Applesauce or Pork Chops

When given the choice to feed your baby applesauce or pork chops, which would you choose?

Henry definitely votes for pork chops! And I agree, but Daddy says I am going to generate gasps of indignation and possibly hate mail for this post.

Can Henry handle a pork chop? Oh yes!

We were visiting Henry’s Aunt and Uncle for dinner last weekend. Uncle Paul grilled pork chops and corn on the cob. We also had macaroni and potato salads. Aunt Melody asked if we wanted applesauce for Henry, since she knew we had started introducing Henry to solid foods. Instead, I cut a thin strip from the center of my portion and put it on Henry's tray to see what would happen. After our positive experience with pancake strips, I thought a slice of pork chop just might work as finger food.

Henry munching on a strip of grilled pork.

It was incredible! Henry was completely engrossed in his pork chop for well over 30 minutes. He had a fantastic time figuring out how to hold it with one hand or two. He would gnaw on the end of the juicy strip, then try to shove the whole piece in his mouth. The rest of us were thoroughly entertained. Aunt Melody could not stop taking pictures and Uncle Paul could not stop laughing. We were all impressed with his new eating skills.

Henry can't get enough of his pork chop.

Why did I choose to feed Henry pork chops instead of applesauce? First, I wanted to enjoy dinner with the family not spend dinner time trying to spoon-feed Henry. Second, if Henry was going to feed himself applesauce then it was going to get messy very quickly. I knew he would start smearing it around the high chair and little would actually end up in his mouth, as with the earlier pea puree. Third, I want Henry to eat foods that our family is eating, but applesauce was not on the menu for the rest of us.

Henry has a new nickname: Pork Chop.

You might think that pork chops do not qualify as baby food, but Henry would disagree. While it is bit unconventional, Henry was surprisingly adept at handling this food. This opens up a whole new world of food options I had not considered before.

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