When is it safe to give turkey deli meat to Gabby? i found low sodium turkey meat. should i avoid lunch meats for as long as possible?
Thank u for your help! I think i'll hold off. It doesn't seem to have any nutritional value. Thanks Mom's!
wait until she is a year old to give her that kind of meat. That goes for all the other things such as honey,seafood-shellfish,nuts.peanut butter.
There is nothing wrong with that that I know of. Just start with small pieces.
Personally I would because of the nitrates/nitrites.
I would say if she can eat it in bits, go for it! Lots of preservatives & junk in deli meat though...maybe bake a turkey breast & give her bits of that?
I'm sure there will be people who disagree with this and will tell you all sorts of scary things about deli meat but I gave it to my son at 10 months and he loved it. Never had any problems. I buy the Boars Head all-natural turkey breast from Giant.
Deli meats containing nitrates & high sodium are bad for all of us, including babies. Giant has a line of all-natural, nitrate free deli meats that we love. I'm sure similar products are available in health food stores. With that said, I have given my toddler small amounts of regular deli meat on occasion, but try my best to stick to the nitrate free varieties. My girls both loved deli turkey at that age. I offered it with cubed cheese and fruit.
Since you've decided to hold off, an easy alternative might be the Perdue Short Cuts (I think that's what the line is called) turkey or chicken. It's precooked and comes in fairly small pieces (you can break up further if needed). Check the different varieties since some of the flavors may have more sodium and such, but that's what I used as quick protein when my kids were younger.
Hi D.-
My pediatrician said that deli meats are a no-no because of nitrates. Applegate Farms makes a deli turkey that is nitrate-free, all-natural and organic. I think they carry it at Trader Joes. As soon as I get a chance to pop into Trader Joes, I’m going to try it for my 10 mo old.
I'm pretty sure I started deli meats around 9 or 10 months and we've never had any issues. At first it was just bits and pieces with some cheese and veggies- now I give her small pieces on sliced up wheat toast with hummus, usually for lunch. I just limit the # of times a week I give it to her.
My pediatrician actually recommended lean deli ham for my daughter would would not eat meat. It was a source of protein for her. She liked it because it wasn't as dry as the meat we would eat for dinner. Apparently babies are more sensitive to dry foods. Try not to over analyze, you're doing a great job and Gabby is a very lucky girl!
