Infant Dinners: The Poop Equilibrium
Oh poop. Back to the days of being defined by poop. I remember this well with Landon. The balance of binding foods with non-binding foods. I spent YEARS counting the amount of bananas and cheese to the amount of spinach and peaches. When I talk about this with some new moms, they look at me weird. They don’t know of the 2 worlds of solids so I thought I would do a little PSA.
This becomes an issues right off the bat for many babies new to solids. The “traditional” first foods are binding as hell. Cereal, bananas, applesauce. Bind bind bind. Just for a reference, here are some of the offenders:
The Poop Binders
- Bananas
- Apples
- Cereals (I like Happy Baby because they pair with a probiotic to try and help a little here)
- Bread
- Pasta
- Cheese
- White Potatoes (not FABULOUS sweet potatoes)
To think of it in adult terms, there are BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce Toast) foods for when you have upset stomaches and tummy bugs.
Nobody wants a constipated baby…and especially at night. I generally try and limit these food heavily before bed when they are this little. It is a little different for breakfast and lunch when they are up and moving around to help digest. Eating these and then lying down for 11 hours isn’t really gonna go well. I usually try and always have a non-binding food with dinner…if not multiple. Better out than in…
The Poop Un-binders
- Apricots
- Mangoes
- The P fruits – Prunes, Plums, Peaches, Pears
- Peas
- Greens – Spinach, collards, turnip greens
So I always refer to dealing with new foods as the poop equilibrium. Happy pooping baby, to you!
Some reference sites for you:
Wholesome Baby Food: Constipation