INGREDIENTS TO STOCK FOR 'NEW EATERS':
Millet flakes - don't need to splurge on 'Baby' brands. Planet Organic do great millet/rice porridge
Quinoa - One of the world's oldest cultivated foods. High in protein and iron, easy to digest. Blend.
Tahini - sesame seed paste: good for blending with vegetables and tofu etc
Tofu - blend with cooked vegetables etc
Polenta - first serve as porridge, cook with extra water. Then cool in tray, slice and serve as is or reheat
Whole milk yoghurt - an obvious one but essential to have on hand to moisten mush or thicken puree
Prunes and dates - cook up with apple and cinnamon and little water, or add to porridge before cooking
Cannelinni Beans - a very soft pulse, light and palatable. Mash/puree with lemon, tahini or vegetables
Egg yolks (the whites are the more allergic bits) - scramble yolks or boil and scoop out
Ground cumin, coriander, turmeric - good for spicing up vegetables, tofu etc
Broccoli - mushes well after a quick steam, packed with goodness. Blend with tofu, other vegetables
Pumpkin, kumara (sweet potato) - Babies love these sweet veg. Steam, roast, grill or make into soupCourgette/zucchini - Along with the above, a good way to move between mush and solids. Scoop out insides of steamed or roasted pieces and feed 'whole' to baby
Sourdough bread - Once baby settled into solids and keen to feed self, toast is great fun. I waited until Billie was nearly 8 months, and she has taken to it like it's the best thing since sliced...
Eco or organic Bananas - obviously...the best baby convenience food
Avocado - again, obvious easy food. But very rich - babies often reject at first. Try mixed with yoghurt
This is a list to get you started. Anything I should add?
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteWhen do you reckon some nuts and nut pastes can be given to little ones?
And what about chocolate?
Your list above all looks very healthy and when you visit Melbourne I will make some "healthy" chocolate truffles and hope that Billie can enjoy them ... (I think I may have slipped some to toddling babies at parties in the past, and they seem to like 'em - but was I a naughty nonna?)
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Healthy Dark Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients to make about 30 small ones:
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup walnuts
6 TBS almond paste
4 TBS maple syrup
6 TBS unsweetened cocoa
Heaps of grated coconut
Directions
In a food processor, drop the prunes and dates through the feed hole in handfuls. Scrape the processor bowl and run until the prunes and dates are smooth.
Add remaining ingredients except for the coconut. Run until smooth and scrape the processor bowl with a spatula as needed.
(Adults version can include splash of brandy - or is that OK for babies too?)
Roll the mixture into balls and roll in coconut to coat. Refrigerate overnight.
Having started solids at 6 months I was happy to use cucumber sticks straight away (peeled with the seeds scooped). It was a huge winner with Maisie and kind on the gums - especially after being in the fridge a while.
ReplyDeleteAlso stewed apple or pear added to breakfast or natural yoghurt (Maisie wasn't keen on yoghurt at first and I really didn't want to give her anything but wholemilk natural as am pretty sure a lot of baby fruit yoghurts are laden with added sugars?).
Amanda x
Yes, cucumber sticks are great. I don't bother peeling or scooping, Billie just gets into it as is. I'll have to try freezing - her gums are SORE today.
ReplyDeletere yoghurt - Billie doesn't love it on it's own either. I stir a spoon or two through other foods, esp fruits. But yes, I reckon stick to plain whole milk versions. The fruit ones are not necessary, me thinks.
Yum Daisy, I don't know if I can wait til Melbourne to try these healthy chocolate balls.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I may have to move them to the Adults Only page. Great for toddlers who are getting into the sweets - they are pretty darn healthy. But babies are probably not eating maple syrup, or cocoa (unless you want a caffeinated bub).
Re nuts, I was saving this for a grand posting, but Billie seems to be safe with the nuts, the tree variety at least. She has now had a spoon of almond, cashew and brazil nut butter each day for the past four days. Next stop, walnuts and pecans and hazelnuts. I'm going to wait a bit longer for the troublesome peanuts - but not too long.
I wrote a little about the nut/allergy issue earlier last month. But check the link for American Academy of Pediatrics, top left
Thanks Sarah & Amanda for the cucumber sticks tip for Bubby - will rush out & buy cucumber tomorrow & try it. Sarah I was hoping to repeat your success with toast, as Ty is now 8 months old. I am worried about him choking, as he only has top & bottom 2 teeth, so he can bite but not chew. How did you get around this with Billie? Regards
ReplyDeleteApologies - only just noticed this comment so I'm sure Ty is gobbling on toast daily by now.
ReplyDeleteBut here's my perspective anyway:
Babies don't use their few teeth to chew. Instead they get very good at chewing on food with their gums. But this takes practice. At first Billie just chewed on bread until it got soft. Now she rips off smaller pieces and chews on those. Somwhow bread is a relatively easy food for them to manage - Billie has never showed any signs of nearly choking from bread. Billie still only has two bottom teeth.
I would encourage you to keep trying new foods - always under supervision - as they get better and better at dealing with it. Billie found a blueberry under the fridge and after proving her prowness with it, she now gets handed them after each meal as a 'treat'. She can't get enough of them. But had she not found that loner on the floor, I would have avoided them for fear of choking.