Carrot Paint

Carrots - take two.  Being annoyed that our first try of carrots scared me, I was determined to find out a way to be successful with them.  This time I took organic carrots, peeled them, and cut them into sticks to steam.  I steamed them for 20 minutes once the steamer was hot, and then let them sit in the steamer (burner off) for another 5 minutes.  I washed them in cool water so they would be cool enough for her to handle.

And this time they worked!! Of course, I don't have exactly the same test subject.  At this point, she's now learned how to move food around in her mouth and swallow... two things she had no idea how to do with our first try at carrots.  So this is definitely NOT a good scientific experiment.  But my hypothesis is given a baby who hasn't eaten before, sticks of carrot that are much much softer than the steamed baby carrots I gave our daughter would probably work better.  Things in stick form seem to work well.  From what I read carrot medallions and other roundish objects present choking hazards, so maybe baby carrots wasnt the best idea I've ever had.  oops! I think the best idea would be to hold off on carrots until she's mastered the whole chew/swallow thing.

We also gave her some thick carrot puree.  I just tossed a couple of extra steamed carrots into my magic bullet with some of the water left in the steamer and pureed them to a chunky texture.  She loved it, and as she has been really good at grabbing the spoon and putting it into her mouth, she got good at letting us know when she wants more!  She also picked tonight to really examine the spoon and her dexterity in detail.  She took the spoon, passed it hand to hand (smeared it on her forehead in the process), and really examined every inch of it, trying to figure out how to get the small end of it in her mouth.  It was fun to watch her learn her hands/wrists and the spoon, and try to figure out how it all works!

Recommendation
Carrots - cut into 1/4 inch thick sticks and steam for 20-25 minutes until soft.
Carrot Puree - blend steam carrots and a little bit of water from the steamer to a thick consistency.