A first time parent's path to puffs!
As a first-time mom, I was completely overwhelmed with starting solids. I wasn’t sure where to start, when to start or how to start. There were so many different outlets that were giving different advice, I would get ready to go to the store to purchase food to make into purees and then would back out last minute.
Finally, at five and a half months we started solids. Everything was going well, Charlotte loved (and I mean LOVED) food. It was so much fun watching her taste new flavors and textures and fall in love with different types of foods. We tried fruit purees, veggie purees, dairy purees and fun mixtures of all of the above. Step one was complete, now we started to move onto allergens.
My husband is allergic to a lot of foods. Eggs, treenuts and shellfish to name a few. I knew introduction into allergens would be 100% my job, since he cannot really be around them, so I spoke with our pediatrician on the appropriate way to start introducing them. First, we did a blood test at the doctor. She came back all clear (with the understanding that she could quickly grow into allergens) but this gave me a sense of ease starting allergens on my own. My husband went out of town, so the allergen testing began! First, we started with eggs. We did the egg white for a few days, first rubbing it on her skin, then giving her just a few small bites. Next, we moved into the yolk and did the same thing. Once she was all clear and no reaction, I gave her the egg white and egg yolk together and she absolutely loved it! So, check, no reaction to eggs (wohoo!)
Then it was time for peanut butter. She had a pediatrician appointment coming up, so we decided to wait until that morning to test peanut butter for the first time. We did the same thing as eggs, rubbed a little on the back of her hand and then her lips. No reaction. Next, we pulled out her oatmeal and put a little bit of peanut butter on a spoon to mix it in. She devoured the bowl of oatmeal with no reaction! After that, we took out a pack of Nutty Puffs and crushed them up very small pieces. We mashed up a banana and added the crushed puffs, which of course, she couldn’t finish fast enough! So, check, no reaction to peanut butter! (wohoo!)
Ok, next step: more solid types of food. We first started giving her omelet strips (made a mini omelet and cut them up into super tiny strips) then plain toast and cut that up into strips. We wanted her to get used to holding solid food, putting it in her mouth and playing with it. Sometimes she would shove the entire thing into her mouth so we had to watch her carefully and help her if she consumed too much, but she did pretty well given she still hasn’t started teething yet! We would break down the toast and omelet into tiny pieces to also get her used to grabbing at food on her tray and bringing it to her mouth.
After a few weeks of this, we were eager to try puffs! We felt really confident about how quickly the puffs would dissolve in her mouth and that we could give her them one by one to try. We decided to have a picnic outside to make the meal feel a little more special and fun! We put one puff on her tray and she instantly grabbed it. Once she put the nutty puff into her mouth, her face said it all! She LOVED it. She worked on it a little, letting it dissolve and move around in her mouth and quickly looked to the bag for more. We kept giving her one by one, until we were confident she got the hang of it.
We put a few on her tray and she had so much fun picking them up and bringing them to her mouth. They are the PERFECT size and don’t fall out of her hand when she is bringing them to her mouth. Oh, I forgot to mention, the dogs also LOVED Charlotte’s introduction to nutty puffs, because they get a little treat if Charlotte decides she wants to throw one on the floor!
Looking back as I write this, I feel so confident in our path to puffs. It took patience and confidence that Charlotte could do it and having the right tools in place made all the difference. Having the knowledge and information that Mission MightyMe promotes about allergens and introducing puffs into tiny diets gave us direction and tools to succeed. The MightyMe community was also a HUGE help. Connecting with other Mighty parents made us realize we weren’t crazy for having a little freak out at the beginning and that starting solids, testing allergens and trying puffs for the first time can be fun, easy and stress free!
Now, we don’t go anywhere without a pouch of Nutty Puffs. It is the perfect on-the-go snack she can have when she gets hangry out and about! We are so excited to try the different flavors and to try the treenut puffs this weekend after having nut butter for the first time this week.
One thing I didn't know before working at MightyMe was how important it is to consistently feed your little allergens. I thought at first if they dont react, we are good to go. Boy was I wrong. I quickly learned that research (lef by our co-founder) shows including peanut foods in infant diets, early AND often, can reduce the risk of peanut allergy up to 86%. That was a draw dropping statistic for me. With MightyMe Nutty Puffs we can rest assured that she is getting the perfect amount of peanuts and tree nuts in her diet consistently with simply giving Charlotte her favorite snack.
If I could give any advice to first time parents trying solids and allergens for the first time, it would be to lean on other Mighty parents! Know you have a community that is there 24/7 (and always in the middle of the night), that there are no dumb questions and it’s super normal to feel very overwhelmed at the start! Nutty Puffs has made this simple, fun and stress-free. Trust yourself, your little, and stay mighty!
Click below to watch the video :)
