Feeding Journeys | No. 1

Feeding Journeys | No. 1

by Milan Pustejovsky in Parents

Meet Jordan and her two boys. Her youngest is 6 months and has started eating solids! Find out Jordan's approach to this new stage in her baby's life, what tools helped her along the way and how her feeding approach changed between her two boys.

Hi Jordan, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hello, I’m Jordan! I’m 26 and a stay at home mom to 2 baby boys Kai (2 years) and Kohen (6 months). I reside in VA with my firefighter husband. I love spending time with my family, getting out in nature, and a delicious cup of coffee in the morning!

What do you love most about being a mom?

There are so many great things about being a mom. I think my favorite part is all happy smiles, giggles, cuddles, and unconditional love. These are the sweet moments that make you forget about all the hard work you also put in being a mom! 

What's been your approach to starting Kohen on solids?

I started with purées, but I also wanted to incorporate baby led weaning. I’m so used to eating the same things, so I wanted to make it a priority to try a variety of food by starting #100firstfoods!

What's baby led weaning (in your words) and what attracted you to this type of feeding? 

I understood baby led weaning as a way to allow my baby to learn how to feed himself at his own pace while being able to enjoy the real solid food (that is cooked and cut appropriately) that the rest of our family is enjoying. It took out the middle man of feeling the demand of constantly spoon feeding him myself.

What tools helped you navigate Kohen's feeding journey?

My favorite accounts to follow are @babyledweanteam & @feedinglittles. I took @babyledweanteam’s free workshop and decided to attempt her #100firstfoods list! It gave me a little more confidence to start incorporating BLW!

What ups and downs have you had so far, if any?

I love that purées & spoon feeding is a lot cleaner! Baby led weaning is great for them to learn, but it never fails to have food EVERYWHERE. I love that baby is learning to feed himself, but I’m not a fan of the all around cleanup after every meal.

What's Kohen's favorite food? What doesn't he like?

Favorites so far are purred apples and yogurt! I’m not sure there is any that he doesn’t like so far, I think he’s more so unfamiliar & still experimenting with it! 

Any tips, tricks or hacks you can share that worked for you?

I love doing a pre loaded spoon. My baby is still getting some puréed style food and it allows him to (sort of) feed himself! The mini EZPZ spoon is his favorite whether there is food on it or not.

Did your feeding approach change from Kai to Kohen?

Yes, completely! Kai was majority formula fed, and I was ready to start solids at 4 months. We did purées until closer to 7 months. The second time around was completely different with Kohen. He was exclusively breast fed from birth & a cloth diaper baby. Both of those things played a part in my decision to wait until 6 months to start solids. I did just purées for about a week, and now I mix it up between purées and baby led weaning.

What's the best advice you received about feeding your baby?

Do what you feel comfortable with. It’s easy to get wrapped up in what others feed their baby by a specific age. In a year or two most babies will all be eating the same things and you probably won’t remember stressing over what/how you fed your baby today.

What do you love the most about your baby eating solids now?

I love that he can really be part of the table with the family! It’s so fun giving him a little sample of what we’re eating to try! It is also such a big developmental milestone to watch him experiment and accomplish. I love seeing the progress he is making daily to be able to feed himself.

For more about Jordan you can follow her on instagram @mrs.jordanbrown. All photos courtesy of Jordan Brown.

Tags: baby led weaning first foods real moms starting solids

Related Posts

Grayson is ‘One Happy Camper’

Grayson is ‘One Happy Camper’

Meet Olivia and her freshly turned one year old, Grayson. The family just celebrated Grayson’s first birthday with an adorable camping themed party over the weekend. From the decorations, food and snacks, milestone posters and of course a cake smash, this birthday was on point. Read on to find out how Olivia planned the party, see all the cute pictures and hopefully get inspired!  First off, the camping theme was so cute and so well thought out! I loved all the details, from the trail mix bar to the cupcakes with the s'more looking toppings, the bear shaped cookies and even the decorations from the tent to the table displays. It was all just so perfect! What made you go with the camping theme and any tips you can share that helped you plan the party? Grayson has always been such a happy baby. He is always smiling and laughing so we started calling him a happy camper! I even made a ‘Happy Camper’ design bodysuit for my small business, Gray Rose | Modern Baby that was inspired by him. Once I started thinking about first birthday party themes I knew that I wanted a unique theme that was personal to him. The usual go-to theme for a boy’s first birthday is ‘Wild One’ but I went with ‘One Happy Camper’ because of how unheard of it is, as well as pertaining to Grayson’s personality traits, and it was fun to decorate and is great for children!   I love planning events and decorating. I usually start planning for an event at least a few months in advance. I first came up with the theme and based the party’s location and decor off of that! For the ‘One Happy Camper’ theme, we rented out an outdoor shelter from a local park. It perfectly fit the camping theme! After I found the location, I then started designing the invitations! I only designed them myself because I couldn’t find the ‘one’ that I loved and could just order from a website. I came up with a color palette and logo for the party that I would be able to use on the invitations, cake, cookies, and signage such as the Welcome, Trail Mix Bar, Can Cooler, Milestone Sign and more. I designed all of the signs and printed off a few myself to put in picture frames. The Welcome and Milestone signs were hand painted by a local artist! The tables all had black and white buffalo plaid table covers, a campfire centerpiece, and mason jars filled with baby’s breath. I also added in some special pieces like a play tent and a kids table with some personalized camping coloring pages, camping themed memory discs, and camping themed toys! Of course, we have to talk about the cake smash! What is the key for a successful cake smash from the cake to backdrop to the photos?  Yes, let’s talk about the cake smash! The cake smash is a must do at a child’s first birthday party! It is so much fun to see what they do with it and is such a great memory that you’ll remember forever! Grayson actually smashed his and was laughing the entire time! I wasn’t at all surprised that he ate the majority of the cake as well! As for the backdrop, I love the look of balloon arches so I knew I wanted to have a wooden arch with the balloons draped over it and a banner to be used for photos! I ordered a matching high chair banner and of course the ‘Riley’ bib from Stadela Baby! My best advice for the cake smash to be successful is to ask your bakery to make a special sized cake for it! My bakery made a two inch tall yellow cake with minimal frosting (to prevent them from throwing up from too much cake and frosting). I ordered a separate decorated cake for our guests to enjoy too! For photos, have lots of natural lighting and have one person take photos and another recording a video to look back on!   I know you mentioned it before but you have an Etsy shop, called Gray Rose | Modern Baby, where you sell cute handmade and custom graphic onesies for little ones. Will you also be including printable templates and signs for first birthdays?  I am definitely thinking about selling the prints that I made for the party on my Etsy Shop, Gray Rose | Modern Baby because there has been a high amount of interest! I might also see what other types of party themes that you all would like and I could make some for those too!  For more about Olivia and Grayson follow her on instagram @occurringwitholivia and shop her Etsy shop Gray Rose | Modern Baby. All photos courtesy of Olivia Anderson.

Learn more
Mama Muse | No. 2

Mama Muse | No. 2

Meet Stephanie! Amongst other things, she’s a mama to her sweet little baby girl, Penelope, and a small business owner. Check out her cute curated shop tinydreamerco.com and @tinydreamerco for the best baby basics. She is also a creative, a traveler, a photographer and just a real down to earth person. @aysteph is where she shares her family life, travel adventures and real conversation about pregnancy and motherhood. As I read through her posts, I really feel like I am talking to a friend because she is sharing the good along with the bad but in a positive upbeat way that’s just so relatable. In one post she says, “remember that people only show you what they want you to see. So don’t compare your body milestones with theirs, don’t compare your journey or experiences." In another post she explains what's going on behind the scenes of what appears to be her having it all together sitting in her favorite corner of her house. "The reality of this photo was, baby in front of me on her swing crying every 2 min because her Binky fell out. Me getting up putting it back in, then the WiFi disconnecting on my phone which was the controller. So I couldn’t click to take the photo, had to get back up and connect it. Then going back to sit down and the zipper on my jumper snapped. I swear I look nice and peaceful but I was a hot mess lol!” First off, I have to say congratulations on being a new mom! You came into it during a crazy year, to say the least. How is motherhood treating you and how was it like giving birth during a pandemic?Thank you so much! So far motherhood has had its ups and downs but it's been so rewarding and has brought my husband and I so much love, fun and entertainment. Having a mini human that is all yours and a reflection of you, truly makes my life complete. Having my daughter during the first stages of the pandemic was pretty hard. Being in the postpartum room just hours after giving birth alone is not only daunting but also lonely. I was exhausted, alone, in pain, and on top of that having to care for myself and my newborn without my husband being there due to the pandemic rules was very sad for me.  "To me motherhood has made me feel like my life is just beginning. Everything I’ve ever done is nothing compared to what I’m about to do! ️Let the fun begin!” I know you mentioned you had a corporate job working in an LA fashion company before starting your own business. What made you want to branch off on your own? Has it always been a dream of yours and was there any fears or hesitation to start it? So I did have a corporate job, the company I worked for, for 6 years was doing layoffs and I was actually part of the layoffs while I was pregnant. I believe it was a true blessing in disguise. I have been able to focus on myself, my family, my business and side hustles. I know that I have always wanted to work for myself in something that I enjoy and love. When I was laid off I was given a fresh start to go for it and take the opportunity. I knew I had to use my time wisely and get busy planning. I had no idea i ever wanted to start a children's clothing line, until i had my daughter. I loved dressing her and i think its adorable seeing babies and toddlers dressed like little grownups, so fashionable and cute. I have a certain sense of style for myself and how i wanted to dress my little girl. I knew that there were other mommas like me out there and i wanted to cater to them. You have great personal style and of course in your brand, @tineydreamco, where do you find inspiration and what was the main idea in doing baby basics? Thank you so much I'll take that compliment haha. I find my inspiration from so many things such as architecture, different color palates on Pinterest, Women's fashion, and style. A lot of times I also find inspiration in graphics and art. I also find tons of ideas and inspo on Tik Tok and IG. The main idea behind doing baby basics is that sometimes it's really hard to find basic clothing for children. A simple white or tan tee shirt or sweatshirt can be so hard to find. These items should be easier to find than most fashion-forward pieces. I love the idea of keeping everything somewhat simple because you can always accessorize. We know you like to travel, what’s your favorite place you been to and how was it traveling for the first time with Penelope? Any advice, tips or gear you can mention for parents out there? Your pictures from Yosemite and Sequoia National Park looked like so much fun, by the way! And I have to admit, after I saw them, along with so many other people's pictures from those National Parks this year, we went as well, so thank you! I think my favorite place of all time is Japan. Japan is just one of those places where I felt at home I know that's weird to say haha. I love Asian food and the cities were so clean and the people were so nice. Plus it's one of the safest countries to visit with tons to see and do. I would def recommend. Thank you so much it makes me so happy that I inspired you to visit with your family. Yosemite and sequoia are a few of my favorite national parks! The first trip we took Penelope on was actually sequoia national park. Since it was her first time I picked a place that was somewhat close to home. I was not sure how she was going to handle the trip it was either going to go very well or very bad haha. Luckily it went well. She was only 3 months, because she was so small we made a few stops and also made sure we parked close to where we were going to walk around. I think that's key, you don't want to go on a 2-3 hour hike with a young baby, because if they need anything you aren't very close to your car or sometimes even people. A few tips for traveling would include starting off with a local trip if it's your first time and observe how your baby handles it. The more trips you do the more your baby will get custom to it and you'll start to figure out how many stops to make or even predict what they'll need. Some outdoor baby gear can be expensive but it's worth the splurge so you and your baby are comfortable. I know a lot of parents are scared at first to take their little ones on trips. You just have to try and recognize that it may not always be perfect and that's okay, you are traveling with a baby. Last, why do you feel it is important for people, especially moms, to be real and transparent on social media these days? We sadly live in a world of constant comparison and perfection. Which is not real life, we don't always look great, our bodies don't always bounce back how we would want them to. I remember when I first found out I was pregnant, I honestly knew nothing about pregnancy or even how to care for a child. I looked at new moms I followed on IG to see if they posted any information that was useful to me or even gave me an idea of how labor was going to be etc. I found a hand full of accounts that were helpful honest and true. Once I had my baby girl I realized how much women actually go through emotionally and physically and I just wanted to show a little bit about my experience in the hopes of helping any new expecting mothers, like I once was. Motherhood is defiantly not glamours it's a lot of hard work and I think we need to normalize looking and hearing about these things expecting mothers and current mothers go through. Plus social media is shifting and people are tired of seeing this picture-perfect idea of others and people are now more interested in seeing the real you. For more about Stephanie you can follow her on instagram @aysteph and shop her brand at tinydreamerco.com. All photos courtesy of Stephanie Castellon Salazar.

Learn more
Home Search Cart Products About