My 8 month old is ready to begin eating real foods. Does anyone have any suggestions for meals to start with? So far for breakfast he eats farina or yogurt and fruit. Dinner we have a vegetable and a meat that was placed in the food processor. Does anyone know of other good ideas for either brakfast, lunch, or dinner? I would love some suggestions.
Hi N.,
I really liked the book "SUper Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. Great food and recipe ideas.
Enjoy!
S.
Breakfast....scrambled egg
well she should be able to eat scrables eggs or poached eggs chpped them up really small. also grits my kids use to eat the cheddar cheese instant grits. also the instant oatmeal you can buy the box with different flavors in it.and they love bananas just smoosh them up or cut in bite size pieces.
they can eat canned speghetti-o's at this point, and green beans, canned carrots- cause they love finger food they can feed themselves.
N.,
You can give your baby anything you eat, just mashed up or put through the food processor. Don't limit your baby because you think "your food" is too grown up. For breakfast, you can cut up tiny pieces of pancakes or make french toast, cut up very very small. An 8 month old baby can "gum" his food. Yogurt, applesauce, diced fruit pieces (I get those Dole fruit cups and cut them smaller than what they are in the cups). Bananas, scrambled eggs too. Macaronit and cheese cut up (I use scissors to cut up food...works like a charm...and a pizza cutter cuts sandwiches and pancakes very small and nicely). Whatever you make for dinner for you and your family, just push it through the food processor and serve. Enjoy this time of experimentation. It's so much fun to discover new flavors and textures.
Find out from your doctor the types of foods he wants you to avoid until one year-- like shellfish, for example. Otherwise, feed him whatever you're having. Cut into teeny tiny bites and let him sample everything.
Go to www.wholesomebabyfood.com it has a TON of recipes and ideas for you.
I started proteins with both my boys at 9 months- beans, meats, poultry, etc...egg yolk (only the yolk) at 12 months...
check out www.askdrsears.com
Some people say I'm crazy, N., but if we were having it, so was my son (pureed of course). At 6 months he ate things like tilapia vera cruz and veal piccatta. Today he eats everything (except blue cheese and toasted marshmellows) he simply announced, "I don't like that" when he tried them. I think the more open to food you are with them, the less likely you are to have a picky eater. So if you're having waffles for breakfast, puree some with a bit of milk and a drop of maple syrup. If you would rather go the safe route, however, my suggestions are: chicken soup, that's always a good one. scrambled egg is always good.
Hi again, N.. Well, what you're feeding him is fine. You could try introducing rice cereal for breakfast (I used to make brown rice cereal for my son. I put brown rice together into a blender with a little formula and blended it until it was nice and smooth. We both liked it a lot! I used to eat it with him.) This stuff has a neutral taste that will go with either sweet fruits for breakfast or meats and vegetables for lunch or dinner.
There are other grains you can add to his diet, too. If he is already tolerating farina well, and he is good with finger foods, you can try big pasta pieces like rotini, with vegetables and small, soft pieces of meat.
Mashed potatoes can be good for dinner, too.
Oatmeal is good if it is blended very well. Be prepared for big bowel movements because this has a lot of fiber in it. Give him small doses of it at first to make sure it doesn't give him gas.
Cheese can be good for kids who are OK with milk products. It can be a great finger food, and it also gives them the satisfaction of feeling the texture against their gums and teeth.
Have fun!
Syl
You don't have to stick to traditional meals with a little one. Often babies need a good protein dose in the morning and while they are fussy and tired in the evening, it's best to offer sweeter veggies and fruits with some grains to help them enjoy their meal, get a fuller tummy and sleep well. I would give my kids a small amount of yogurt in the morning with a side of pureed sweet potato and green beans. We would get our "dinner" type meals at lunch time. The forzen mixed vegetables with corn, carrots, beans and peas are a baby favorite if you puree them and add any type of meat or beans, you can even add a little more sweet potatoe to sweeten it while they learn to like the textures and flavors. Carrots, sweet potato, spinach and rice or noodles with a small amount of meat and spaghetti sauce is another favorite healthy meal. Blend it all, put it in ice cube trays to freeze, then put the cubes in a ziploc with a label. Defrost one or two cubes as needed. Remember you can add almost any healthy veggie to spaghetti sauce and they will never know.
