Starting Meat for a Baby

First, the baby food meat is really REALLY nasty--have you ever tasted it? lol I wouldn't feed my kids anything I wouldn't be willing to take a few bites of myself, even at that age. So, I would make chicken thighs (because they're more moist) seasoned with garlic and low sodium chicken broth and other seasonings, and blend them myself. Also, mine loved--LOVED--the canned Vienna Sausages because they're soft and easy to hold. Try to get the low sodium variety, because too much salt's not good for them at this age. Good luck to you! PS: Love the name Gavin!! :)

My son is 11 1/2 months old and not a big meat eater. We introduced meat to him about a month ago and I think he just doesn't like all the chewing it takes. If we cut the pieces small enough he will eat a little bit more it. He loves baked fish because it's so mushy. As long has he gets plenty fruits and vegetables I really don't worry about the meat.

hi C.. my twins are now 11 months and have been eating bay food meat since they were 8 months. we found that mixing it with a jar of veggies gives them the veggies they need and the full amount of protien. they still get that nightly and we ave started to give them table food...small chunks of anything we eat. our pediatrician and my WIC advisor told me to start them on meat as soon as i could for the protien benefits in building their little muscles. and as someone else mentioned, the baby food meats do look and smell bad, but mix it with the right veggie and i would eat it if i didn't have anything else. our boys really love sweet potatos and any typr of meat. just see what he wants and keep his nutrition in mind and there is really no way to mess up. Good luck!!
T.

The only thing to worry about waiting to introduce meat is the iron that it provides baby at that age. If you are giving formula, it is supplemented with iron, and this won't be a concern. However, if you are breast feeding only, I would recommend a vitamin supplement with iron if you choose to wait to introduce meat, check with your pediatrician for brand recommendations and before starting the supplement. Babies need iron for brain development. I would also talk to your pediatrician about adding meat to his diet in case she has some suggestions.

I started my son on meats around 7 - 8 months, and I used a baby food mill to grind his meats, that way he didn't have to chew it. I would grind chicken, turkey or pork (lean cuts - pork tenderloin for example) and mix it with cottage cheese and he loved it. He also LOVED spagetti ground up with meat, vegi's and noodles. I also only fed him what we were eating, and he now eats all his meats well at 18 months. I think that by feeding him what we were eating, he got used to the tastes that I cook, which makes it easier to feed him now, versus the picky meat eater who will only eat hot dogs or chicken nuggets :)

Good luck!
J.

We did NOT want to try the Gerber Meat...it looks nasty and smells even wierder. We just gave our little one what we eat. We cut it into small swallowable pieces, because they won't be doing much chewing. Browned hamburger with no spices, but mixed with a little cream soup...because it's sort of dry when it's by itself. Meatloaf is nice and soft too and a little one could mush that up pretty good, my daughter did. You could try tiny-tiny chunks of hot dog, or tiny-tiny chunks of steak. We also found that our daughter liked her meat a little on the rare side. It was juiceier and more tender for her to chew...and it clearly has move flavor. My husband likes rare meat and I like Medium and we've always given her a little of both and she always eats the ones that are more rare. Also, roast that has been cooked slow so it falls apart with a fork has been a winner for her too. Also, to answer your question about the age...I think that as soon as babies have teeth and have been on table food for a while,...it's good to introduce meats. My daughter is almost 3 and she still doesn't eat alot of it, but will pick at it. I always feel like a better mom if I offer her a good balanced meal, even if she doesn't eat it. Good luck.

My son is almost a year and we really didn't start feeding him meats until about a month and a half ago. For us it was just that we had so many things going on, that we were still feeding him 3rds foods. What we did was gradually started him with finger feeding himself. He now is pretty proficient and that includes meats. What we did was start with small very tender pieces and gradually work our way up to bigger pieces, still we make sure it's really tender.

as long as hes on formula i see nothing wrong in waiting....i usually gave my kids what we ate....A.:)

I always offered my boys a bit of everything we were eating (that was okayed by the Dr of course). Survey says...MEATLOAF! It's tender and juicy and tasty for toddlers. And they can dunk it in ketchup or bbq sauce. What else can you ask for when you're almost 1!? And you can puree veggies to "sneak in". Just keep offering different things. You'll notice they'll hate it one week and love it the next. (and vice versa!)
Good luck.
C.

There are so many other ways that your child can get the foods that he needs. Use those newly motherly instint that will improve with your sons age. My boys (now 2 and 4) never ate meat until 12 months or even older. They just had so many other things that they could have instead. milk and cheese are so much more important right now. You will be a wonderful mother! Enjoy every second!

I have a 3 year old girl and a boy that is about to turn a year and with both of them I have given them anything they wanted off my plate since they were about 5 months old. (Neither really liked baby food). But there is no harm in waiting either. If you are worried about his protien intake beans are a good supplement.

There's definitely no harm in waiting until 11 or 12 months for meat. My 5 month old son will be a vegetarian, like my husband and I, so he'll never eat meat. Just make sure he has a balanced diet with variety, and he'll be fine. If you're unsure, talk to a pediactric nutritionist or dietician. Good luck!