Hi I need some help on what to give my 7 mth old, im a bit confused help

[nenee]

Hi
Iv been doing great at getting my lo onto all kinds of veg and fruits but now I need ideas on meats and tomato dishes as i have not tried him on these as im a bit of a wimp.  Will he be ok to have onions, tomatoes, garlic pasta etc and meats? iv tried him with chicken but what recipes can i do as all run out of ideas i want him to eat lamb and beef and there are recipes for bologneses but im so un sure as to can he cope with onions and garlic and tomatoes?  I need some reassurance I guess and some basic meat recipes.  Iv heard i can use passata tomato sauce to make a bolognese.  I want him to try as much as possible so he is not a picky eater but im concerned they will upset his tummy, help!!!

[Freya'sMum]

Sorry Nenee, I must've missed this post yesterday when doing my daily checks - forgive me!

Firstly to say that there is no rush to progress your lo onto eating complex combinations of foods, such as elaborate bolognases, for many months yet. Milk is his primary food until at least 9 months, so you can continue to offer him what you might consider to be dull and repetitive 'meals' for a bit longer yet!

At 7 months, if you haven't already, you can offer ds finger foods, this can be a good way to introduce new flavours and textures, eg pasta twists in a plain tomato sauce, then in a tomato and onion sauce, then tomato, onion and garlic, then tomato, onion, garlic and basil, then tomato, onion, garlic, basil and ground beef - introducing new foods one at a time as always, to ensure you have the maximum opportunity to spot reactions and discomfort.

Another meaty finger food that is good for younger babies (with no teeth!) is my homemade sausage recipe (adapted from Annabel Karmel), great for all the family...

...food process a peeled and cored eating apple, squeeze out excess juice, put back in food processor with 2 chicken breasts (or equivalent pork), 2 slices wholemeal bread, one onion, and a handful of fresh sage - blitz, shape into sausages (make them a size that ds can hold in his fist with some sticking out of the top to gnaw on), coat in a little flour, shallow fry in a little olive oil until cooked thru - oh so yummy!

For a lamb alternative, leave out the apple and sage, use fresh mint and garlic (2 cloves) instead!

Hope this gives you somewhere to start, check out the finger foods for young babies sticky too, some yummy muffin recipes in there:

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=95978.0

Ax

[nenee]

Hi there

thank you for your good advice.  Iv been following annabells recipes for my lo for the last few weeks now.  He has gone through all the veggies one by one and fruits except strawberries and citrus.  I then progressed to mixtures of sweet potato squash carrots etc, then iv only just introduced meat, where I started with chicken, then onto lamb, and I have tried him on cod too (hes not too fust even though its mixed with veggies and annabells cheese sauce!)  His typical day is as follows:

Breakfast:   Oat cereal with different fruits each day ie peach, banana, mango etc, or rice cereal with fruit on top.

mid morning:  snack of finger foods, so far organic wholemeal bread with either, banana, philadelphia, and a banana or organic apple rice crackers.  I will look to see other ideas for finger foods, so he does not get bored but he loves feeding himself, but most of it does end up on the floor bless!

Dinner:     Sweet potato medley (with carrot, squash, peas etc) followed by fruit OR  cauliflour/broccoli with potatoes in a cheese sauce followed by fruit (Im a bit stuck as to what else to give him for lunch as not tried him on tomato based or pasta ideas yet so a bit stuck for ideas?

Tea:   Fish pie(which is cod, veg and cheese sauce) OR Lamb casserole, chicken dinner

Everything is made by myself except the fruit just havent got the time etc but fruit is organic.

I just feel he will get bored and I have been told to introduce him to as many different flavours as possible so he does not become a fussy eater later on, and I feel his diet at 7 months is getting the same old thing.  Can I cook him wholemeal pasta with passata as a sauce to start but blend it first, then add garlic and mushrooms later on after hes use to the tomato taste without a reaction too?  Its lunch Im in a bit of a rut for ideas, any help on this matter would be helpful?

My health visitor said to give him toasted crumpets and bread with meat pastes, to give him extra iron and carbs, but when i looked at the ingredients there are loads of E numbers in them and I wont put that stuff into him, I cant believe they tell us to feed them this stuff??  Or is it me being too paranoid     

I started weaning(very slowly and only on rice cereal for ages)from 4 1/2 months as he was born nearly 10 lb, and was just hungry all the time, so now hes well advanced in the weaning stage for his age, but I still dont want to rush him either, thats why hes not had tomatoes or garlic etc.



Sorry Iv gone on and on but I want to get it right for him as nutrition at this stage of his development is essential.
cheers
 

[Freya'sMum]

Nenee,

Ds might have been on solid foods for 2.5 months, but at 7 months old what he really, really, really needs most still is milk! Baby milk, breast or formula has all the essential nutrients for babies, solid foods supplement this, providing extra vitamins and minerals, but it's the milk that has all the essential fats for brain and central nervous system development, and the calories for growth and energy!

You don't say what quantities ds is having, but 4 'meals' each day is a lot for a 7 month old, even one who's been eating solid foods since 4.5 months, although this doesn't form part of your question, may I enquire how much milk ds is taking in 24 hours?

You are obviously offering ds a healthy, balanced and varied diet which is great, but I'd encourage you not to overwhelm him. Whilst it's commendable that you want to expose him to a wide variety of different foods, he's only really little still, and has a whole lifetime of eating ahead of him.

It is not my place of course, to tell you what you should and shouldn't do, but I can offer you my experience...

...my two girls are not fussy eaters, will try anything at least once (and then decide if they like it or not), but do prefer a fairly consistent, and quite monotonous diet. They have cereal then fruit for breakfast, cheese/ham/egg, salad sticks, pesto pasta or a marmite sandwich for lunch, and white fish/salmon/lamb/beef/chicken/pork, potatos/rice/pasta and various seasonal veg for tea. They like their foods separate on the plate and not smothered in sauce (altho like to dip their piece in a blob of sauce on the side), so they don't like bolognases, curries, cheesy bakes, white sauce/gravy pies/casseroles etc, because they can't identify what they are eating, and I respect that preference, and they are not bored with it - honest!

I'm not surprised about the health visitor suggesting meat pastes, when dd#2 refused purees and a spoon I was told to offer her anything (yes anything!) that she's eat - chocolate pudding, cocktail sausages, quavers/skips/wotsits - but I did some research of my own and decided that there were other ways !

I don't know about the passata and pasta, but if you want to try ds on tomatoes, why not just skin and deseed a fresh one (score a cross in the top of the tomato, place in hot (boiled) water until it starts to peel back at the cross, then plunge into cold water, then peel when cool - I think!) and offer it to him in segments/chunks? I'm not aware of los having bad reactions to onions and garlic either, if cooked as part of a sauce, their flavour is quite mild, and just limit the quantity to avoid tummy discomfort - neither of my girls had any problems with them!

Dunno if this answers your question or not? but as for your last comment, about the right nutrition being important for his development, go back to my first comment about milk - it really is what he needs more than anything!

Ax

[nenee]

Hi there

Thanks for spending time with me on this subject I do appreciate it.  I should of mentioned the milk oops!!  I always offer him his milk feeds first and then just top him off with his solids (although he has 4 meals its only small amounts) after so he is filling up on milk first as his primarily source of nutrition.  My health visitor said he was not gaining weight as he should be, and to up his solids by introducing the snack time in the morning, and thats why he has his finger foods of bread etc to help him gain a little more.

 He has 4 bottles a day anything from 5 to 8 ozs at a feed then his solids, I make sure he gets his 20 ozs at least a day and he has started on the stage 3 cow and gate with extra iron and vit D.  I did breast feed until he was 3 months old but could not carry on due to difficulties so he has had the best start he can in life,(although i would of loved to carry on longer but not up to me)

He also has many drinks of cooled boiled water (no fruit juices) throughout the day too.  I will carry on with the same old, I sort of thought  I would do so but just wanted someone to tell me that giving him the same old foods is fine as i get mixed messages from health visitors (to be honest they are not very good on the old nutrition )

Hope this clears the mix up 
nenee

[kgmf123]

Nenee,

Gorgeous avatar!! He is growing loads!

I always offer him his milk feeds first and then just top him off with his solids

Sorry I've just gone on about that in my pm haven't I  - didn't realise you were doing that.

If it is any consolation you son looks a glowing picture of health!

((Hugs))
Kat xxx

[nenee]

Hi there

Im going to atempt to make the potato cake recipe and I was just checking if they freeze well so I could make a good batch, then defrost ove night and then toast for his mid morning snack?  Also  Hes having his breakfast at 7 ish then finger foods at 9 ish, then his dinner at 11 ish and a bottle at 2 pm only about 4 ozs then his tea with bottle at 4 ish then bottle for bed at 6 ish, Is it quite normal for babies who are nearly 8 months to have snacks in between as my health visitor said to do so and annabel karmel books say to give snacks in between too?  He seems to be thriving on it and sleeping from 7 pm to 6 to 7 am every night now as before he was waking from 4 to 5 aM due to no snacks etc and also he was not gaining as mch as he should. 

cheers
nenee

[Aly Mac]

Hi Nenee,

Just read this and wanted to post some encouragement for you.  I always think that L is bored with the food I give her as I don't want to give any additives etc, but what she loves one day, she won't eat the next!  Really, keep it simple so she can taste the flavours. When you look at your own diet, you would be surprised how dull and repetitive it is most of the time...

Some ideas, if he likes finger foods and you don't mind cooking, how about some tortellini?  L loves this - she can pick it up in her fingers and chomp away.  The meat is tender inside because it's cooked.  cheese on toast is another big hit in our house at the mo. Hommous on toast is good too.

Good luck!

[nenee]

hi cheers for the ideas will do cheese on toast etc, and im going to sound dumb now but wat is torterllini and where do i get it??  also do you know if the [potato cakes freeze ok?  also i read oat cakes and whole meal muffins are a good choice too, i like you dont give any foods with addictives etc all home made and organic where poss, give him a good start in life.
cheers
nenee

[Aly Mac]

i like you dont give any foods with addictives etc all home made and organic where poss, give him a good start in life.

I figure while I have the time to cook I will.  She has the rest of her life to eat cr@p!!!

Not sure about freezing the potato cakes.  They might break up on thawing due to the moisture.

Tortelinni, here's a picture http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/9838/tortellini+with+peas+tomato+salami  It's pasta that you put normally veal inside and boil.  you can buy some pretty good ready made stuff at most supermarkets. Alot have minimal additives, you just have to look.

Mini quiches are easy to do, and easy to freeze.  I posted some recipes on the thread that Freya's mom put up for you.   I follow baby-led weaning, hence my choices for L are usually what I eat, and easily picked up, but she is older than your lo.

hth

[nenee]

Hi

cheers for that cant believe I didnt know that ive eaten them many times   I think once he gets near 9 months Il be a bit more adventurous, hes trying my home made bolognese tomorrow, with minature pasta shells so will see how he gets on with that.  I love the feeling I get knowing exactly whats in his food and seeing him wolf it down knowing its all my good work.  The tortellini looks nice though will check it out for sure.
nenee

[EllenS]

Good Lord!  My lo is 7 months and we haven't even got through all the veggies & fruits yet!  But then again, we did not start till her 6 mo bday and are doing each one for 3-4 days...

[nenee]

Yes every baby is different thats for sure and my lo born nearly 10 lb and was already the size of a 8 week old at birth plus he was nearly 2 wks overdue!  So no baby the same, iv only just started him on meat recently and he loves it, I kept him on a bland diet of plain rice cereal for quite a while, then like you introduced one veg at a time over a 3 day period, and I'm now at the stage where I can make recipes from the food groups hes fine with.  There was no way my lo could of waited till 6 months as he was not gaining weight and I was told by my health visitor to feed him more foods such as bread etc which he was not having! Just goes to show the rules on weaning are far from the norm!

Since uping his intake of solids as advised, his naps are much longer and he now sleeps from 7 pm straight threw till 7 am, which is fantastic. I was having problems with him having 30 min naps and waking at 4 am until I increased his solids, now hes a contented well rested little fella, so following the guidelines would of made him a very unhappy chappy to say the least and an underweight one to!

Cant believe hes nearly 8 months it just flies by thats for sure, just trying him with the sippy cup but hes not liking that so that will be a gradual thing Im sure

[Aly Mac]

Sounds like you are on the right track there Nenee.  keep perserving with the sippy cup, it takes time......

[nenee]

Thank you, Im trying to do my best not always easy though

with regards to sippy up is it best to use the tops or just go without the top, whats the best way as i have baught a few now nd he hates the tops on them 
nenee

[Aly Mac]

You kind of have to find the top they they like, but your DS may be a little young yet, so just offer it at each meal for now.  then if he has problem getting water out, change it.  Take the little flow regulator out, I find them too hard when they are little.

I actually dont give L a sippy. I hold the cup for her and let her drink that way.  It works for us, though independant drinking will take longer.  I was advised as L was biting me and the LC thought that the sippy was confusing her as she bites the sippy bit (and hence thought it was ok to bite me  ).  It' working well so far, a little messy, but she is drinking more and more each day.

[nenee]

Hi

My ds actually drank ok from thesippy cup with the spout this morning so hes getting there, I have been giving him a drink without the top too, you are right that i just have to keep giving it to him until he learns it all takes time and hes getting there bless him
cheers
nenee