Tag Archives: baby food

11/18/11

DIY Baby Food

 

Since Max began eating solid foods, I have made most of his baby food myself.  It was something that I wanted to do for nutritional reasons, but I also found that it was less expensive, arguably just as convenient, and enjoyable to do as well.

 

If you look at Gerber products made for infants, you’ll notice the ingredient list is minimal.  For example, when I looked at a jar of Gerber peas, the ingredient list read:  Peas, Water. 

 

That’s when I realized I could do it myself!! Peas mixed with water? How hard can that be?  Same with the carrot jars:  Carrots, Water……. and the banana jar:  You guessed it, bananas and water.

 

When he first started eating solids (6 months) the food was incredibly easy to make myself.  The only thing I did purchase was organic rice cereal.  I still purchase the organic oatmeal cereal made for babies, but other than that, most of what he eats doesn’t come from jars or boxes, but simply from whatever we pick up in the produce, meat, or dairy sections of our local grocery.

 

Here are some good foods that were easy to make for the first few weeks:

Mashed bananas

Peas

Carrots

Applesauce

Pears

Butternut squash

 

Making purees is very simple.  The only equipment I purchased was Ziploc bags, an ice tray and a Magic Bullet.  They also make a Baby Magic Bullet for $10 more.

 

 

Whatever the fruit or veggie, I simply cooked it until it was soft, then blended until it was the appropriate consistency.  The more veteran an eater he became, the thicker and chunkier I made his food.  To puree the fruit or veggie, it is recommended that you add either breastmilk, formula, or the water you used to cook the food (the water itself contains many of the nutrients the veggie or fruit lost during the cooking process.)

 

I cooked most of his meals in bulk, which I highly recommend.  If not, it becomes exhausting to cook, puree, and serve a different veggie or fruit 3 times a day. 

 

I would make applesauce, for example, in bulk.  I would keep a small serving for his consumption that day, then I would freeze the rest in tiny ice trays.  I would then simply bag the frozen cubes in a Ziploc bag, date it, and serve at a later date.  Freezing his food worked great.  It allowed me to be able to serve him a variety of food in just one day, by mixing different fruits and veggies that were already frozen.

 

Also, it’s great for being on the go.  If I knew we were having lunch away from home, I would put a few cubes of frozen food in a bowl, stick it in the diaper bag with a spoon, and by the time he was ready to eat, the food would be thawed and ready.

 

Max was a great eater.  There is nothing I’ve given him that he hasn’t tried and enjoyed.  Thus, I tried to introduce him to a variety of other veggies and fruits during his first few months, including:

 

Parsnips

Potatoes

Quinoa

Avacado

Asparagus

Broccoli

Cucumber

Corn

 

Around 7-8 months, we started more “finger foods.”  Here, the eating process became not only messier, but a little more complicated to cook, as I began mixing ingredients and textures.  We introduced beans, beef, chicken, fish, and egg yolks (talk with your pediatrician first about the eggs.)

 

At 9 months we introduced dairy such as cheese and yogurt.  As recommended by the dietitian, we opt for organic when we can.  (Read more about what our Registered Dietitian suggests.)

 

Making his food myself has proved to be worth any extra effort it brings.  In fact, sometimes it is easier because I am able to simply mash up whatever we are having for dinner and serve it to him as well.  As his taste matures and the allowable list of foods grow, I am looking forward to setting our family up with a night time dinner routine, eating altogether.

 

 

 

11/16/11

Tips from the Pediatric Registered Dietitian

Today we met with a Pediatric Registered Dietitian to discuss Max’s diet.  It was one of the more informative sessions I’ve had with a health care professional, and I’d love to share some of the great ideas and tips she gave us regarding nutrition for babies and toddlers.

 

We met with her simply because Max did not gain any weight from his 6 month to 9 month check up.  We weren’t too concerned, but because he is still breastfeeding, and eats like a champ, we were worried that we can still tickle those cute little ribs when he’s nakie.  Being first time parents, we just wanted to ensure that it was due to the more probable causes for a drop off in weight (such as genetics, becoming more mobile and active, etc.) rather than anything atypical that we should be concerned with. 

 

The nutritionist confirmed that Max was eating very healthy, and that his drop off of weight is common among breastfed children his age.

 

Here are some good tips she gave that I wanted to share!

 

-For his age (10 months) kids should get 3 meals per day, 2 snacks, and 3-5 breastfeedings.

 

-If breastfeed, he should be receiving a Vitamin D supplement, such as Enfamil D-Vi-Sol Vitamin D Supplement Drops.  Very little Vitamin D passes through breastmilk, and it’s difficult to find in foods.  Foods such as egg yolks, salmon, and milk contain Vitamin D, but not in high enough amounts.

 

-When I asked about Organics, she highly recommended it.  She says if you can afford it, you should definitely consider it.  Going organic is most important, she said, for dairy and meat.  Likewise, we should be looking for locally grown produce and meat.  She also recommended reviewing the “Dirty Dozen,” which is a list of which fruits and veggies are more important than others to buy organic.  Berries, apples, and pears, are three she recommended Organic.

 

- I learned from her that his iron meals (ie, meat) shouldn’t be given at the same time as his calcium rich foods (cheese, etc.)  She said the iron and calcium will compete for absorption, and the calcium will win. 

 

-For “good” fatty foods, she recommended avocados, olives, yogurt, egg yolks, and beans.  Also, if no food allergies are present, crushed up almonds and walnuts are a good source of additional fat.

 

-Sippy cup:  Max is having issues with learning to use the Sippy Cup.  He plays with it, but doesn’t drink from it.   She recommended staying consistent and offering the cup at each meal, until eventually, they will begin to become interested in it.

 

-Snacks:  She feels (and I kind of do, too) that most of the Gerber stuff is nothing other than glorified sugar, setting up our kids for future junk-food-like-cravings.  Better snack options she mentioned were Cherrios, fruits, organic yogurt puffs with live culture, and rice crackers.

 

Etc:  I told her Max would keep eating for as long as I put food on his tray.  I never know when to stop feeding him.  She said to let him dictate when he is “full” and when he wants “more.”  When he starts to become distracted, slows his eating down, or shows disinterest, it’s time to put the food away.  Until then, I should feel comfortable giving him additional servings.

 

Hope her tips help you and your family grow healthy!! She also mentioned setting by example, as Max gets older.  This is something we are working on in our own family, changing the adults’ eating habits along with the kids! (It’s much harder to feed myself well than it is to make Max do it!!)

Enfamil D-Vi-Sol Vitamin D Supplement Drops

11/13/11

Product Review: Healthy Eating for Kids Cookbook

 

 

Since Max began eating solids, I have made all of his baby food.  This was something (like breastfeeding) that I did not only because there are health benefits associated with it, but because I also enjoyed the process of doing it.  There should be no mommy guilt if you are too busy, or have no interest in making your own baby food!  Baby will grow up fine and healthy on Gerber, just as much as the DIY foods.

 

Many times, I take whatever we have for dinner as adults, and cut it up into little pieces appropriate for Max.  But it’s difficult finding recipes that suite the whole family.

 

So when Stonham House Publishing offered me a free E-book, Healthy Eating for Kids (in exchange for writing this review) I was thrilled with the trade-off.  I was looking forward to getting some new ideas for  healthy, fun, and easy recipes.

 

I should not have been so thrilled.

 

There were a few good recipes in this book, but not enough originality or creativity to justify purchasing a copy.  Many of their ideas were main-stream, such as “Ants on a Log,” which is nothing other than raisins on celery sticks with peanut butter.  An ancient idea Mom’s have been using for years as a way to “dress up” a vegetable, protein, and fruit.

 

For a “Healthy” eating book, I was surprised to notice no mention of the nutritional details of each meal.  Sure, they’d mention that oranges are good, because oranges have Vitamin C (duh) but never outlined on a nuritional chart the daily percentages of vitamins, calories, fats, etc. contained in each meal.  That information would have been helpful.

 

Also, many of the snack ideas were meant for kids to help with in the kitchen.  Cooking together is a great way to get a child involved in the family’s meals.  But the book contained no pictures of the process or final product. 

 

A cook book with no pictures?  I personally like to see pictures to encourage and visualize a beautiful end product. This is especially important for children, who tend to be much more visual learners.

 

Lastly, I even found grammatical and spelling errors, which made the E-book unprofessional and sloppy.

 

Overall, I would not recommend this book.

 

Thank you for the opportunity to allow me to review your product. 

 

 

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