goodbye magic seahorse. i'm sorry you feel judged, although i'm not sure why you do - i think i must have missed something there. i wonder if by 'smug' you are talking about people posting about their babies' achievements or milestones? sometimes this may come across as boasting, but i think it's natural for people to be excited about their babies' different stages. by the way, did i mention that my dd already knows the alphabet and has just started changing her own nappy?

bw, do you mean the rafferty's garden cereal, or are there ones in jars? i'm giving dd the brown rice one atm. bummer about that ear infection; hope it clears up soon.

nettie how long do you have to continue with the mush? i must give celery sticks a try - dd likes chewing on carrot (she has no teeth so a thick carrot's pretty safe) and i bet celery would go down well, too.

fire thanks for those thoughts. i would like dd to have a more 'infant-led' eating experience, but i want to try a few more one-at-a-time foods before i let her loose on my lunch and dinner. btw, nature didn't supply blenders - but it did give us teeth so we could chew up our food and pass a little to baby (not that i'd want to give her my cold germs...)! it also provided bananas and avocado - so easily mashed. i had the same problem as you with ds and bananas, they were too constipating, especially in conjunction with rice cereal. as dd tends to the other extreme she should be ok!

off to soothe my sore throat with some tea now...