10 Month Old Diet.

Neither of my kids would eat the meat babyfood, I mean would you eat that stuff??? GROSS!!! They would however eat the babyfood dinners, which have meat in them. Also, you might try mixing a jar of meat with a #3 jar of fruit. The fruit will counter-balance the meat and make it more tolerable. And if nothing else, you could always just buy some chicken breasts and boil them to tenderness, then break them in little pieces. It is really amazing how well a 10 month old can eat "REAL" food!!!!!

Neither one of my older children would eat the baby food meat. Besides the awful smell and the outrageous high price for such a little bit, I was glad. We found that when you cook chicken, you can either cut it up into very tiny pieces, or put it through the food processor. You can do this with any kind of meat. When we would grill chicken we would grill one for her without any seasoning on it. You can put an entire chicken breast in the blender then divide them up in a ice tray. Then all you have to do is pop out a cube and thaw it. Hope this gives you a few ideas. By the way,you can do it with more than just meat. YOu can do it with any kind of fruit or vegetable.

As a mother of a happy healthy 2 year old veg kid, I wouldn't necesarily see this as a problem. A child or anyone for that matter doesn't need meat to survive. There are plenty of protein sources out there that don't come from animal flesh. Beans, nuts, seeds, tofu (which can be SOOO good prepared properly) just to name a few.

Think of this as an oppurtunity to expand your food horizons and try some really yummy new things! Just type in vegan or vegetarian recipes into google and you'll come up with a lot. There are some good kid friendly ones at http://www.vegankids.org/recipes/

Its pretty uncommon to have a protein deficiency as long as you are eating a healthy diet to include vegtables, whole grains and fruit. And protein actually can do quite a bit of harm to your body in the excess that most Americans consume it. Osteoporis, kidney damage and cardiovacualr disease to name a few. Also the high cholesterol content in animal flesh is very damaging to our blood vessels as well. Check out this website for more info http://www.pcrm.org/health/Info_on_Veg_Diets/protein.html

Good luck! :)

Hi T.,
When my daughter was little I used a babyfood grinder and ground up whatever meat or vegetable I was eating. I would add a little breastmilk and she would eat it up. She never ate babyfood from a jar. Although I don't think she was eating meat at that early of an age. Foods like eggs, milk, spinach, soybean, quinoa, meat, fish, whold grains, rice, beans, legumes, corn, oats, peas, and peanut butter are all good sources of high protein foods. People don't need to eat meat at all to receive enough protein. I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure she's getting enough vegetables.

I wouldn't worry too much just yet. Some babies are nursed totally for 8 months, and in two months time might not be on meats yet. Might try things vegetarians eat.

T.,

My son, who is now 2 1/2, wouldn't eat the babyfood meat, either. I can't say that I blame him, though. Have you tried that stuff? I kept trying to give it to him periodically - I even tried mixing it with other foods or tricking him, but with no success. I just made sure he was getting enough protein by offering him eggs (hard boiled was the only way he would eat them), cheese, yogurt, etc. I don't know what types of food your little one is eating, but my son started getting teeth at 4 months, so he was on solid foods pretty early.

Overall, I would say it's not a big deal as long as you make sure she's getting enough protein by other sources. Good luck!

T., baby food in a jar is nasty. I can't believe any kids will eat it. At ten months we fed some baby food, but all organic, and ground up adult food. You can get a very inexpensive baby food grinder and grind up fruits, veggies and organic/free range meats. Boiled eggs- free range- also work well. A free range organic chicken is quite a bit more expensive than a store bought one but if you cook it (simmer it) and divide it up in to small portions, it will last a long time. Freeze the extra.

Other good protein sources are beans and rice, preferably plain. They need to be eaten in the same day to get all of the amino acids. Good luck

A way to get extra protein would be beans & rice. However, I would say to just purchase a baby food grinder and chop up whatever you're eating. You can also use a blender or food processor (although these tend to be a pain in the rear to clean all the time). I used a baby food grinder with all three of my kids. My middle son didn't have teeth til he was over 9 months old, so it worked great, because he did NOT want baby food anymore. Even the gerber graduates were yucky to him. You might be able to find the old ones on eBay (the ones people used in the 70s & 80s), or find a newer one at your local Walmart or Target type store. I liked the hand-crank one myself, it was easy to use and cleaned up really fast.

Good luck! It's not uncommon. Baby food is sooooo bland!
S.

If she's drinking enough formula and eventually when she's 1 years old and drinking enough milk, you shouldn't have to worry about her getting enough protein intake. 4 6-8oz. bottles of formula every day will make sure she's in good health. But, if still concerned, I would recommend checking with the family doctor. Mine has been so helpful in times like this.

My daughter is two years old and she has never really liked meat. She totally refused to eat babyfood meat. Her pediatrician said it was fine as long as she was drinking enough milk and eating other dairy products with protein - cheese, yogurt etc. She has always been healthy and on her growth curve. I would not worry about this at all. Even now (for meats), my daughter will only eat fish sticks, chicken nuggets, and sandwhich meat. I have decided that food is not something I am going to stress about or battle with her. I feed her healthy foods, but I cannot make her eat something she doesn't like.

My son was the same way. He's almost one now and I gave up after two jars of baby food meat months ago. Have you tried cutting up meat into tiny pieces or lunch meat torn up? Also, Gerber graduates makes little turkey stews and chicken & rice that he likes. I even give him the noodles, veggies and chicken out of chicken noodle soup to self feed and he loves it. Have you tried canned beans? They have alot of protein and are soft enough for them to eat. My son likes black beans. I have to rinse them good and they still make a mess but they are good for him.
Good luck...

Hi T... I am a mother of 4- grown and raised. I can't blame your baby- have you ever tasted that stuff? When my kids were babies.. I fed them whatever we ate. I used a babyfood grinder! If you have never seen one, they are a lightweight, non-eletric grinder ( you can look one up on Ebay or just google it) you can take them with you to restaurants, or traveling. That way- you know the food tastes good, and is nicely seasoned (by you!) not processed and doesn't have preservatives. If you are eating a spicy meal.. just take out a little of the meat before adding the spices for the baby to eat. The grinders can be found at Baby's R Us.. or I bought one for my granddaughter on Ebay. But I do agree with the other gal too.. My own kids were breastfed almost exclusively until about 12 months, and the food they did eat was mostly "finger foods", soft things they could pick up and make a real mess with! Peas, cheerios, bananas, things that don't need a lot of chewing! Hope this helps you!

My daughter did the same thing. When we got to the meats in her diet she refused them and then she started refusing all baby food. So, I started giving her the graduates foods. She loves them. She is 11 months now and will eat anything. She really loves the meat sticks and the pasta pick-ups. It may just be that your daugther is ready for "big girl food". Try some of the graduate stuff and see if she likes it. My daughter hated the baby veggies and meat but she'll eat them just fine now that they're not all smashed up. She also loves scrambled eggs, cheese, beans, etc. Hope that I've been some help. Good luck!

Hi T.-
My little boy is almost 1 year and he still won't eat most of the meats either. Thinking it was maybe just the jarred food being so gross, I even tried getting the good roast chicken or turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy and grinding it up, and he just gags and refuses it! He is otherwise doing great, growing well and developing normally, so I think as long as she's doing OK, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as she's drinking her milk/formula and maybe eating yogurt or cheese, she should get enough protein. Good luck!

M.

my son is 11 months old and i had the same problem with him. i gave up on the baby food and just give him other sources of protein. yougurt, cottage cheese and regular cheese cute into bite sized pieces. he will also eat small bites of plain chicken or roast cooked very soft. also things like spahgetti sauce with meat cooked fine he eats well. you can try things like that and just skip the baby food. also try pureeing soft cooked meets and giving her those. hope that helps some.

It is possible she doesn't like the texture or taste or smell of the baby food. How about trying to make some of your own? You could get a rotisserie chicken, skin and bone it, and take a thigh (it is more moist and possibly easier to digest) and put it in the food processer-not pureed, but very small. You could put a little gravy with it for easier digestability. Also, a scrambled egg and some melted cheese, just very small bites. There are lots of good cookbooks out there for making your own baby food. Probably a lot of recipes on line. Jessica Seinfeld has one called "Deceptively Delicious." She uses a lot of food purees to get more vegetables into the family meals. You may also want to ask her pediatrician for some ideas first. Best of luck.

At 10 months, I was giving all 3 of my kids table food. I used a mini food processor to "turn it into baby food" and had to add some water occasionally to thin it down. Also, I didn't cook with many seasonings, just seasoned at the table, to protect their little tummies. They're all happy, healthy kids! Didn't damage them a bit AND they're NOT picky eaters. Are they connected? Don't know, but it's NOT "any way you want it" at my table, and for that I'm thankful! PS- Have YOU tasted that meat out of a Gerber jar? I'd venture to guess that you'd spit it out too! :)

Cheeses, milk, yogurt and many beans are great, assuming your doctor has approved dairy. Also, if you are still breastfeeding/giving forumla, babies don't really have much additional dietary needs so I wouldn't sweat it. Give it a few weeks and try again, personally I'm not a fan of hiding it, because you don't want them to dislike the food you're trying to disguise it in.

Don't worry!! The baby food meat smells like cat food anyway. Who would want to eat that?

She gets enough protein in her milk, or formula. My daughter LOVED eating soy pods, and string cheese sticks. I also highly recommend the new book by Jessica Seinfeld. My kids love pretty much all of her recipes, and they are loaded with protein and veggies. They have no idea that they are eating healthy. 10 months is a tricky age. Unless your doctor tells you she has a deficiency, I wouldn't worry about it. There is protein in s many foods even scrambled eggs for breakfast.

I didn't give my kids meat at that young of an age. There are plenty sources of protein; eggs, mashed beans, a LITTLE peanut butter on small bites of bread. I am going blank on other proteins, but you could look it up online.

None of my kids have eaten Baby food meat. Try grinding up whatever meat you are eating for dinner in a food processer. I also tried the meats with my first son and he also turned his nose up at it. That's when I started to grind up whatever we were eating. I fed my second son that way and now my daughter, who is 9 1/2 months. They are all very good eaters and we have never had a problem. Good Luck!

what about picking up pieces of tofu or putting protien powder in her oatmeal in the morning? really, i wouldn't worry about it anyway. she doesn't really need meat to be healthy, there is protein in lots of foods, and she can get b vitamins with a multivitamin if you are really concerned.

My two have never been big meat eaters (now age 5 and 2). They both ate scrambled eggs with cheese like it was going out of style, so that'w what we had for breakfast every day for a long time. They both still like that and now eat hard boiled eggs, too. They eat a lot of yogurt and cheese as well and they love baked beans, though they aren't crazy about the others. Another thing I used to make when they were that small was some silver-dollar size pancakes. It came from a book called Mommy Made and Daddy too! Anyway, I adapted it by adding a little whole wheat flour, finely chopped ham, shredded cheese and a little chopped spinach. They loved those. The scrambled eggs are good way to sneak in veggies if you need to do that, too. Good luck. I forgot to say that peanut butter is a staple in our house. If there are no allergies, that's a great protein option as well.

I know this is late, but I just wanted to add that meat is not necessary in the diet at any age! We eat no bird or mammal, and fish just about once a week. (No dairy either.) My 8 mo and 3 yo are both very healthy, rarely get sick, and even big for their age. We eat lots of locally raised eggs, beans, nuts and seeds. My toddler's favorites include almond butter, hummus, soy yogurt, steamed tofu cubes, edamame.

Our family practice MD has stressed that there is no medical precedent for a healthy child getting malnourished in the presence of good quality food. If you are giving your daughter good choices, she will eat as much as she needs of what she needs.

My oldest son refused babyfood meat as well. He still barely eats meat, and he's 11 now, but what we did was puree whatever we were eating, minus the spices, and he'd eat that. Have you ever tasted the babyfood meat? I did.... it's gross!!!! You can also call your doctor, or a nutrionist, or your local WIC office and ask them what else you can substitute at that age to help with the needed nutrients. They all helped me alot!

That babyfood meat is nasty. My first daughter, who is now 7 years old would not eat it either. She did eat the dinners which was supposed to be meat and veggies and a desert all in 1 jar. Your baby will be fine without that gross stuff. Soon, she will be eating table food. If you are concerned, you can make your own meat puree just cook it without adding any seasoning.

I was at my doctor's office today and she told me I could start feeding my 9 month old some table food. She suggested ground hamburger and chicken (put in the food processor), at this point she said the only thing to avoid was honey, raw vegetables, hotdogs, ect anything that is not soft and could pose a choking hazard.

Why don't you try and give her ground hamburger? My little girl loved it. She too would not touch the babyfood meat in the jar. You could also give her eggs they have lots of protien in them. Try those and see if they help.

Have you ever tried that nasty stuff? Meat is not an important staple of her diet at this age but if you want her to have it, then make your own. Just grind up what you are having with no seasoning on it and let her have that.

Good luck,
D.