Led Weaning by Malina Malkani. Baby Led Feeding provides LOTS of amazing recipes while Simple and Safe Baby Led weaning gives you great basic information like how to serve single ingredient items safely. Both were helpful in different ways. As I started to move on from single ingredient items, I used the Baby Led Feeding book much more. The instagram account of “Infant Nutritionist” also played a vital role in my research for BLW. I would urge all parents who plan to BLW to read up on it and check out all the different resources out there.

However, like all things, this might not be the right choice for every family so do your research and see what works for you. I loved the idea of BLW but also felt that Lex wasn’t actually ingesting a lot of the food. He loved exploring the foods but not a lot was actually swallowed. I loved that it allowed him to explore at his own pace and the intake of food is not the only reason we eat, but it was also important for me for him to get his needed nutrition and caloric intake. Therefore we decided to go for a mixed approach. Breakfast would be mostly BLW with some spoon fed items and lunch was spoon fed puree. I realized that what was most important to me was responsive feeding – which is also in line with how I breastfed Lex! I wanted to respect him and look to him for his hunger cues, and not feed him according to what made sense to me. With responsive feeding, you don’t try to coax or force your baby to have “just one more bite”, if they are full and turn away from the food or are disinterested, we clean them up and end the meal session!

Of course, starting solids, especially with BLW, can get MESSY! It is quite cute to see food all over Lex’s face but it can also be quite a lot of work during the clean up. It definitely does help to have a dog when you are starting solids with a baby. Mister is always hovering around like a shark when Lex is eating and vacuuming up any bits that fall to the ground. I also HATE wasting food and I feel much better knowing that Mister can gobble up the leftovers (obviously making sure that he can eat the ingredients.

I was really happy with our mixed approach because Lex was able to practice BLW and also get his adequate nutritional intake. He was ravenous for the purees and we definitely saw him plumb up a bit after starting the mixed feeding approach. It is also important to note that you should have a neutral or positive attitude when introducing solids, don’t be upset if your baby rejects certain foods. Some meals are a huge hit while others are not! If your baby does not like a certain food, don’t try to force it and introduce it another time.

We try to keep his diet quite varied but one thing you need to pay attention to is iron. In the books and resources I read, it is said that babies have an iron reserve when they are born but that will run out around 6 months. While breastmilk is the perfect nutrition, it does not contain iron so babies will need to get it from iron rich foods such as red meat.

One important to look out for is to understand the difference between gagging and choking. Gagging is a normal protective reflex for babies and while it is scary, try to remain calm when it happens. This is a helpful page on noticing the difference and what to do! I would also recommend taking a pediatric first aid course to make sure you know what to do in emergencies. Jerry and I took one and we feel more secure after doing so. Another thing to read up on are certain foods that babies should NOT have. The #1 thing is honey because of the risk of botulism but apart from that babies can have most things, but do make sure you know about choking hazards such as grapes, hard apple bits, and sticky foods (that’s why it’s important to thin out nut butters). The things I listed are not exhaustive so make sure you do your due diligence.

In the beginning, we started out with 1 meal at day (breakfast) and we added lunch around 7 months. By 8 months Lex was having 3 meals a day! Even for someone who loves to cook, moving from 2 meals to 3 meals did require some planning. I decided to have dinner be BLW style also and Lex can eat our food with some adjustments. We also offer him water with an open cup after each meal because sippy cups are actually not the best for feeding development.

Essentially, this is the breakdown of Lex’s meals.

  • Breakfast is usually a combination of: BLW fruit (favorites include strawberries, golden kiwi, papaya, blackberries, oranges) + spoon fed or BLW oatmeal cereal/toast with pb/nut butter/avo + yogurt (mixed with chia and flax seeds, sometimes mashed fruit) and sometimes eggs(plain scrambled, with cheese, omelette). We also do banana pancakes and Taiwanese egg rolls!
  • Lunch: purees (usually a meat with a bunch of veggies and a grain (there has been a recent concern about arsenic in rice so I try to do a variety including rice, oatmeal quinoa, millet, polenta, amaranth, etc.) Around 9 months Lex started preferring a chunkier puree and by 11 months he was mostly off purees and ate modified “adult” meals.
  • Dinner: BLW of adjusted food that we eat (unsalted meats and veggies) and usually an extra carb for Lex as we usually eat less carbs for our dinner.

Around 8 months, I also started to bake him baby friendly muffins as a snacks. These are usually sweetened with fruits such as banana and dates and don’t contain salt. I also try to add extra fruit and veggies in there! These recipes will be posted on the website!

Around 10 months, I noticed that Lex got dramatically pickier! I read that it is common around this age because they want to exert control. We initially tried to mix things he liked (like yogurt) into meals but I stopped doing that because it was not a good habit to form. I reminded myself that I needed to be neutral and to just keep offering different foods. It definitely can be difficult when he rejects everything sometimes but I just had to stay on course and keep offering a variety of foods. He can definitely be a bit of a diva and turning away dramatically from the food, spitting things out, and even hitting away my hand! Sometimes if he ignored a food item, I will try to save it for the next day and make another dish out of it. Baby’s preferences and mood change all the time so I continued to offer him different things and just got used to the volatility. Sometimes he would scream at the food and sometimes he would gobble it up! It’s all a learning process (for him and me!).

When we eat out, I give Lex some of the items that Jerry and I are eating and sometimes order a little extra something for him. For example, when we ate out at a Thai restaurant, I ordered him some Hainan chicken rice. He loved the rice and I also broke off some small pieces of chicken for him. Other things I’ve given him while eating out were unseasoned fried rice from the kid’s menu and toast strips and chili. Lex also tried some spicy fried rice and loved it! If we are going to a place that does not seem like it will have baby friendly food, we will bring organic baby food pouches (we love the Ella’s kitchen brand). I try to bring things that don’t have too much sugar (more veggie blends over fruits) and also make sure it does not contain any preservatives. I love having Lex join us for meals and it does not need to be a stressful thing at all!

There are mix opinions about whether you should nurse before or after meals. My pediatrician said after while many sources online says before! I don’t really have a rule about it, if Lex is hungry before the meal I will nurse him but if he isn’t trying to nurse I will offer him the solid food meal first. It doesn’t seem to affect his intake of food so I feel ok continuing. You can chat with your pediatrician and also see whether your baby’s behavior is different whether you offer milk before or after meals. However, a baby’s reaction to different foods can be so random so it could be difficult to pinpoint!

In terms of organic vs not organic… we do make an effort to buy organic ingredients for him but its not all or nothing. Organic products are more limited and it would be too stressful and restrictive to do ALL organic. I make a lot of effort to buy high quality and sustainable/wild catch meats and seafood for us as a family so that works out well for Lex’s food also. I also found a great online grocer who has small 100 grams of packaged proteins specifically for babies. This is particularly useful for when I am making purees for him, however, you can easily just cut off some of the meats you use for your own dinner.

Babies are not supposed to have much salt at all and refined sugars are also not great for them. We try to minimize giving Lex those things but we are also not super intense attitude about it. When I am cooking at home, I hardly ever add salt or sugar into his food, I also shy away from pre-made sauces. I noticed that we as a family ate less salted food ever since I started cooking for Lex. However, similar to our own diet, we try to have a balanced approach with feeding him and we let him have “unhealthy” things like fries and ice cream once in a while! Eating nutritious food is important, but food should also be an enjoyment!

Here is a list of products that I use for starting solids

You can also check out many of Lex’s meals in my Instagram under the highlight “Lex’s food”!

Introducing solids has been such a joy! Enjoying delicious food and eating together are important things to our family and I am so happy to see that Lex is such a great little eater (sometimes!). He has tried so many different things and I look forward to many happy family meals together.

Our diapering journey

Family, Motherhood, Sustainability

Changing diapers is not everyone’s favorite part of parenthood, but it is something that has to be done. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen my stories about my excitement to use cloth diapers. I first heard about cloth diapers on social media and was instantly interested. I found out that babies use around 2,500-3,000 diapers in their first year and it is estimated that diapers take around 500 years to decompose! That is a lot of poopy diapers in the landfill! I was pretty disturbed by this statistic, so I was eager to look into reusable cloth diapers. I was overeager and bought a lot of different sizes and brands to try, including Grovia, Thirties, and Charlie Banana.

Fast forward to when we finally had Lex in our arms. We learnt how to change nappies at the hospital and got used to using the Huggies brand. We decided to buy a few packs to use at home since we were familiar with them. The first few weeks were chaotic and super busy so we wanted to use things that we were comfortable with. We decided to start cloth diapering once we felt a bit more secure and confident with newborn care. Once we had more of a routine and were quite the experts with disposable diapers, I was super excited to finally give the cloth diapering a go! 

Unfortunately, cloth diapering did not go as smoothly as I had hoped! Essentially, we were experiencing a lot of leaks. I had heard that cloth diapering was harder for newborns since they are so small and funny shaped, but I had bought the newborn sizes and was hoping it would fit ok. Lex has a tiny waist and chunky thighs, a difficult combination when it comes to fit. If the waistband was tight enough, the leg gussets were much too tight. If the leg gussets fit well, the waist was too loose. We kept experiencing leaks from either the waist or the leg. Once it leaked, it meant we had to wash the swaddle and the waterproof pad underneath… as if we did not already have a lot to wash!

I was quite bummed by this and reached out to the cloth diaper shop staff. They were incredibly helpful and sent me lots of tips and fitting videos. However, even after consulting the experts and going over the videos, the leaks were still happening. Jerry is the one in charge of diapering and laundry and it was difficult for me to keep forcing him to try cloth diapers when they weren’t working well. 

We decided to retire the newborn cloth diapers for a bit and to try it again when Lex would be a bit bigger. However, upon further investigation it seems like there is a big debate (another article here) on whether cloth diapering is actually better for the environment as compared to disposables. I was surprised and was pretty annoyed at myself for not doing my due diligence earlier. Our whole reason for using cloth diapers was to be eco-friendly and now I found out that they are just as bad – if not more than using disposables. This not always the case if you are able to launder them efficiently, but with Hong Kong’s humidity, we had to use the dryer for each wash and that uses up a lot of energy. We also had to do cloth diaper laundry either every day or at the very least every other day. Many people use cloth diapers for other reasons such as cost saving but since that was not our main reason, it did not make sense to put in all the extra effort in laundry when it did not result in a greener choice.

I was pretty bummed out that cloth diapering did not work out and was still hoping that it would somehow work, but after consulting with Jerry, he said that he was over the idea and that we should let someone else enjoy cloth diapering. I ended up selling all the cloth diapers at a huge discount via FB and was happy that other people are able to use the products! We also make an effort in many other areas of our lifestyle to be eco conscious so I will focus my attention on what works for us! In terms of diapering wipes, we still do a mix of disposables and cloth wipes (which can easily be tossed in the wash with other baby items).

I certainly don’t want my experience to discourage others who want to try cloth diapering (especially if you are able to launder them without a dryer), but I just want to be completely honest regarding our personal experience. Next time I must remember to do my research properly and also not commit the amateur mistake of buying too many baby things at one go!

Safe sleep practices and our set up for Lex

Family, Motherhood

This is a very important topic and something I knew very little about before I got pregnant! SIDS is every parent’s worst nightmare and safe sleep practices are extremely important in reducing SIDS. I understand that things are not always black and white and sometimes it is difficult to do things exactly as recommended, but I really hope that this post will be a good resource by gathering information from reliable sources, so that you can make an informed decision in creating a safe sleep environment for your baby. As always, seek the advice of your doctor and also do your own research to make the best decision for your family.

The guidelines for safe sleep

There are a number of reliable and evidence-backed resources out there regarding safe sleep, but there also a lot of confusing products out there that aren’t as safe as they claim to be. Here is a page on the updated safe sleep for infant recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatricians and an article from the CDC.

safe sleep

Infographic from the CDC

The recommended guidelines for safe sleep are:

  • Babies should always be placed on their back on a firm mattress with a tightly fitted sheet.
  • Avoid the use of soft bedding and keep items such as stuffed toys, bumpers, pillows, and blankets out of the crib. Essentially: KEEP THE CRIB BARE. 
  • Share a bedroom with parents (the safest is the same room, but not the same sleep surface) for at least 6 months.
  • Do not use commercial monitors and products such as sleep positioners or monitors marketed to reduce SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

Similar guidelines are published by the Hong Kong Department of Health, the NHS (UK), the European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants and the European Committee of Standardization.

The last point above is particularly important, because there are a lot of products out there that are marketed to trick parents into thinking it will reduce SIDS. I have touched on this briefly before regarding sleep positioners. These products claim to keep your baby in a safe and comfortable position, but actually increase the risk of suffocation. The FDA has issued a warning regarding sleep positioners and baby nests. The safe sleep guidelines from the NHS posted earlier also specifically warn against the use of baby nests. Baby monitors that keep track of the baby’s vitals (while many do not outrightly claim to reduce SIDS) may also give parents a false sense of security.

Nests and pods have been extremely popular and I see them everywhere. They claim to make your baby sleep better by creating a secure and protective feeling. One of them is the Dock A Tot and it may seem like a great place for your infant to sleep, but it should only be used when supervised and it is an unsafe sleeping device. The company itself has issued guidelines stating that the Dock a Tot is NOT a to be used as a sleeping device, yet many parents still use it in an unsafe manner. Another popular sleep pod is the Sleepyhead. The website itself claims that it is safe for use as a sleeping device and can be placed in cribs due to the product adhering to British Standards for breathability. However, since doing so still goes against the safe sleep recommendation of letting a baby sleep on a firm and bare mattress, I would still be cautious when using it as a sleeping device (overnight). This of course does not mean it is a bad product. I actually used a Sleepyhead and it was absolutely perfect for supervised naps and lounging! I also know that many babies sleep much better in the pods as compared to a large crib, so I can understand why parents may want to use them as they don’t know they are unsafe sleep devices.

The Lullaby Trust (backed by Public Health England) has also issued a safety warning against baby sleep nests or pods. The Department of Health of Canada has also issued a safety warning for baby nests and pods. Give this article a read if you want to learn more about sleep positioners and nests/pods. The Lullaby Trust is an UK organization made up of pediatricians and academics with expertise in infant sleep and SIDS.

Ultimately, I think the take home message is to keep the crib as bare as possible. It may look very plain and you’re tempted to add some pillows or toys, fluffy blankets, or products that claims to be beneficial, but don’t do it!

There are a lot of different products out there and it can get confusing for new parents, but it is so important for us to do our homework and look up whether they are actually safe or not. Many products may also claim that their products are safe, but actually lack evidence or official safety certifications to back up that claim.

I do want to add that these are also general guidelines and as much as we should try to follow them, do discuss with your doctor (who is up to date with your child’s individual development and health) to discuss options. Here are some exceptions that I discussed with my healthcare provider:

    • Blankets: I had read that blankets were considered unsafe until 12 months, but I noticed that blankets were used in the hospital where I gave birth. I checked with the midwives and two different pediatricians and they said that light blankets were fine to use as long as they are tucked in at the end of the bed and the infant’s feet are at the bottom end of the bed.
    • Stuffed toy or lovey in bed with baby: The guidelines say that the crib should be bare but at 4 months our pediatrician recommended that we place a lovey or toy in bed with Lex so that he would feel more secure when he wakes up. He is quite a robust baby and we all felt comfortable that he would be able to push it aside if it was bothering him.
    • Co-sleeping: Room sharing (but with the baby sleeping on a different sleep surface) is what is recommended and I personally had always felt a bit uneasy having a tiny baby in the bed with us. However, upon further research and my own real life experience, I have a new perspective about co-sleeping. I also spoke to my doctor about this and will share more in a separate post!

Our sleeping set up for Lex 

In accordance with the guideline of having the baby share our room (and since we will not be hiring a confinement nanny or a full time helper), Lex will sleep in our room in a bassinet for the first 6 months. His bassinet is next to my bedside, so it will be easier for me to check on him and also for night feedings. The bassinet that we chose is the Tutto Bambini Cozee (for purchase in HK). I like it because it has a flat firm mattress and also mesh sides for ventilation. The Chicco Next2Me series was also considered and has similar qualities, but I ultimately went for the Tutto Bambini because the Chicco one felt a little flimsy.

The plan is that we we will move him to his own nursery at 6 months where we have a Baby Letto crib (for purchase in HK). We actually did not pay attention to the quality of wood and painting technique when we first looked into cribs and only realized that it was actually something that was important later on. We had already picked the Baby Letto crib and realized after purchasing it that it is GREENGUARD certified, which means that it is screened for over 10,000 chemicals and VOCs. The crib is also made using a non-toxic painting technique (great since Lex loves to slobber and gnaw on everything) and the crib is made with one of the most sustainable types of woods on earth (an extra plus!). We also purchased a Baby Letto non-toxic mattress with a waterproof cover for the crib. We wanted to get the same branded mattress to ensure that it fits (although most standard crib measurements should work). It also seemed like a brand that can be trusted.

We use 100% cotton/organic cotton sheets or bamboo sheets for the bedding and we got sheets that fit the mattress perfectly to ensure a tight fit. The crib will be bare and will not have any pillows, sleep positioners, bumpers, or large stuffed toys. We swaddled Lex until he was able to roll over. We also used a light blanket tucked into the bassinet but switched to sleep sacks around 4 months and removed the blanket. We have the room at 20-22 Celsius (this is an article on the best temperature for infant sleep…. I don’t think I can handle 16 Celsius!). I also periodically check his neck to make sure he is not too hot or cold.

For napping, we used a SleepyHead with Lex that was kindly lent to us by a friend. It is true that it is much more snug and he sleeps better in it as compared to the large crib during his naps, so I can understand the appeal of using this product, but I do not use it for overnight sleeping.

If you read everything… thank you!! If you didn’t, I still hope that this was useful in helping you make more informed decisions about how to create a safe sleeping environment for your infant. Apart from just doing the research, also check periodically to make sure you are updated with the latest guidelines and product recalls. Sleep with a baby is not always easy, but I am sure that with time and effort we will all find the solution that works best for our family!