I'm a big girl now

Now that I'm starting Faith on one meal of solid per day, it makes a whole lot of sense to put her in a hi-chair, especially when she can't sit up on her own as yet. Granted, I could hold her in my lap and feed her, but I would rather that we both be as comfortable as possible without the risk of either of us upending the bowl of food over ourselves. Besides, its a matter of time in which I feel she needs to learn to sit in a hi-chair for her meals and now is as good a time to start as any.

The reason why I'm only giving her one feeding of solid is that she's not fully 6 months yet and at the risk of sounding theoretical to some of my friends, both WHO and the American Academy of Paediatrics* (AAP) advocate the introduction of solids only at 6 months.

Till they are 6 months and their digestive systems are more matured, breast or formula milk are the best nutrition for babies. Besides, I'm a little apprehensive that going on solids would decrease Faith's desire for breast milk. As it is, there are 1 or 2 meals in a day in which my little baby isn't interested in drinking (I'm wondering if its becos she's 5+ months and still on a 3-hour feeding routine). Hence, I'm using the one-meal-a-day routine simple to let her get use to eating with a spoon, experiencing the wide and varied tastes of as much food as she is able to eat for now.

Now, having dedicated 3 paragraphs of this post jabbering about other stuff, let me get back on track and talk about the hi-chair that we got for Faith this weekend. We have been scouting around for one for a few weeks now and we wanted one with a reclining function becos Faith can't quite sit upright on her own as yet. And I rather like the ones that could convert to become a little table and chair when she becomes a toddler.

Unfortunately, it seems to me that the designs and range of hi-chairs being sold in the retail market is sadly dismal, compared to the range of strollers and baby what-nots. Interesting, considering that babies would need to use a hi-chair for quite a while. Unless a lot of people make do without one??

We went to Robinsons, Takashimaya's Baby Fair that is currently ongoing and Kiddy Palace. In the end, we decided on a green and yellow coloured hi-chair by Mama Love from Kiddy Palace. Have no idea about the brand, but it looks rather nice, fitted our requirements and wasn't too pricey.

Does Faith like her hi-chair? Hmmm... I think she's ok in it. She flops to one side while in it though - her back still isn't that strong. So, we stuff a little pillow by the side to support her. However, she's got a bad habit of propping her feet up on the tray of the chair while sitting in it. Not only is it undignified, its certainly not proper table manners. At her tender age, I guess she's oblivious to social norms for now.

*Note: The AAP in its book noted that the views amongst its members were divided about the age of weaning to be between 4-6 months.