I can do it MYSELF!

Right now Erin has let me know that she wants to be more involved in the feeding process. She loves to pick up little pieces of bread and eat them. So I have started looking for things that she can eat herself and not choke on them. I've already had a couple of scares with choking. The first was a piece of tape that she found on the floor and she gagged on it and threw it up. I cried. Second was pureed green beans. I had to yank her out of her highchair and tip her upside down and thump her on the back. Deep breathing, but no crying. Third was her finding a stray strand of carpet that I had to dig out of her throat. Needless to say I'm a little jumpy now when it comes to any little cough she makes.

Plus I'm trying to find healthy things to introduce, not just easy things. I won't mind giving her mac and cheese every once in a while, but I want to mostly provide foods that are full of nutrition. So the other day I picked out whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and a ton of veggies from the store. Now to come up ideas on how to make it interesting for her, non-chokable, and flavorful.

I am also trying desperately to make meal time an enjoyable time, not a punishment. My husband and I love food and cooking and I want to pass that along to my children. I can tell when she really likes something and she loves to eat with us.