Re: Food and our 9 month old
- From: Chris <chrissypete2@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2008 23:34:11 -0800 (PST)
On Mar 3, 1:57�pm, meatnub <meat...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
We're about to make the break from Stage 2 foods that you buy in the
containers to cooking our own (veggies, chicken, rice, toast, etc.)
and letting him finger food feed himself and/or spoon feed him as
well. But getting him into chewing and away from the puree stuff and
letting him explore textures and the whole growing up bit ; )
We have a game plan - buy some chicken, beef, noodles, veggies, etc
and cook it all and store it for the week and just reheat it via
microwave for �breakfast/dinner and give him some to take with him to
daycare as well. As well as pancakes too. We don't always eat dinner/
breakfast so in case you're wondering why we don't just cook every
morning/night. Plus we both work full time jobs.
This is our first child and we're just starting out so we're giving it
our best shot.
The first question I have is what to do about fruit? How do you store
it without it going spoiled/rotten? For instance, if we cut some
banana or plum up for him, he's not going to eat a whole plum/banana
at once. So what do you do? I guess i'm looking for suggestions in the
fruit department ; ) Do you seran wrap the left over fruit and put it
in a tupperware container and store it in the fridge? that's the only
thing i can think of.
We are trying to stay away from the canned fruit with all the added
sugar.
Also - can he eat eggs? As in scrambled eggs? (we love scrambled eggs)
When you let him feed himself, do you just let him finger feed himself
until he's full? No matter how long it takes? Or in the beginning let
him finger feed himself a little then spoonfed the rest of the way if
its taking too long?
thanks!!
I don't believe anything should be eaten after being stored for a
whole week in the fridge. I was taught that 3 days would be the rule
of thumb for tossing something.
IMO, now is the time to get used to cooking. It's been my experience
that kids develop a taste for what they are used to, and before you
know it, you could very well have a child who doesn't like the taste
of leftovers or reheated foods once fresh-tasting items are served up.
There are many things that can be FROZEN for future use, but constant
microwaving alters some foods questionably.
I fed my children eggs prior to a year, but we didn't have any food
allergies in our family history.
He is still under a year old, so finger-feeding himself to master the
fine motor skill it takes is a good idea. The issue isn't how much he
eats of things because babies are supposed to get the majority of
their nutrients from breastmilk or formula. Solids really introduce
them to new tastes and textures and are for experimentation/learning,
etc.
You can freeze fruits and vegetables, and the length of time varies
based upon the item and method of storage. For example, something like
FoodSaver bags lengthen the duration of storage, but items like
broccoli produce gases and don't store well in anything.
I have to question why you can't just send a whole pear into daycare
so the provider can chop it up appropriately and serve it up, or even
grapes to be sliced up by the provider, etc. When I bought more
expensive fruits, such as mango, I would chop them up and seal them
with my FoodSaver system and store in the freezer. Vegetables only
take minutes to steam or cook into an appropriate texture/firmness for
a baby.
We let our babies feed themselves what they could, but since they
hadn't mastered the art of utilizing their utensils, we would also
often spoon- / fork-feed them as well.
Basically, anything that you are able to squish against the roof of
your mouth with your tongue or in between your lip-covered teeth (to
mimic gums), is fine for baby to feed himself with supervision. You
will be able to judge where baby can go from there as far as advancing
what is offered, such as soft meats, etc.
I know it seems hectic right now, being your first and all, but trust
me, once you have the second, you realize how much time you really had
to tend to these things with the first and how little you have now,
and well, then when you have the third, you appreciate how much time
you actually had with the other 2 that you didn't even realize you
had. The whole thing is cruel that way - speaking in retrospect here.
lol.
Most of us started off using jarred foods before we became more
accustomed to cooking/domesticated, etc. lol.
You can boil all sorts of veggies in a snap--brocooli, cauliflower,
grean beans, all sorts of beans, lentils, thin asparagus, squash,
yellow summer squash and green zucchini, etc. Sweet potatoes and peas,
etc. You can follow the jarred baby food manufacturers lead on what
they jarred to get you started and then expand on that from there. All
of these things can be cooked first and then frozen in individual
portion sizes. Most fruits don't keep well due to browning, and the
lemon that stops that can turn off most babies. The daycare provider
shouldn't think twice about peeling and slicing/cubing up an apple or
a pear, etc. Things like seedless watermelon, seedless grapes,
blueberries, raspberries, pitted cherries, oranges, mango, etc. travel
fine and can be stored in the fridge for a period of time too.
Wholesomebabyfood.com might help you out some. There are many other
things to get baby used to the gumming/chewing practices, such as
Cheerios, which are very low in sugar, Gerber puffs, and the stores
have some organic brands of thing to try too.
For breakfast, after formula or breastmilk, baby can be fed oatmeals,
fruits, yogurts, toast cut up, bagels, etc. Baby doesn't have to eat
at the same time you do either, although eating as a family is best
whenever possible. If he needs to eat by you in his chair as you are
preparing things in the kitchen getting ready for the next day is fine
too. These "meals" shouldn't replace his breastmilk or formula. You
can look up online or ask your pediatrician how much of either of
those he should still be getting each day for optimal nutrition.
Good luck. I think self-feeding is a fun time - messy, but fun!
.
- References:
- Food and our 9 month old
- From: meatnub
- Food and our 9 month old
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