My daughter is 3 weeks shy of her 1st birthday. She has always been a great eater and loves her veggies. Her transition to "real food" has been very slow as she has quite a few allergies and I like to expose her to 1 food at a time so I can identify if she has a reaction. I have not given her any of our foods because I prefer to give her pure foods without all of the seasoning or condiments. So far she eats bananas, grapes, turkey (cold cut slices), carrots, sweet pototo. Last night I tried steamed squash (she didn't hate it - but didn't love it - we'll try again). I have also tried browning a chicken breast, but she wasn't really interested. If she had her way, she would eat carrots and turkey breast slices with those Gerber freeze dried apples or puffs all day. For a while now we have given her a combination of real finger foods and with jar baby foods at meals, but just this week she doesn't want any baby food. I have even tried giving her the spoon in case it's just an independence thing. I want to keep her diet as organic as possible, but am a pretty bad cook and I work a lot. I'm willing to spend whatever amount necessary and can pre-prepare food but I don't have a lot of time to make her meals from scratch at each feeding. Does anyone have any suggestions for safe (i.e. small and soft) foods that are organic and easy to make?
I am specifically interested in how to get more fruit into her diet. How can I make apples and pears softer for her so they are safe to eat but still look like grown up food that she can feed herself?
Thanks!
I got some great ideas which I will try, but I should add that she is allergic to peas, peanuts, egg whites, cheese. So far these are the things I know about. The egg whites and the cheese limit us quit a bit but I will definitely try some of the other ideas. I welcome more if anyone has them. Thanks!
Some meal ideas.... you can cut them up as much as you need...you can pretty much find any of the organic products at publix
Hummus on wheat bread
cheese quesadillas on wheat tortillas...shred in whatever veggies you have (carrots, zucchini, etc.)
scrambled eggs
soft cheese
cottage cheese
grits
oatmeal
premade pancakes...they freeze great...you can make different batches with fruit, sweet potato, pumpkin, etc.
chicken salad
my son just turned 7 months - he refuses baby food - I have to make my own - he loves avacado, egg yolks, bananas, I just use grown up people food and the food processor - obviously, I don't give him the steak and macaroni yet - but as long as they can handle it - go for it!
My daughter(now 16 mos) never cared for baby food either and around the same age as your daughter she went through a picky phase where her fav's were no longer fav's and I worried her diet wasn't varied enough. I just stuck to what she would eat instead of getting frustrated that what I made she didn't like, and thank goodness that phase was very short, maybe a month. Now she is back to loving food and has even expanded her palette. I am a single working mom and have very little time, and I too try to giver her all organic. Time savers for me have been Annie's single servings of Mac&Cheese, canned veggies(peas,green beans, carrots,asparagus)try no salt versions first, my daughter liked them for a while but now that she's getting older she prefers w/salt. I steam broccoli & cauliflower, Avocado is a definite fav. Although not organic, I use Gerber Graduate diced fruits(pear,peaches,apples) and the meat sticks(sliced) grilled cheese(I started bite size and now cut into sticks)wheat crackers w/ cream cheese or peanut butter, she loves tomato sauce so we do a frozen cheese or meat ravioli or just a fun shaped pasta. Annie's cheese bunnies are great, Earth's Best has a good cereal bar in different flavors that slices easily . scrambles eggs(after 1yr)w/cheese, french toast(try to use real maple syrup it costs more but worth it)and sausage, she loves Yo-Baby yogurt too. Wow I've rambled on, but I hope it gives you some ideas. I do manage to get most of my shopping done at Publix, reading labels either organic or all natural, but for some things I do end up going to Chamerlin's. Good Luck and have fun with experiencing different foods w/ your little girl! :)
Hi D., My son was born in 1969. For the first six weeks he had trouble with baby milk. So I put him on whole milk and baby food. When he was 2 mo. old I started feeding him soft regular(our food)food. Mashed potatos, soups, etc.. I would feed her what you eat, but put it through a blender first. My granddaughter is three and will not eat meat, never has. Give her applesause and other fruits that you would buy for yourself. Just mash then up. I did this for my son and daughter and they were just find. They did this back before babyfood was made. Good luck. M. H.
Hey D.,
Have you considered mashing or pureeing(is this a word?) whatever you are eating. I always made my own baby food when mine were little, and it worked fine. You can use a food processor and make it as chunky or as smooth as you like. Or...maybe your child just wants to eat what you are eating, because she's figured out that it looks good.
My Mom actually just taught me something a couple of weeks ago in regards to the apples, that she learned from her grandmother. You can grate the apples with the tiniest part of a grater (hand-held is what she used) and it ends up being like mashed potatoes/applesauce. It turns brown really quickly, but that is just because of the air hitting it (or you can use fruit fresh to keep it from going brown). I noticed with my little one that she oftens mushes her cut up fruit pieces into her mashed potatoes, so that is a way to get fruits and veggies by just combining them (it all goes to the same place anyways, right? If she eats bread, you can always make banana (or any other fruit) bread. My baby can be selective at times, but if I just keep pretending to eat the foods off of her tray (and go through the chewing and yum-yum motions, she then wants it. Put a little of her food on your plate, too so she thinks mommy is eating the same stuff. Good luck
My girls did the same thing at 10-11 months--no more baby food--and my son (10 mos. on Mon.) is almost at that point as well.
Check out the Petit Appetit Cookbook by Lisa Barnes. It has tons of really great organic recipes, many of them fairly simple, and also LOTS of great info about the developmental side of everything.
Hi D.,
My daughter just turned 2, so she eats essentially everything, but I remember those days - Naomi was really interested in table food, but I was never quite sure what to let her have, and although I don't buy everything organic (I try to for the "worst offenders" like tomatoes, cukes, grapes, peppers), I wanted her to eat wholesome foods as well. So..........some foods that I discovered which seemed appropriate for a 1-year-old which Naomi were: avocado (high protein, healthy fats, and very soft - she still loves chunks of it to this day), chunks of cheese (also soft and easy to eat), melon (canteloupe and watermelon are pretty soft and easy to eat), strawberries (though might not be the best if your daughter is allergy-prone), zucchini (if you steam or saute it until it's soft), tomatoes (I used to quarter the grape tomatoes, and I guess you could peel them, but I never found it to be necessary). Naomi also loved (and still does) applesauce, but I just by the regular, natural kind (no added sugar or preservatives) instead of the baby kind. You can make your own applesauce or even pearsauce, but it's hardly worth the trouble. Sometimes you can find canned peaches or pears or pineapple in juice (instead of syrup) with no added sugar. Alsooatmeal - instead of the baby kind you can make cold, I would just buy quick-cooking irish oats, and add milk, a touch of brown sugar and cinamon or blueberries (which your daughter mind be able to eat, or you might want to cut them in half), and she liked that. At that age I would also give her cut up chunks of whole-grain bread with a little cream cheese or thick yogurt spread on it - she ate that from 10 or 11 months, I think, and has since graduated to peanut butter. I found that if I made a thick soup like split pea, it was something she could easily eat - that's something you can make on a weekend and freeze, or could probably buy an all-natural canned variety. Also, pasta worked well (I buy some kind of whole-grain pasta and she has never complained), usually penne or rotini cut in chunks. And sometimes I was able to find low-salt, organic or at least no-nasty-chemicals-added turkey hot dogs, and cut them in small chunks (lengthwise, then chopped) - or you could try tofu hot dogs if you prefer.
Sorry to be a bit verbose........I feel like I spent a lot of time thinking about this stuff when my daughter was that age, so I thought the info might help.
Happy cooking! ;)
S.
Avocados are awesome for babies. My daughter loved avocados when she was a little. Also I used to put chicken in a food processor & hide a little of in in mashed potatoes or spaghetti or macaroni & cheese so that she would get her protein. There are so many organic products out now, even Kraft has organic mac & cheese. As for fruits just cut them into little bitesize pieces that are easy for her to pick up. Also u can always wait & season food after u have given her a portion then season it for yourself afterwards.
try steaming the fruit just until they are a bit softer- if they seem to slimey for her then try coating them in crushed up puffs! this makes them easier to grip :)
as for the turkey slices, I hope that you are giving something like applegate (is that the name?) that is free of nitrates and preservatives...
how about meatballs? you can 'hide' babyfood veggies in them...buy greenwise brand ground beef or chicken or turkey for health (since you seem interested)
amy's brand or annie's brand mac n' cheese- I put canned peas (greenwise organic) in it- you can even mix in some frozen organic spinach...
have fun!
I cut pears into what look sort of like skinny french fries. they can hold on to one end and munch on the other. It's easier to pick up than tiny squares.
Also think about melon. That's pretty soft and kids love it. Kiwi are good, but some babies don't enjoy the tartness so you'll have to try and see.
Avacado, definitely. Mandarin orange slices are small and easy to eat.
You can give her "real" oatmeal. Butternut squash. Steamed veggies are super easy and quick. Cooked beans mush real easy and are easy to pick up. *also fills in the gaps when baby doesn't want to eat meat. Scrambled eggs.
Look for a local farmer's market to get a good idea of what produce is in season at any given time and shop there for the best quality. Most stores now have organic food, but even that is being shipped cross-country. buy local if possible. You can also look for a local butcher and seafood store to get your meats. Fish is really easy for babies to eat. A white fish like monkfish, talapia, catfish, etc. all flake easily and are easy to chew as long as you're giving bite sized pieces. *also cook quickly*
Good luck... hope you're able to get some good ideas!
I have 11 month old twin boys with severe dairy, nut and shellfish alleries. One took to baby food instantly, the other it has been a slow process. Now they are both preferring non-baby food. I see this as a good thing! Get the book Super Baby Foods by Ruth Yaron. Everything you need to know is in there. Basically, you can steam apples and pears to make them a bit softer. Or just wait until they are a bit more ripe. I have also microwaved them with a bit of water in a pinch. Good luck!
