Now that Toby is eight months old, he has been eating more solid foods. We've given him pretty basic foods so far (carrots, bananas), and I'm not loving the baby-food jars. Then yesterday I flipped through this inspiring book, which encouraged a surprisingly wide range of real foods for young babies, including pork chops to teeth on and egg yolks with salt.Fellow mamas, I'd love to ask you: What did you feed your babies? I would be so grateful for tips!
(Clip-on high chair by Phil & Teds; kerchief bib from Bink & Boo)
I have no suggestions. I just wanted to say: CUTE, CUTE, SUPERCUTE!!
ReplyDeleteToby's so adorable, I love all your photos of him! I'm still only a teen, but when I was a baby my Mom gave me honey balls- they're these little puffy Asian biscuits that melt in your mouth, I still eat them!
ReplyDeletemy babies loved hummus!
ReplyDeleteFinn loved avacado, eggs, & sweet potatoes.
ReplyDeleteMy 9-month old recently started refusing traditional baby food (we used Ella's Kitchen pouches and loved them) and has shown an unexpected appreciation for tom yum soup and for roasted red pepper risotto.
ReplyDeleteGo figure.
oh, yes, hummus! we gave toby some on saturday and he flipped!
ReplyDeletejill, that's so cute!!
ReplyDeletemy little thing loved ripe avocado, mushy peas w/ a smidge of butter and parmesan, mashed sweet potatoes, (along with mashed butternut squash, cauliflower, etc., with a little olive oil), yogurt, etc., etc...
ReplyDeletethat is a fabulous book!
ReplyDeleteEmerson loved avocado, oatmeal (ground first), sweet potatoes with yellow squash, kalamata olives (she still loves!), oh and if you add a spoonful of applesauce to anything they usually love it! He is too precious!
ReplyDeleteJoanna,
ReplyDeleteCheck out Plum Organics - it was started by a friend of mine, and I think you'll identify with the mission. It's all frozen (i.e. not pasteurized), organic, "real" food for babies. You can get it at Whole Foods!
http://www.plumorganics.com/
He is such a beautiful little guy! I started out with the basics, slowly incorporating bolder flavors. If they don't like they will let you know. My oldest daughter did not like spinach (I found this out when she projectile spat it at me... That was fun). And the taste of peas would make my youngest daughter cry, less messy but pulled at my heart strings, lol. As long as your doctor gives you the thumbs up I would strongly suggest having him try a variety of taste, I think children that are exposed to different things are less likely to be picky.
ReplyDeleteMy sister used to give my niece real foods, always. Pureed vegetables, avocados, etc. I can only suggest stay away from jars and processed food. they're not good!
ReplyDeleteI have a 10 month old son and right now his favorites are: blueberries, avocado, naan with hummus, Yo Baby yogurt, and pasta with some organic sharp cheddar with a little pepper. Oh and beans! He loves black beans. (keeps the diaper changes regular)
ReplyDeleteMy mom always gave us frozen peas when we were little, they are great when babies start teething because they are cold and feel good on their gums!
ReplyDeletep.s. those pics are too cute!
We gave Archer lots of soft finger foods starting from the very beginning - don't feel the need to mash up everything and give it to Toby on a spoon! It is more messy to have them feed themselves but helps a lot with hand-eye coordination. (This article from the Guardian explains it well - http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/05/foodanddrink) It makes mealtimes easier for Mom too. Archer's favorite foods are cheerios, yogurt (which we do feed to him with a spoon), cheese, black beans, baked oatmeal, and any and all fruit! It is really important to get them into a habit of eating what you are eating as soon as possible. Otherwise you can end up with a picky eater who is willing to hold out for the snacks later :)
ReplyDeleteToby is so sweet! He's beautiful.
I have never commented, but I follow your blog and love it. I have been using the cookbook from Williams-Sonoma called THe Baby and Toddler Cookbook. I love it! So many fun recipes!
ReplyDeleteI have a 13-month-old, and I did the same as you- started with basics (it was summer, so lots of zucchini and yellow squash; this time of year I'd do winter squash). I found it really unappetizing to puree meat, so when she started eating more chunks, and I wanted to get more protein in her, I did squares of organic tofu.
ReplyDeleteChilis or soups are awesome- just put a scoop on a cutting board, run a knife through it (or stick an immersion blender in there) and then you get lots of ingredients and flavors in one bite.
Another thing I did a lot: add plain greek yogurt or even sour cream or cottage cheese to cooked greens. I'd cook some spinach, collards, or kale until really soft, then either chop fine or blend a tiny bit. Add the yogurt and it's like creamed spinach. Makes greens less watery and stringy, more appetizing.
And people may disagree, but I added salt, spices, butter...(lots of butter).
We're not a baby jar kind of family either. I pretty much feed her whatever we're eating, just in small pieces! She loves avocado, sweet potato, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese, fruit, chicken, whole wheat bread, pasta, etc. She also likes quinoa.
ReplyDeleteI read Planck's book "Real Food: What to Eat and Why" and it completely changed the way I look at healthy eating. I really trust her as an authority on food, so I don't think you can go wrong with her. ps. Toby is adorable, as always.
ReplyDeleteToby is so cute! What a fun age. We fed my daughter Adelaide whatever she could handle (she had almost all of her teeth by then - yikes!). I remember lots of sweet potato pieces, black beans, avocado, blueberries, tiny meatballs, cooked pieces of pear, mandarin oranges, tofu cubes, green beans...
ReplyDeleteWe read the Nina Planck book, too, and though we never tracked down any proper fish roe (c'mon Nina, seriously?) it was great inspiration to just feed her - well, anything!
A girlfriend of mine bought the beans babyfood maker from Williams sonoma and the cookbook and made her own and froze for future use
ReplyDeleteI made my daughters food but she wasn't a fan of solids until she got to the table food stage. I really liked this site weelicious.com for simple baby food recipes.
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to give me giant strawberries to gum, I guess I loved it!
ReplyDeleteAnd to the person who said frozen peas--these were an accidental favorite of mine as a baby! I love to eat them now too, one of my favorite snacks because they're so sweet!
I work at a bakery and my bosses have a 4 month old who has a crib in the kitchen with us, and she's so fun! I'm really excited to see what kinds of things she likes to eat as she gets older!
My son is 9 months and I have been making his food from the start. At this point he eats:
ReplyDeleteavocado, sweet potatoes, winter squash, acorn squash, bananas, peaches, apples, pears, yogurt, tofu, mango, green beans, carrots and egg yolk. The only thing I don't make are his cereals (oatmeal and rice) and his yogurt. It's super easy to do. I wrote about it here:
http://pillsplace.blogspot.com/2010/11/making-baby-food.html
My daughter loved avocado and mashed banana as first foods.
ReplyDeleteMay I also suggest making your own baby food! Its fun and easy and you know exactly what is in there. Make a few batches one night and freeze 'em for the week (or two).
I love my Beaba BabyCook! It steams & pures and then heats your frozen portions.
I still use it for my 17 mo. old to steam veggies as finger food.
Totally worth the investment!
http://www.beabausa.com/
thank you, stacey!!
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about raising children, but right before I saw your post, this article: http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/07/babies-who-start-solids-too-early-more-likely-to-be-obese/ came up in my twitterfeed. Perhaps it will help.
ReplyDeleteThat's a pretty cute baby you've got there.
I agree with Wendy. When we first started giving Kai real food, we didn't hesitate with different flavors. I gave him avocado, sweet potato, yogurt, mashed bananas, etc. I recall letting him try mild curries (just the sauce) and sometimes we'd blend up different veggies or fruits and freeze any left overs.
ReplyDeleteNow, at age two, he prefers foods with lots of flavor. He goes crazy for Indian food! He loves sushi (vegetarian or cooked) and his favorite food, if you ask him, is steak. He only gets it occasionally though. :)
PS. My sister, Ashley, said she ran into you the other day (lucky girl) and that you were so sweet and kind. Exactly what I would have expected!
When my daughter was younger (she's 15 months old now), I gave her mashed sweet potato + greeted carrot and broccoli (boiled them first). Sometimes I gave her chicken, meat, fish (only salmon).
ReplyDeleteAlways boil the vegetables or chicken or meat or fish with garlic and celery. It's good for the baby. You can also sprinkle a bit of Flaxseed because it's high in Omega 3, good for their brains :) I wouldn't recommend putting salt or sugar because their taste is still natural, it's better to keep it that way for a while. For the sweet you can give him fruits, for salt you can subs with cheese or butter.
I also gave her smoothies (blended yoghurt + fruits + a bit of flaxseed), but wait til Toby is 9 m/o. Hope it helps. I'm a healthy food freaks hehehe so yeah...
P.S. I didn't read the article, so sorry if it's stupid.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing I've purchased since having a baby is the Beaba baby food maker that both steams and purees in the same bowl. It's from France and my cousin there recommended it, so I had to order it online, though have heard that Williams Senoma has it.
ReplyDeleteMy baby loved pureed chicken with cottage cheese and avocado all mashed together, and it was a really balanced meal. Also steamed pureed pears with carrot was a big hit.
He's now 16 months and I still use it to make him his own apple sauce, broccoli soup, mashed sweet potatoes, etc. All the goodness from the cooking stays in the liquid and becomes part of the food!
The sweet little one I used to nanny loved sucking on big pieces of dried mango!
ReplyDeleteMy son was a very willing eater so he really only ate purees for a short time. I threw caution to the wind and fed him what we were eating chopped up into a size he could eat (depending on stage)spices and all. It worked well for us and he still tends to eat better if he is eating what we are eating. I read the more you introduce now the better as around 12 - 14 months they start to be picky (as an evolutionary thing)
ReplyDeleteYour baby Toby is beyond adorable.
ReplyDeleteWhen my boys were little I tried lots of things.
The cook book Cooking for Baby found at Williams Sonoma has great recipes for purees and introducing solids into their diet that are full of flavor but good for them. Also, Sprout is Organic baby food by Tyler Florence and they seemed to like it - http://www.sproutbabyfood.com/.
Last, Happy Baby has frozen foods and others that are heathy and organic - http://www.sproutbabyfood.com/.
good luck with your search.
Oh yea, avocado is really good, my daughter loves it! I usually mashed it and put 1 tea spoon of vanilla condenced milk.
ReplyDeleteAlso a HUGE fan of Plum organics squeezy pouches (I ordered mine by the case from diapers.com), and my 14 month old son loves them on-the-go (its the only thing he's allowed to eat while in his car seat- I'm afraid of choking!)
ReplyDeleteOther than that- he eats pretty much whatever we're eating. Variety is key, and keep trying things even if he refuses the first several times.
Toby is so super cute.
Also, I've heard that this book is very good!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Superfoods-Babies-Children-Annabel-Karmel/dp/0743275225
I used to be afraid of jarred food, till I did a bit of research on it. The safety regulations are much higher on baby food... anyway. I was stressing myself out trying to make all this organic food and ended up using a lot more of jarred than I thought. I really like Earth's Best and Gerber Organic. It is exactly what I was feeding him... just WAY more convient when I traveled.
ReplyDeleteI started with all veggies before fruits. My toddler now loves all veggies, rice, beans and fruit.
Do what you have time for and don't stress about the rest...
The baby I nanny is 8 months old as well.
ReplyDeleteI cook things like chicken, peas, squash, lentils, and potatoes and will (separately) blend them & put them in ice cube trays specially made for baby food. It's called "Fresh Baby" and the trays have covers to seal them off. Simply take out a cube of the food (I also do fruits like peaches, pears, apple, etc) and warm it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
If it's too watery, add baby rice cereal to thicken.
She usually eats two cubes and then finger foods.
You can go ahead & cook sweet potatoes & then chop them up in thick slices and freeze them so they only need to be heated up. Also, carrots, green beans, broccoli, string cheese & yogurt are great.
Have fun!
If you haven't found them already, Deb at Smitten Kitchen has a whole bunch of baby food recipes here: http://smittenkitchen.com/baby/ and as expected they are pretty creative!
ReplyDeleteTell little Mr. Toby I'd like my heart back. Seems he stole it.
ReplyDeleteOn second thought, he can keep it, so long as he promises to stay so unbearably sweet, mkay?
Cool.
Neither of my kids ate baby food. My youngest just turned 10 months old, and he has just 2 teeth like Toby! I fed both of my kids the same things we eat at meals (yogurt, oatmeal, apples, bananas, pancakes for breakfast; meats, pasta, steamed veggies, cheeses for lunch/dinners; cheerios and animal crackers, fruits/veggies for snacks; pudding, cake or ice cream on occassion for dessert!) This gets kids in the habit of eating what's on the table and for me to not be a "short-order cook" and making a different meal for each kid. We just cut food into small bites or mash with a fork. It's a little scary at first, but babies are pretty good and chew well! I just stay away from fish, honey and peanut butter until age 1 as per doctor's orders. Good Luck!
ReplyDeletei cooked all the food for my almost two year old daughter myself.
ReplyDeletewe started with parsnip, carrots, potatoes. then i mixed it up.
i had a nice little baby cookbook. i followed the recipes at first but made my own versions soon.
unfortunately the book is in german. but if you're interested, i can type you a quick version of a few recipes.
Avocado, pureed soups/stews, chopped boiled eggs, homemade hummus (not too garlicky). There was one prepared food that we loved, called Supergreens from Plum Organics, that was a staple for us for a long time.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous baby, by the way!
toby may still be a little young for this, but risotto was a fav when my son was young (and still is)! I fed him risotto around 14 months and he loved it!
ReplyDeleteI make my own baby food and my son didn't start really eating solids until he was nine months old (despite my best efforts)
ReplyDeleteI use the wholesomebabyfood website a ton but just came across this WONDERFUL BOOK its new and called.
The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet
I reviewed it HERE!
I made most of the baby food with a little food chopper using what the adults had minus the seasoning, spices, and seafood. I added a bit of water to make the mush flow better.
ReplyDeleteHe is SO darn cute! You already have a lot of great suggestions, and all babies are different. My two boys have had very different food preferences so far. Some faves include a lot of what I already see suggested here: black beans, avocados (though my little boy has yet to eat a bite! hates hummus too), sweet potatoes, soups, pasta, sauteed zucchini... But I agree that as quickly as possible, I wanted to have them eating whatever we were eating. Just mashed up or cut into small bites.
ReplyDeleteOh, and frozen blueberries! They can be a bit messy, but healthy, great finger foods, and they love them! Can help quickly cool down hot oatmeal. Great too for teething or when they get a fat lip.
avocados....and our almost 2 year old still loves them....we always have avocados in the house...we can pretty much get him to eat anything if we smother it w/ avocado!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I agree with pretty much everyone has suggested so far. I have a two boys and they ate lots of mashed egg yolk, avocado and steamed veggies. Everything with lots of butter and a little bit of salt. I always felt better about salt if I used the good stuff, like Brittany sea salt. I bought some organic liver, but I confess it is still in my freezer and my youngest is now 2 and a half! I somehow just could not bring myself to prepare it.
ReplyDeleteNina Planck seems amazing! I had not heard of her before this post. I am definitely going to look up her books! Thanks!
Check out smittenkitchen.com/baby/ --she's an amazing food blogger and all of her recipes are flawless, and she has a deliciously cute baby and posts baby food recipes!
ReplyDeletefirst off - what a cutie. adorb!
ReplyDeletei liked giving my babes egg yolk as a first food. also, pears were always a big hit and i read they are very easy to digest. homemade chicken broth is a huge hit, too!
I'm a fan of Nina Planck's books as well. If her ideas appeal to you, you should definitely try them out! I did make some pureed fruits for my son with an immersion blender (yum!) but in general i found it easier to feed my babes small amounts of table food. The jarred food didn't appeal to me either.
ReplyDeleteHave fun trying all the new foods! I just have to put on my dorky public health hat about raw milk though (I looked at the link you posted) - truly, not recommended (http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm079516.htm). Will you instantly enter mortal peril? No, it's not like eating asbestos, but it is one of those 'why take the chance' things! Happy eating!
ReplyDeleteWe never did baby food! I fed my babies everything that I was eating, within reason (not tooooo spicy and nothing they could choke on). Just today, my 9 month old Stella ate her sister's rejected pb+j sandwich. (We have no peanut allergy history, so I feel safe giving her peanut butter.) This morning, Stella had blueberries and greek yogurt with maple syrup. I like the frozen organic blueberries from Trader Joes-- the perfect size for picking up with teeny fingers. Stella also loves soup, rice+beans, shredded pork, oatmeal... if I'm eating it, she wants it.
ReplyDeletemy mom (who raised 6 healthy vegan kids including me) would always just mash up whatever she made for the rest of us for the baby. either with a hand crank grinder like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Kidco-F700-Baby-Food-Grinder/dp/B000E46IU8/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1297107219&sr=8-6
ReplyDeleteor (this sounds totally gross now, but required a whole lot less work/cleanup) chew up a bite and deposit it on a spoon and give it to the munchkin.
Oh my heavens that is one cute kid!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite baby gift to give is Hungry Monkey, by Matthew Amster-Burton. It is a hilarious read complete with great recipes that you can eat and then chop up and feed your kiddo as well. It totally changed my world view on feeding kids. I'm not going to say it changed my kid into a fantastic eater - he refuses all vegetables except green beans that he can pick in the garden - but it definitely made me realize I could just make him regular food instead of just feeding him baby food. The recipes also have the added benefit of being easy to prepare, which is nice when you are rushing to get dinner on the table. It definitely made feeding him a lot more interesting.
There is also an excellent chapter in it about kids refusing to eat, which I always re-read when my toddler goes on a hunger strike. :-)
Have fun!
that is awesome, nancy! and anonymous, i agree about the raw milk; i would steer clear of that, too. thank you for all these amazing and inspiring comments!!!
ReplyDeleteSweet potato! It is so soft and babies love it!
ReplyDeletelovealways
dontgonaked.blogspot.com
He looks like fun! Send for the dried mango - delicious and perfect for teething.
ReplyDeleteI breastfed my daughter, Sophia, regularly until she was 2.5, but introduced solids at 7 mos. We cook "real" food everyday, so she was eating everything we were...all sorts of vegetables, rice, beans, fish, etc. I actually didn't introduce chicken until later and meat is a rarity (since we eat it rarely ourselves). What I also did was to add things like quinoa and flax seeds to her meal.
ReplyDeleteShe will be three at the end of May and she still loves it all!
What a cutie!!!
ReplyDeletejust go slow adding new foods. introduce single ingredient foods one at a time to watch out for food allergies.
xoxo,
Courtney
I loved the Beaba Baby Cook. There aren't many options in terms of ready-made baby food in France so we made our own. The baby Cook is great. It really cuts down cooking and clean up time. I also recommend this site: http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/ It tells you when to introduce foods, vitamins and minerals, how to prepare them correctly for baby and great recipes from around the world.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if anyone mentioned this but be careful with eggs. I think if they are introduced too soon, you can have trouble with allergies. Nuts too. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteA nice little article on Publisher's Weekly on this subject:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/book-news/cooking/article/45869-bite-size-gourmet-testing-baby-food-cookbooks.html
I don't have children, and I don't have any useful input, but I just have to say that Toby warms my heart.
ReplyDeleteHe is so adorable, and he always looks SO happy.
My sister swears by baby lead weaning from the 'baby whisperer' book. It encourages you to start them early on solids and it's worked for my newphew, he's 9 months old and feeds himself with gusto! We also have Ella's over here which all my little friends absolutely adore...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ellaskitchen.co.uk/
My babies loved avocado, boiled egg yolk (mixed with a little breast milk to make it creamy), sweet potato, and I would puree chicken and apples together, which is much better looking/smelling than other pureed meat! Full fat greek yogurt is great too.
ReplyDeleteHappy eating!
I found this book to be amazing. It has all sorts of fresh whole foods recipes for babies and is organized by age. I highly recommend it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/cooking-for-baby-cookbook/
I would core/peel apples, stuff them with prunes and sprinkle with cinnamon, and then bake them. Once done, I would blend some with plain yogurt, and leave some as is.
ReplyDeleteI let me little one teethe on the core of the pineapple.
Cottage cheese
Avocado drizzled with hemp oil
Peanut Butter on plain unsalted rice cakes
Puffed wheat
Cheerios
Mashed Potatoes with blended in zucchini and Parsley
Tiny Meatballs
Cream cheese on Raisin Bread
Homemade fig and applesauce
Baked Sweet Potato with a splash of orange juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and baked apple pieces
Cooked and strained blueberries mixed with steamed peaches
I only read some of the first comments so sorry if this has been proposed to you again but mom says I loved aubergines (I hate them now!)
ReplyDeleteOther than that, it was mom's apple puree, potato puree, carrot puree, (actually anything pureed), yogurt, eggs...
Oh! and my god-daughter loved kalamata olives and various kinds of rubbery cheese chunks! :)
oh gosh! that is such a fun age! we live by the vitamix! with that, everything is possible. this works great for kids of all ages. when they decide they do not like vegetables, just grind it up and hide it in there food. even when they are teenagers this trick still works!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/
ReplyDeleteI used this site a lot for first/second foods.
I'm now sort of following the Super Baby Food..
http://www.superbabyfood.com/
The book is a little too strict!! for us but gives a good idea of balancing protein, carbs and vitamins....
Mine adored avocados, I would mash them up at that age. Plus they were a great transition food- you can include them in a lot of begining dishes (like quesadilla's, smoothies and sandwiches) to help their taste buds adjust to new tastes.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I love that baby, I could eat him with carrots, egg yolks, or anything. Ñam! (Just kidding Joanna, I'm no Hannibalette Lecter :P)
ReplyDeletei really like this website:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nurturebaby.com/index.php/recipes
your little man is a-dorbs!
mashed avocado with banana. all three loved it.
ReplyDeletei fed my little man avocados, and he loved them! hope that helps :)
ReplyDeleteWe LOVE our metoo seat for our 1-year-old Frederick! It goes everywhere with us. Just this weekend we upgraded to the lobster seat - has a tray, carry bag, higher weight limit and higher back.
ReplyDeleteOur guy has a bit of a gagging problem so he gets stage 3 organic foods and plum foods. He JUST got his first 4 teeth so we are slowly introducing more solid things. Mostly they just get spit right back out!
what a cutie!!!!!
ReplyDeletetoby is such a sweetheart!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy this book: http://www.amazon.com/Sprout-Right-Lianne-Phillipson-Webb/dp/0143173502/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297109003&sr=1-1
ReplyDeletePacing The Panic Room also has a great post on baby food, and making great combos like peas and mint.
ditto to http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/
ReplyDeletei use that site for info on what to cook and how.
when i don't make our 10 month old food, i've found http://www.sproutbabyfood.com/ and http://www.plumorganics.com/ and http://www.happybabyfood.com/ good.
on the run, the food in a pouch is awesome + easy. she can suck straight from the tube/pouch. pretty much no mess. love that.
also, she loves puffs from http://www.happybabyfood.com/
i think that's her favorite stuff ever. less sugar + healthier than other stuff out there.
i don't leave the house without puffs + a food pouch :]
Toby is gorgeous!
ReplyDeletesuper baby food
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Baby-Food-Ruth-Yaron/dp/0965260313/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297108447&sr=1-1
has great advice on what new foods you can introduce month-by-month. My son loved avocado, hummus, roasted-then-mashed sweet potatoes (with peanut butter mashed in for more protein), quinoa, bulghur, brown rice...he wasn't really into mushy foods--always wanted whatever we were eating. He also always loved all fruit, but was very stubborn about wanting to eat it whole (liked to gnaw on whole apples, hold the entire banana) and was able to handle that much earlier than i expected. he would also eat nut butters or tahini on apple slices. That said--i always found feeding him stressful--he was fickle and would love something ten times in a row, then refuse it, and he never ate as much as i expected in a sitting. he never liked to be fed either-always wanted to do it himself, so we'd use those happy baby puffs as crackers with bits of avocado or sweet potato on top so that he could easily scoop it up and feed himself.
I got the baby cook by beabea and I made all kind of fruits and veggies purees for my little guy... Hummus and avocado are always a hit with babies... Also mashed potatoes + cooked ham (I would put everything in the mixer to blend it all together), my son loved it ! hope this helps xx
ReplyDeleteTwo front teeth!!!!
ReplyDeleteBust out the food processor (or immersion blender) and blend anything and everything you eat! I think you are supposed to stay away from shell fish, honey (uncooked) and nuts for the first year, but pretty much everything else is up for grabs. :) Really. And to make a meal more substantial than just veggies or fruits, you can puree with it pasta or rice.
My baby is seven months old, the doctor told me to start with soups in cream (pumpkin, potatoes,etc) separately first and then mixed. I can tell you, she's no a big fan of it but she eats enough to sustain her. Also I add chicken and meat to the soups.
ReplyDeleteThe fruits are another story she didn't want them in juice, or stewed. Recently I've found she eats it well if I liquify the fruit with some cereal. Now she loves fruits :)
She eats rice, almost in soup because she has no teeth yet. Baby pasta with baby formula too, jelly, corn flakes soaked in baby formula and cereals.
I'm pregnant now, so I haven't put this into action yet, but my husband and I plan on just pureeing anything we eat---before adding spices, herbs or seasoning. :)
ReplyDeleteWe refer to the Super Baby Food book by Ruth Yaron quite often. August is 8 months old and LOVES avocado and prunes (yes, prunes). We've just recently started hard-boiled egg (mushed up with oatmeal, rice cereal or avocado), and whole-milk yoghurt. New fruit faves are mangos and peaches...but I am sure this will get more exciting come spring and summer when more things are in season!
ReplyDelete-Ginny
I was more cautious with Sadie (my 5-year-old), but with Frances (who is now 2), we just fed her whatever we were eating, with exceptions for potential allergens, like wheat, strawberries, egg whites. Frances had lots of teeth early, so I felt fine with giving her little tiny pieces of everything, from chicken and tofu to spinach and winter squash (she began eating solids in the winter also). I rarely spoon-fed her, except for yogurt and applesauce, which is still her fave. As others have noted above, it's messy, but good experience for her. She's a much tidier eater than her sister. And I didn't stint on seasonings either, although spicy foods are obviously not for babes. As well, I'm not sure about a connection if any between baby feeding and toddler pickiness. Both my girls are pretty choosy these days : (
ReplyDeleteI am totally into "Baby Led Weaning" by Gill Rapley (Google it, there is a ton of info online as well as the book, which I believe is on Amazon). This method made a lot of sense to us.
ReplyDeleteI love the clip on chair. I'd like one for Ever!
ReplyDeleteI have recently given a quick and nutritious recipe to a friend. It works with me a lot!
ReplyDelete4-5 tbs of rice cream or similar
3-4 tbs of milk powder (no sugar)
1 tbs or more of tea for babies, fennel, chamomile are the ones I use.
Add water so it is of good density.
Instead of the tea, you could choose some fresh fruit which is a lot better!
Of course this is not for a main meal, but I use it for dinner quite often.
good luck..and patience is a key element. oh important, if he is cranky it does not mean he is not hungry. just give him something to play with and continue feeding.
did i help?
We fed all 3 of our girls whetever we were eating and didn't mess with the baby food at all. First food was always mashed avocado. cream of wheat cereal and bananas. We also kept a bag of frozen green beans on hand for teething pain. As long as it mashes pretty good at first try it. My girls are adults now and love to try new foods. I think the early foundations of good eating habits are the key. I also had a pediatrician tell me that everyone is allergic to some things to start with and that is why there is such a crazy reaction to spinach for instance. It isn't so much the taste but an allergy and the little ones don't know how to say it makes me itch. Toby is adorable.
ReplyDeleteLots of great suggestions. That helped me too. Grayson love avocado, I read that it has more potassium that bananas. Butternut squash baked too and pasta!!. Also, I really love the Happy Bellies brand brown rice cereal. Dr Sears has a baby food list by babies age on there website.
ReplyDeleteAlso Im still nursing but around 11 months started him on goats milk, not cow milk. Much better for there little bellys and higher nutritional value. Avoids problems with dairy allergys.
ps..if you ever want a box of avocados shipped we live in the avocado capital of the world. Would be glad to send you some. :)
Ha ha...soo sweet!
ReplyDeleteorganic plain greek yogurt mixed with applesauce and a little cinnamon was the one thing I could always get our little guy to eat!
ReplyDeleteWilliams - sonoma baby good maker. Love. Love. Love.
ReplyDeleteKiddos just ate a softer, mushier version of what we ate!
i don't know if anyone else mentioned, but don't be afraid to try spices. we figured the sooner, the better, so i put cinnamon in with sam's apples and cumin in with his lentils, etc.
ReplyDeleteto this day, one of his favorite meals is a spicy mix of lentils, brown rice, and barley with garlic, oregano, and cayenne pepper (among other things).
I admit that I used baby food in jars. I tried to stick with Earth's Best organic. My guys are past the baby food phase, so now I steam a lot of frozen and fresh vegetables. I've found that my little guys will eat them better if I add just a little sea salt for flavor. My little ones also love black beans, avocado, fruit, cheese and yogurt.
ReplyDeleteI guess nutrition changes from country to country in Portugal (Southern Europe)with 9 months we give babies vegetable soup (carrots, potato, pumpkin, onion etc no salt only a little bit of olive oil at the end of confection) with a 20 gr of fish or meat minced. We give fruit (still no kiwis, strawberries, oranges) yogurt and milk (breast or bottle). My little girl is 5 months and for each month there is a new rule regarding food :) I have a lot of guidance from Mariana´s (my daughter) pediatrician. And vacines? Do you children get a lot of vacines in the US? Here we have 2 or 3 each month since they are born until they are 6 month old and then when they are 1 year old some more...its a jobs :) greetings Joanna from Lisbon, Portugal
ReplyDeleteHe is CUTE. Pureeing your own food is really easy. I was working very full time but i just pureed and then froze all sorts of stuff on the weekends. All veggies work and even meat or lasagna or whatever. Sweet potatoes were a big hit early on too. Good luck, and there are many options other than those jars, which are good for going out.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if this will be a duplicate... I'm a mom and a feeding specialist. I just reviewed Baby Led Weaning, and also just taught a class where the mom who did BLW had a significant choking episode with her little one who also had low iron stores. (Those were two possible concerns with the method) I think there are lots of right ways to feed little ones! Child of Mine is my personal "holy book" for feeding and one I recommend (Ellyn Satter.) check out my post for great mom stories on how they fed their babies in ways that really followed the babies' leads. Enjoy this time! It can be so much fun! http://familyfeedingdynamics.com/?s=+baby+led+weaning
ReplyDeleteCutest baby EVER!
ReplyDeleteOh, and I'm no help with baby food :(
How can you read all these suggestions?!? Rice was the first. Avocados are good--just give them the whole thing, let em mouth it--one day when you do this you'll hear sucking noise--and the teething treasure of tasty avocado will be enjoyed. I took it super slow with the feedings and introducing new foods. going with the seasons is really beneficial for babies (and us). This reduces the chance of allergy issues. But honey one the first birthday was a right of passage for my children!
ReplyDeleteHow absolutely adorable is he?! Well, I'm not a mamma, but I am an early childhood educator and I did work with infants for a little over 2 years, so my two cents would be: regardless of the food you give him, set up a self feeding spoon and plate, with some food in it, so that he can start learning to feed himself. This way you foster independence, fine motor skills, and joy for eating. At the center I worked in, we also gave infants/toddlers a wet small (cut out) sponge after they were done, so they could clean up their spot. Sometimes they ended up making a bigger mess than the one they started out with, but they get better at with time, and it gives them a sense of accomplishment to see a clean surface, once they master it. I think at this age eating is about health, but it's also about learning and developing skills, while having a little fun. Enjoy him, he's to die for! :)
ReplyDeleteOur son LOVED gnawing on lamb chop, pork chop, steak bones. Anything with JUST enough meat fat left over. It made for some pretty cute "caveman baby" photos. He also loved mashed avocado and still does! Adorable photos of Toby!
ReplyDeleteI feed my son only "baby" food, but when my daughter came along she just eat just about EVERYthing that we eat (just cut up small):)
ReplyDeleteOh, Dear, you have so many helpful readers. i'm not sure you will read my advice. I have 4 kids. MArguerite is 10 months old and for her birth, my friends offered me a babycoo (http://www.beaba.com/flash/#/en_GB/homepage/index). this is a steam cooker I wish I would have used for my 3 first kids. Basically, you can put everything in it. I love experimenting purées such as panais-carots-ham or chicken-sweet potatoes or leek-zuchinis-potatoes. And she loves it. Give it a try and you will never use something else.
ReplyDeletePS : the cooker comes with a recipes book but you can also buy another book after. Easy, quick, healthy. What else ?
I'm not a mama, but what my mama did with me was to hold off on seasoning whatever she was cooking until the last minute, and puree a little portion without salt-pepper-Tabasco for me. She'd freeze the leftovers in ice cube trays, so that there were little portions of all sorts of things ready to go. I grew up healthy and vigorous as a weed, and she saved a bundle by never having to buy baby food!
ReplyDeletePlease don't give your precious son a pork chop unless you are willing to change his name to Bam Bam. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy son was born 6 months before Toby and I'm also a twin so I always enjoy reading your blog as it feels so familiar! We used to give our son a mango stone with some of the fruit still on it to hold - he loved it particularly when he was teething.
ReplyDeleteToby is so darn cute!!! Most babies love sweet potatoes
ReplyDeleteAlthough my babies are now 25, 28 and 30 I still remember those dear sweet bird mouths opening eagerly.I gave them anything that I would eat! avocado, hummus, refried beans I think it is different now!
ReplyDeleteMashed banana, mashed avocado, weetabix, porridge, fromage frais...and because I am English, Shepherds Pie! Spaghetti Bolognese very popular about Toby's age too. Nice stale crusts of bread were popular too with my daughter.
ReplyDeleteThese may not be fashionable choices these days (my children are now 18 and 19) but they worked and nobody choked or developed food problems.
Enjoy the experimenting.
wow- lots of comments. Not sure if someone has reccomended "Baby Led Weaning" or if you have googled it- but its a way to feed baby finger foods rather than purees. I didnt use any baby food with my daughter and she is a great eater. I just googled and got all my info off the net.
ReplyDeleteWilliams Sonoma has an AMAZING "Baby Foods" book will tons of super easy recipes for baby. The greatest thing is its separated out by age range and when to introduce what!! I adore it! My baby is 18 months and people are always amazed at the things she will eat and I know its because we introduced her to so many things from an early start!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a child myself but got this book: http://amzn.to/babyrecipes
ReplyDeletefor my friend Holly and her first child. She found it very useful.
I'm on baby #2 and he's 6 months. He does the cereal thing and I made (pureed and froze) carrots, peas, green beans, and sweet potatoes, also peaches and pears, and I buy organic, no sugar added applesauce. The fruit I add to the cereal. I haven't pureed any meats, but he's tried turkey and beef from the jar and didn't like either, so I'm sticking with veggies for now.
ReplyDeleteMy mum used to stew fruit apples ect and then freeze them into ice cube trays and then in the morning when it came to breakfast for my younger sisters there was unprocessed food on hand that she knew exactly what it had in it.
ReplyDeleteSame when for veggies for dinner!
My daughter LOVED beets, it took about 4 tries but then fell in love with avocado - especially with a little lemon juice squeezed on, hummus, yogurt and tomato sauce.
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to put whatever she and my dad were eating in a food processor for me. That way, she knew what ingredients were in my meals and I didn't grow up a picky eater because I had been exposed to all of her favorite recipes before I can remember.
ReplyDeleteToby is a little cutie! I never commented although I am following your blog for months now. My little girl Amy Isobel is 7.5 months and although I tried cooking organic food for her again and again, she gags or closes her mouth. She does eat jarred organic food, though. Either my cooking really is that bad or some kids just don't do what the parents really want them to do. All I am trying to say is, don't get stressed about whatever he prefers. As long as it is organic and he enjoys it.... They go through the "only red food" etc. stage soon enough ;-)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the ride...
I started Matthew (who is 10 months now) with pureed carrots, and he didn't like it AT ALL. You'll find that the first tastes of new food are very difficult, to the point that will think that he doesn't like it at all, but I learned that patience is all that it takes. I would spend 3 hours on the weekend making fruits and vegetables purees, and some chicken and fish too, and then placing them on ice trays and freezing them. So every night I would take out the freezer his next day menu. For mornings I would mix Baby cereal with some pureed fruit, lunch veggies and protein, snacks bananas/avocados and dinner baby cereal with veggies. Other good foods for snacking are yogurts, cheerios, cheese strings. Hope this help! just be patient ;)
ReplyDeletehe is wicked cute..
ReplyDeletei love those eyebrows! :)
Williams-Sonoma has a really good (and easy) baby food maker. It's the Beaba Babycook. I would highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'm doing a fun giveaway on my blog, so if you get a chance pop by and take a look
The Cheeky Cafe
First of all CUTEEEEE, that last photo with those two bottom teeth, darling!
ReplyDeleteI had my mother-in-law visiting (from Croatia) when Beli was an infant.She was a life saver, not only did she save us from taking our daughter to daycare, but Grandma even prepared homemade meals for Beli. Some of my favorites:
organic spinach and potatoes boiled then blended with some olive oil.
carrots, zucchini and potatoes boiled then pureed.
Hope Toby enjoys our recommendations!
Still no baby for me, but I already have both of Nina Planck's books. She changed the way I eat and I can't wait to skip the jarred food when the time comes for future baby to eat! ps....Toby is adorable!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Joanna! These might be repeat suggestions since I just barely skimmed the other comments. But, at 8 1/2 months old, my boy is eating bits of cheese, ground beef, beans (black & kidney so far), avacado, halved blueberries, melon, and veggies (buy a bag of frozen veggies and just heat up a few at a time, then you don't waste fresh/canned ones when he only eats a little)...He never liked baby food from a jar so we delayed solids for awhile, but now he loves anything he can feed himself (isn't that pincer grasp so cute??). He would also eat cheerios and graham crackers all day if I'd let him. One awesome tip: grind up cheerios into a powder (you can do this in your hand) and coat slippery foods like avacado in the powder so he can pick it up easier!
ReplyDeletei had an immersion blender that was a big help,i used it on everything! i loved making my own chicken stock and blending in rice and carrots, peas, whatever into it. my girls loved it!
ReplyDeletep.s. i melt at the last picture of toby. thats exactly whats it all about! :)
I made my daughter's baby food when she was Toby's age. I would boil things like sweet potatoes and then puree them quickly with a submersion blender, freeze them in an ice cube tray, pop them into a ziploc and store them in the freezer. Sounds like a lot of work! But I would do it once a week for an small chunk of time and have lots of baby food on hand to feed my daughter as needed.
ReplyDeleteShe loved things like broccoli and green lentils together, sweet potatoes or butternut squash, potatoes and leeks, etc. I bought a baby food recipe book though, it gave me lots of ideas!
Fruit purees were always winners too, pears, apples, bluberries,she loved them all either on their own or mixed together!
Good luck! It's really cute to see what they love and what they don't.
My little nephew who is about the same age as Toby loves mango. My brother and sister-in-law puree it with a little apple or pear.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was small I loved avocado and used to eat it every day!
I love, love, love this book:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Petit-Appetit-Cookbook-Organic-Recipes/dp/1557884536/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2
It really helped me expand my baby food horizons. Simple, delicious, healthy and easy to make baby foods.
I have a food grinder, but a good food processor would work too. I grind up sweet potatoes, peas, squash(you can do that without a grinder) beans, pears, bananas, avacado, almost anything you eat, they can eat. And my kids do eat all of those things. If we had soup I fed them the soup we were eating(blended sometimes). Get lots of veggies and fruits and beans even, and smash them. My kids liked all of these better then canned food. I think the texture was better, and there was more flavor because it wasn't watered down. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteoh yeah. oatmeal and stuff like that.
ReplyDeleteRefried beans (Bees!) and Hummus (hummy)!!!! Z would be no where without them! I make my own in the blitzer for her so there is less salt, etc.
ReplyDeleteWe have the same high chair and it's so great, especially for travel!
ReplyDeleteAvocado, lentils with coconut, butternut squash, pears, yogurt, and peas (all mixed with assorted herbs and spices) were a big hit in the beginning.
At around 9 months, Dashiell started eating a huge range of food. By then he'd tried a bunch of different things so I wasn't worried about allergic reactions anymore. I started giving him whatever I was eating, minus the few key foods you're supposed to avoid before 1. Now he eats literally anything we're eating: curried lentil soup, mac and cheese, veggie sandwiches, guacamole, scrambled eggs. Just introduce adult food that's soft enough for Toby to chew and in small enough pieces that if he skips chewing he can swallow each piece on it's own. It's so fun and satisfying to have a baby who eats all sorts of flavors.
And like other readers have said, making your own food is soooo easy and so much more nutritious for your little one. Totally worth the extra time.
Also, invest in a good mop. Things are about to start getting really messy!
xx
As a mom of a four-month old, I'm just starting to think about solids. My mom gave me Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron--did anyone else use that? And Joanna, are you just using the Phil & Teds as your high chair? We have one as well and haven't bought a separate high chair yet--it would be awesome if we knew we could avoid it entirely. Love, love, love your blog (and seeing little Toby grow gives me such a good idea of what I can expect from my own little one in the coming months).
ReplyDeleteOur first child was super picky so it was tricky, but our second just LOVES to eat.
ReplyDeleteBaby food grinders are awesome. I started with a little food grinder a couple of months ago (around 7 months), and would grind up food-everything, and anything, being mindful, of course of salt content. We eat a lot of organic produce, and pastas, rice dishes, and what not.
He now has two teeth on the top, and two on the bottom, so he is taking bites of things now. I do feed him whatever he will eat, as long as it isn't a chocking hazard. (or nuts) He's not crazy about broccoli, but that is about it.
Oh, and I agree with Kristina, get a good mop, and dustbuster!!!!
My little one is 15 mo's. We feed him:
ReplyDeleteAvocado, Banana
Cheese (all kinds)
Tomato cubes (skin and seeds removed)
Yam cubes (steamed)
Mashed potatoes (w jar veg stirred in)
Couscous (w organic chicken broth and jar veg or minced broccoli florets (just snip them w kitchen shears straight into the pot), parmesan)
Minestrone soup
Pasta w meat sauce, soft veg (ie squash, eggplants)
Homemade chicken or turkey meatballs/meatloaf sliced into cubes (the latter is easy and you can make a lot at once!), with lots of veg in the meatloaf, like minced spinach, carrot, etc.
Peas w butter
Sticky rice w bits of meat wrapped in nori
Grilled cheese sandwiches (cubed)
Boiled eggs (cubed)
French toast
Organic whole wheat blueberry waffles (Earth's Best)
Earth's Best jars (sometimes flavored w fresh grated parmesan)
Fish (grilled, all kinds)
Tofu
Blueberries, grapes (quartered and peeled), soft pears (v thin slices)
Yogurt
Rice crackers
Congee w pureed chicken/carrots
that last picture of Toby looks so much like his daddy hehe soo cute
ReplyDeleteWe did Baby-Led weaning which you can read about here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0091923808/wwwbabyledwea-20
and here:
http://www.baby-led-solids.blogspot.com/
We tried slices of avocado and mango, then sweet potato "fries" and steamed broccoli florets and she is now a champion eater!
Good Luck!
Carla
http://redpetals.etsy.com
I'm expecting my first in August, but I know my nephew loves avocado! It's all he'll eat when it comes to real food.
ReplyDeleteI used to blend up big batches of food every weekend and then freeze them in ice cube trays for quick meals all week. Some of my guys favorites when he was Toby's age were carrots & sweet potatoes, spinach & red potatoes, peas & corn and pears & apples. He also eats oat bran cooked with rice milk, flax meal, cinnamon and mashed bananas or blueberries every day. It help keeps things moving if you know what I mean. ;)
ReplyDeletemy boy loved sweet potato as a babe, so I gave it to him again and again as it was one of those 'guaranteed' things he'd eat. Now he's 3 he doesn't like Sweet Potato at all! I wish I had given him more of a variety and been more confident....that's what it's all about really. Keeping confident & inspired - and it sounds like you're that kind of person. xx
ReplyDeleteMy daughter didn't like anything mushy, so we did Pirate's Booty which sort of melts in their mouth. That stuff is like baby crack and if I sat her at the table with a handful of it, it bought me enough time to load the dishwasher :) She also liked sucking/chewing on big spears of dried mango.
ReplyDeletehello!
ReplyDeletehere in Portugal babys eat ate this age, vegetable soup (onion, carrots, potato, pinch of salt, brocoly and a small portion of beef ou fish).
than if you decide not to put meet in the soup, you can make a simple bolognese pasta with beef, tomato, carrots and spaggety.
an apply cooked 20s in microwave oven is perfect to end the meal.
all in small portions.
fish soufflee is a very good choice, but i guess the little one is to young to eat egg white...
love your blog!!!
greetings from portugal ;)
Have you heard of Dr. Alan Greene and his WhiteOut campaign? It is pretty interesting and about creating healthier eating habits for babies. http://www.drgreene.com/whiteout
ReplyDeleteI didn't use baby food. I just buzzed up whatever we were eating and gave my little one a tablespoon or so of that. She loved it, and we were able to all eat as a family.
ReplyDeleteOnce she got a little bigger, I bought frozen corn, peas, and carrots as an easy way to get her vegetables; small pieces of bread, ripe pears, oranges, banana, avocado, and the like - and of course, some of whatever we were eating, buzzed up if necessary.
Honestly, the jarred food phase only lasted about a week for my son. After that he only wanted what we had. If daddy had steak and potatoes...he had it too. If I had eggs with provolone and pesto, he did too. He is 3 now and willing to try anything you put in front of him at least once. He is not picky in the slightest. The other day he got a sub from subway: pepperoni, salami, lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, black olives, and sweet peppers. The lady making our subs was in awe. And then he proceeded to eat the entire 6 inch. He has been a really good eater, which I attribute to a wide array of foods...we really just did not stick to jarred food and trying things one at a time. It was easier for us the way we did it. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI remember my dad feeding me poached eggs as a baby with all it's runny goodness on the inside. To this very day, it is my favorite style of eating eggs whether poached or fried...My husband thinks I'm a freak for loving almost raw eggs.
ReplyDeleteWe gave our baby everything we were eating, just mashed up. Now he eats anything and everything. Loves all veggies and is eager to try things. Ohhhh 8 months, so soo fun, but here's a great secret...the next 3 months are even funner. :) Toby is so cute - enjoy every minute!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a mama, but smitten kitchen has awesome recipes that she makes for her own son!
ReplyDeletehttp://smittenkitchen.com/baby/
i made my daughter's food. started with the basics: bananas, carrots, pears, peaches, squash, avocado... you name it! i would steam and blend, then freeze them in an ice cube tray. i would pop a few "cubes" out at a time, allow them to defrost in the fridge and serve it up! it was a lot of fun too! there is a great book called super baby food - it's a great resource! of course, my claire is almost 10 now, so there are probably lots of new material on the subject ;)
ReplyDeletewe did "baby led weaning" and it is amazing the stuff our little lola will eat! i totally recommend checking that out too.
ReplyDeleteall the best,
jo in oz
look how many tips you are getting! oh goodness. i get so excited when i see toby posts. he just looks too cute to be real!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a mom, but when I nannied, I prepared a lot of lunches for one PICKY eater. I fed that kid anything and everything I could get him to eat: pancakes, scrambled eggs with chopped up spinach, butternut squash, and oh so much more. The parents weren't big meat eaters, but my nephew who was the same age loved chicken and beef. I also am a big believer in putting some spices in food. Nothing crazy, but a little ginger or even curry powder in butternut squash (if you already know they like and react well to butternut squash, that is) is so yummy! Just remember to introduce one food at a time and go nuts!
ReplyDeleteHooray for Toby! My daughter, who is now 15 months, at his age, loved yogurt, sweet potatoes, avocados, pork, soup (!!!), goldfish crackers, blueberries, tuna fish sandwiches, peaches, rice cereal. Soup was by far her favorite, everything from chicken&stars to miso soup with tofu and seaweed and eggflower soup.
ReplyDeleteright now my 8mth old is on squash, mixed vegetables basically all baby food, except for the ones with cheese. I don't want to introduce him to cheese yet. I've been reading the comments and I'm going to have to try that avocado!
ReplyDeleteAhhh, he's adorable!! xx
ReplyDeletecheck out this book - http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Best-Homemade-Baby-Food-on-the-Planet/Karin-Knight/e/9781592334230
ReplyDeletejust bought it and can't wait to make some of the food for Lily!
I know my cousin makes her own fruit and veggie purees and freezes them in ice cube trays. Then she just stores them in plastic bags in her freezer and can just thaw the amount that she needs.
ReplyDeletei like making things that we can all eat, steel cut oats, kale soup (italian sausage, carrots, onions, celery, kale, and orzo) simmered in chicken broth, miso soup with small bits of silken or medium tofu, avocado, little bits of buttered wheat toast, apples, curried lentil soups...
ReplyDeleteI used a mini food processor (about a 1 cup capacity) and used it to puree a small amount of whatever the rest of the family was eating. I would do it with pasta dishes, soups, beans & rice, practically anything.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a mama but when I was a baby my mama and papa fed me everything they ate— they just put it in the blender!
ReplyDeleteYes! Nina Planck's book is great! It is a must read.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cutie pie! Love that last pic:-)
ReplyDeleteHave you heard of the book by Karin Knight called The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet? Might be something to check out :)
ReplyDeleteHi Joanna,
ReplyDeleteMy sister was fed eggs as a baby and she now has a life threatening egg allergy. Her allergist believes that being fed egg at such a young age contributed to this. You may wish to check with your doctor that it is okay to feed adorable little Toby egg (and peanuts. :)
My 9-month old loves bananas and avocados, yogurt, hummus, cottage cheese and we give her bites of whatever we've cooked for ourselves.
ReplyDeletewholesomebabyfood.com is a great resource.
Jo, as I mentioned in dirt&sunshine, it's really cool to make vegetables in organic chicken broth then drizzle olive oil and crack black pepper on it. I think it's important that vegetables NOT taste sweet, otherwise babies will not get used to them the way they really are! And I recommend not mixing in fruits to sweeten vegetables; it can be a trap that can be hard to get out of when kids are older!
ReplyDeletesardines! and lasagna!
ReplyDeleteThis website http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/index.htm
ReplyDeletehas been extremely helpful! My baby girl is already 10 months old and I look to it often to know what to feed her.
I have fed Devon everything and anything, though I try to make sure it's all organic. The biggest hits have consistently been cucumbers and green beans, prunes, cut up green grapes, scrambled eggs, pasta, fruit or veggie smoothies, and these Stonyfield yogurts that you can freeze, so babies can eat them like push pops. If he's teething, that could be a great option for him because the yogurts are cold on their gums and filled with good stuff! xo
ReplyDeleteIf someone hasn't already mentioned this, Williams Sonoma has a cookbook for babies!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/cooking-for-baby-cookbook/?pkey=e%7Cbaby%2Bcookbook%7C2%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-
Rylee hated raw foods that we started with (avacado, banana) The first thing she loved was refried beans (haha healthy) she also loves sweet potatos (just boil then blend) and sweet potatos with apples (same prep) another strange thing she loved was the middle part of a deviled egg!
ReplyDeleteI think there will be conflicting ideas about baby food (about baby everything!) everywhere you turn lots of advice is good, but not all suits you. Go with you God given mommy instincts!!!
Toby is so handsome :)
-Brit
Hi! We have an 8 month-old named Willa and she is in love with avocado, blueberries, squash, green beans, peas, and bannanas, etc. Cantaloupe is great too because you can smush it up and it doesn't require cooking. A mini food mill is a great purchase too. It is an easy way to mash things up!
ReplyDeleteDon't be afraid to experiment with all different kinds of foods and spices. You might be surprised by what he likes.
ReplyDeleteWhen he's a couple months older, he might like my go-to baby food recipe, pumpkin polenta. http://verdemama.com/eat/whats-cookin-pumpkin-polenta My almost-two-year-old son still eats this regularly, and will scarf this down even when I can't get him to eat anything else.
What a cutie! I did jarred, organic food with my son who is now 4 years-old and wasn't real thrilled, but my kitchen wasn't the most functional (inefficient counter space) and therefore I didn't feel like venturing into homemade baby food. This time around, we are in a better house, so when Baby Boy #2 gets into solids we will be purchasing a Beaba Babycook and will be cooking up vegetables from our garden. We'll also be doing mashed bananas (I wish I could say why I didn't do that with #1), which most of my friends say their babies love mixed with a little brown rice cereal and breast milk. Things like couscous and edemame are good too (we actually did do the edemame with #1, which he loved until he started preschool). Good luck! This is such a fun time with babies!
ReplyDeleteMashed avocado mixed with cottage cheese. They love it!!
ReplyDeleteFor my firstborn, I would steam every vegetable I could get my hands on! The more variety, the better. Also, steamed is better than boiled because it preserves the majority of the nutrients in the foods. There's been studies that have shown that a baby needs to try a certain food at least 15 times before he/she can come to accept it. So, don't give up letting him experiment with certain tastes if he rejects them at first. You can also make soups for the family and puree some of it for the baby, as long as its not something spicy. Great pictures of your baby boy, by the way! He is so adorable! I love his eyes!
ReplyDeletewww.jadoreladolcevita.com
As soon as we had tested all the major food categories (one by one) and made sure there weren't allergy problems we gave our boys minced up bits of whatever we were having. I used a cafeteria tray with the little compartments and made sure to supply 2 healthy choices I knew they liked (i.e. cottage cheese and applesauce) and then little portions of everything else. If they didn't at least eat the familiar items, I figured they weren't hungry. They NEVER saw me get up and fix them a special meal and now at 8 and 11 they'll eat ANYTHING. Seriously: fish egg sushi? Snails? raw oysters? beets? bring it on. One of them even asks for seconds of salad. Feeding them at home is a pleasure and traveling is even better.
ReplyDeleteI fed bear everything that we ate with less seasonings, worked out great... he LOVES all sorts of food and has super mature taste buds, different cheeses and veggies...
ReplyDeleteThough I'm not an 8 month baby...but pork chops and egg yolks with salt sounds DELISH! Toby is growing up so fast!!! He' adorable :)
ReplyDeleteanything and everything! i never bothered with babyfood or the 'introducing one at a time' business.it seems odd to presuppose that there might be food allergies. i also made a point to not be bland. all three kids are very adventurous and hearty eaters. good luck!
ReplyDeleteEIGHT months?!? Toby is growing up so fast! I can't imagine how exciting it must be to watch his development as his mom and dad. (And that last photo is too precious!)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if this was mentioned but I bought the Beabacook / baby cook (sp?) - they sell it at Williams-Sonoma. Anyway, I use it to make all of my 11 mos. old food and have been since she was 6 mos. It's SUPER easy (this is coming from a 40+ hour working full time mom) plus you save so much money too. Seriously it's worth the money and it makes it so, so, simple to make the food. I use it at least twice a day and have yet to buy a single jar of baby food (honest). Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a mama, but I'm a speech therapist who works with littles ages 0-3 and feeding is my love. Alot of the comments above were just wonderful suggestions for new eaters. I personally love this book:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Feeding-Whole-Family-Recipes-Children/dp/0966034619/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297137836&sr=8-2-spell
It's really well written and gives ways to create mealtime experiences where baby gets to eat what mama and dad are eating. They also talk a bit about adding spices to baby's foods, not salt but encouraging their palate from a young age.
My top foods for new baby foods:
soft steamed carrots, sweet potatoes, squash.
smashed avocado, bananas, boiled pears and apples.
when he's a little older and getting munching down a bit-veggies sticks (consistency of cheetos but better, melts in the mouth), soft crackers to gnaw on.
And you are on the right track with letting him teeth on tasty things he can't get a bite off, lets him develop chewing skills and gets tastes, but no choking (beef jerkey, pork chops, HARD licorice, big carrot sticks-obviously under supervision.
Stay away from peanut butter, honey and eggs under age one, one word. allergies.
Biggest thing is follow your gut with you babe, you know him best and just trust what you feel safe giving him and what HE can handle, all babies are different and you're his mama.
Also, remember it takes up to 10 times for a little to try a food before they might like it. Goes back to our instinct. And if he sees YOU eat it, he'll want it. Another instinct. "If mama eats it, it must not be poison...."
Have fun with feeding, it creates a lifetime love of food and mealtimes, which we are wired to do. Look how much of our culture revolves around food and meals.
Megan :)
I made my own baby food for my son, he is now 21 months old and continues to eat whole foods. I followed the Super Baby Foods book by Ruth Yaron, loved it and would highly recommend this to you. For example, I made my own oatmeal by grinding the oats in a coffee grinder. Also, pureed a ton of food, pears, avocado, peaches, mango, bananas, butternut squash, sweeet potatoes and slowly introduced more foods depending on what was suggested in the book. Eventually added flax seed, tofu, and other foods I wouldn't have thought of trying with him. He is a super healthy kid! Hope this helps, Jennifer
ReplyDeleteHe's just the cutest baby!!! Good luck with the baby food. Wish I had some advice.
ReplyDeleteMy son, Alex, is a few days shy of 7 months and we are also doing Baby Led Weaning from the book by Gill Rapley. Alex LOVES strips of thinly sliced steak (good for teething) and oven baked sweet potato "fries." We are introducing new things very slowly because of allergies in our family, but the approach really works. He has developed so much hand-eye coordination by playing with his food instead of being force-fed mush. He loves mealtime.
ReplyDeleteToby is so adorable and I love following him since Alex is right behind him. It's so fun seeing what we have to look forward to!
I didn't have time to read all the comments, but I can highly recommend the book Super Baby Food. It is a wonderful resource! I would also recommend ditching the jarred baby food and making your own (which the book is wonderful for!).
ReplyDeleteIt's so easy...just steam, puree, and freeze in ice cube trays. Then you can just defrost a cube or two as needed. You don't need any fancy equipment, just a pan, a blender or food processor and ice cube trays.
Just don't freak out if he rejects a food initially. Just calmly offer it again another time. My almost 6 year old is an awesome eater, and my almost 3 year old does just fine, too. I attribute it to the fact that they ate real, non-processed food from the beginning and learned to appreciate the real flavors.
i feel you about the baby food jars. i didn't give my Byrd on single one.
ReplyDeletein he beginning, and still to this day, she loved avocado.
We never really gave our daughter 'baby food'. By one year old she was eating almost everything we were eating. You might be surprised what you can feed a baby... meaning, try anything!
ReplyDeletethere are these fruit nets: http://www.amazon.com/Nuby-5361-2-Pack-Nibbler/dp/B000WMV0XW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1297142397&sr=1-1
ReplyDeletethat my daughter absolutely loved. its good for teething babies. you just put a chunk of fruit in there and they chew and it mashes right through the netting!
Gosh, he's getting cuter and cuter!
ReplyDeleteOh Toby, why are you the cutest baby ever? So sweet.
ReplyDeleteJoanna, my friend used to give her babe smoothies. Then you could both have a delicious healthy snack. he went nuts for them. :)
such a happy baby! and i love the high chair kinda thingy you've got there.
ReplyDeleteAs a nutritionist, mother and Eastern Medicine practitioner I am very passionate about this subject. :) A Babies digestive system is so new and is SO important to feed your baby certain foods, as you probably know... Foods to avoid for first few years- wheat/gluten, cows milk dairy (except goat products), soy and of course sugar. These are all too hard on their little bodies to breakdown and have the potential to cause allergies in the future, digestive issues, and more.
ReplyDeleteSquashes are a great food full of nutrients and easy on the digestive system, fruit smoothies with spirulina added and some flax oil, my son loved banana and tahini mashed together (seeds can be eaten at 8 months.) Cucumber and apple mixed together is tasty too! I also used a hand mixer called kidco. When I ate soup or whatever I was eating as long as it was approptiate for his age, I would put the food in there and mix it up, so easy. I can't remember how old Toby is? But I hope this helps! Thanks for your great blog!
Vanesza