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#1
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Food and our 9 month old
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!! |
#2
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Food and our 9 month old
meatnub wrote:
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? Eat the rest of it yourself--it's good for you ;-) Also - can he eat eggs? As in scrambled eggs? (we love scrambled eggs) Egg whites are not uncommon allergens, so some suggest waiting until a year to introduce them. If you choose to do that, it doesn't do any good if you're feeding him egg in other foods. The yolk is less likely to be a problem than the whites. 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? You'll just have to feel your way through that with him. How able he is to satisfy his nutritional needs via self feeding will depend on a lot of factors. At this age, his main nutrition should still be coming from breastmilk (or formula), so the food is more for fun and experimentation. It won't be that long, however, before he's getting the bulk of his nutrition from solids. By that point, you'll need to be more concerned with whether he's getting a well balanced diet from solids. By then, however, he should be a pro at self feeding. Best wishes, Ericka |
#3
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Food and our 9 month old
"meatnub" wrote in message ... 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. Freeze it in "splats" and then defrost it when needed. You can do as much as you can store then. 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. I eat the spare fruit-if #1 or #2 doesn't get it first. He might eat a whole one anyway. #1 would eat a whole banana by 6 months! 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) If you're low on allergies/asthma/excema in the family you can, but make sure it's fully cooked. #1 loved scrambled egg at that age. It's not recommended if theres possibilities of allergies. 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? With #1 I gave her the food from a spoon then gave her a few pieces of finger food to play/eat afterwards, except breakfast where she sat in the high chair for about an hour and ate while I got on with housework. She usually ate a good breakfast by herslef, but slowly. (she still eats slowly so it may be just her) #2 wouldn't put up with being fed, so did it all herself from when she started weaning. #3 (8 months) prefers finger food which was how I started weaning him. But he now doesn't get enough food entirely feeding himslef because he gets too interested in playing, so I give him some spoon food first. Debbie |
#4
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Food and our 9 month old
On Mon, 3 Mar 2008 10:57:54 -0800 (PST), meatnub wrote:
The first question I have is what to do about fruit? How do you store it without it going spoiled/rotten? Fruit is easy, especially bananas. I just peel them as they eat them. Buy smaller bananas, if he can't eat a whole one himself, or finish it off yourself. |
#5
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Food and our 9 month old
"meatnub" wrote in message
... 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. The best thing I ever did regarding baby food was to freeze foods in ice cube trays, and then dump the whole tray into ziploc freezer bags. By this age though I guess you're giving him solid fruits, not mushed up ones, and those will last in the fridge in a baggie for a few days. You can do things like cut a whole apple into baby-size chunks and keep it in a bowl. That way you're not having to chop and cut everytime you want to feed it to him. 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? If you have the time, let him feed himself until he's done. (spaghetti is always fun! but strip the baby *before* putting him in the high chair) When you don't have the time, sprinkle some food-chunks on his high-chair tray so that he can feed himself as you're feeding him also. I also put a baby-spoon and fork on the tray so my babies could get used to them. You'll figure this kind of thing out with time, your son will show you what he wants and the rest will occur to you. Marie |
#6
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Food and our 9 month old
In article
, meatnub wrote: 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. I suggest you take the opportunity to move the entire family to a more healthy eating style. Regularity of meals does wonders for children's tempers (not so obvious with a baby but very obvious with a 3yo!). It is better for you adults as well. 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? Eat it yourself (I assume you are NOT normally managing your two pieces of fruit a day?). Store fruit whole, not cut. 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. That's what I'd do with rockmelon or other things we can't eat at a sitting -- but children have a very good appetite for fruit! We are trying to stay away from the canned fruit with all the added sugar. Can't you get canned fruit in natural juice? It's very widely available here. We have it with our breakfast cereal to increase *our* fruit intake :-) Also - can he eat eggs? As in scrambled eggs? (we love scrambled eggs) Check that one with your doctor; there are different ideas in different places. 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? You have the wrong approach. Finger food is stuff that is held in the hands and chewed on; you can't spoon-feed it anyway. But try not to take over from your boy. You want him to grow up confident to try new things and to do things himself. Start now, with food. Put a few things down on his high chair: a noodle, strip of cooked carrot, just a few things from your plates. Then let him feed himself. When he finishes something, give him another piece, and keep going until he's had the chance to try most things on your plate and seems not to want more. This method minimises mess as he won't have the chance to throw a whole bowlful of noodles onto the floor. Remember: there isn't much that is more important than good nutrition, so take time to enjoy eating together as much as you can. It also helps with modelling table manners. -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/ |
#7
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Food and our 9 month old
On Mar 3, 1:57�pm, meatnub 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! |
#8
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Food and our 9 month old
On Mar 3, 11:46�pm, "MarieD" wrote:
"meatnub" wrote in message ... 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. The best thing I ever did regarding baby food was to freeze foods in ice cube trays, and then dump the whole tray into ziploc freezer bags. By this age though I guess you're giving him solid fruits, not mushed up ones, and those will last in the fridge in a baggie for a few days. You can do things like cut a whole apple into baby-size chunks and keep it in a bowl. That way you're not having to chop and cut everytime you want to feed it to him. 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? If you have the time, let him feed himself until he's done. (spaghetti is always fun! but strip the baby *before* putting him in the high chair) When you don't have the time, sprinkle some food-chunks on his high-chair tray so that he can feed himself as you're feeding him also. I also put a baby-spoon and fork on the tray so my babies could get used to them. You'll figure this kind of thing out with time, your son will show you what he wants and the rest will occur to you. Marie Or if you live in a cold state, like I do, where stripping your baby for tomato-based foods is not an option, get a 3-pack of baby-Ts that are designated for staining purposes. lol. |
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