two questions - using spices and when to start cheerios?

[jakobsmom]

Just a few questions, DS will be 7 months next week and he has been on solids for almost 2 months.  I have to make up some more pear puree and would like to add a touch of cinnamon, is this ok at this age.  I keep finding different info. when doing research.....

Also, when do you start giving your LOs cheerios and other small finger foods.  I would like to start a more BLW approach but must admit I am a little nervous about chocking.

Oh sorry, and another question when did you start meats?  My GP gave me very conflicting info. she said not until 8 months 'because they don't like the texture' and told me to follow a book that she gave me.  The book says to start with meats at 6 months.....

[greenteamomma]

I personally think that cinnamon is to be treated like hot peppers.  I think it has the same type of stimulating effect (don't quote me) that hot peppers do, they aren't a flavor but stimulate your taste buds kind of thing.  We've only started with my son and he is 2.  He loved it before but around his mouth where food touched you could see it was irritated and red.  We just decided to wait.  He eats spicy foods now, believe me, but he can speak and express his discomfort etc now so I feel more comfortable, IMO.  You could try to mix in other fruit, like peach or nectarine or mix it with some veggies. 

You can give cheerios when you feel comfortable.  I gave them for practice around 7 months.  They melt and swallowed won't cause choking as they are so small.  Remember also that the gag reflex is in the middle of the tongue at that age and gagging and choking are different.  Having a cheerio tickle his tongue might cause him to gag at first.  You could probably see it if you look in.  Let him gag to your confort level, its a learning experience for him. 

this site has alot of great ideas and a table we used for timing on food.  It
http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/

[jess, lukeys_mom]

I think I started with cinnammon with both kids around 1yo or so with their oatmeal. I do agree with pp that it is a spice that has a general warming effect although I did not ever notice any irritation in our case. I would think that as you are still weaning, he probably doesn't need any seasonings/spices just yet as he's just getting used to the tastes, kwim?

In general with spices, I waited till about 1 year to cook with them since so many spices are based on seeds. Where we live seeds and nuts are recommended after 1yo so that's when we pretty much did anything goes, except for hot spices. I remember cooking very mild Indian baby food for them containing coriander and a little cumin after they turned about 1.

Cheerios we did from about 8 months or as soon as they were able to really pick up small foods and eat them.

[creations]

The book says to start with meats at 6 months.....

Hello.  In the UK the guidelines for the 'traditional' method (puree then lumpy) is the start with very smooth at 6 months for 1 -2 wks. At wks 3-4 lumpier , less blended, less mashed, introduce soft meats (like chicken), fish (check for bones) and cereals (bread rice pasta), also to start on finger foods.  It is a very rapid progression from smooth puree to lumps and finger food and by 10 months LO to be eating family meals (poss cut up for them).

Having said that, no one seems to follow the guidelines, lots of people start much earlier and keep the puree going for far far longer.  I'm doing a sort of BLW approach (my own variation I think!) but some of his food is sloppy (like porridge, houmous) and some of it is finger foods which can be picked up (baked apple wedges which are sort of hard enough to keep its shape and be picked up but the apple is soft inside, same with potato wedges which are kind of like mash inside).  Have also tried rice cake (baby ones so they don't have the salt of the regular adult ones) and a few other things.

[Lemonthyme]

Cinnamon should be fine at this age.  I would include it.

I started feeding my son stronger spices probably around 8 months.  I gave this just before 9 months:

http://mamacook.blogspot.com/2011/02/dahl-getting-braver-with-lumps-and.html

And I recently came up with a chicken curry recipe that I wished I'd tried earlier because he loved it (we're having some from the freezer for his lunch actually.)

http://mamacook.blogspot.com/2011/06/chicken-curry-for-babies-or-toddlers.html

[creations]

chicken curry recipe

I made a lovely curry chicken cous cous on a weaning course.  It used curry powder and having looked at my pack of curry powder I see there is no salt in it where as the curry paste (as per the recipe lemonthyme posted) does have salt.  It is probably such a small amount of salt that it wouldn't matter but just thought I'd mention that the powder has none in it if you are avoiding salt.

[Lemonthyme]

Oh, sorry, good point.  As with the dahl you could use garam masala which is normally salt free or a mild curry powder.  Just cook it out in some unsalted butter or oil first if you use curry powder.

On Cheerios, they contain a surprising amount of sugar btw.  The first finger food cereal we used was shreddies but again this was much older because they contain sugar too although they do go pretty soggy if you leave them long enough so choking shouldn't be an issue.

Meat I started at 6 months but I traditionally weaned so I pureed it with vegetables I'd cooked it with.  If you do want to do BLW might be worth stewing meat so it goes really soft?

[jakobsmom]

Thanks so much for the info!  I made two batches of pears one with and one without cinnamon.  I am going to introduce him to apricots first, then think I will try the pears with cinnamon.  He is starting to get a bit bored with his food and I have been mixing new combos, but think that it is time for something new.  I will also try introducing some meat as well.

I have been keeping my eye out for no-name cheerios without the sugar.  I found some at our health food store but they contained nuts and soy, so my search continues! 

I am thinking that I will do baked chicken then puree with sweet pot and peas maybe???

[~inbalance~]

IMHO, I think a lot of this stuff has to do with your own opinions and comfort levels.  If you were to read a traditional weaning book they might tell you one thing, but BLW tells you something different.  A doctor will give different advice than a nutritionist or a naturopath. 

I think introducing a little bit of spices is fine.  With meats, the guidelines here are from 6mos but I have heard from some sources to wait until closer to a year because they can be harder to digest.  I think I did somewhere in the 9mo range for both of my boys.

We did cheerios from 7mos on with both boys. 

[Lemonthyme]

I've also read sources encouraging them from 6 months as meat is a very good and very absorbable source of iron. 

If you're going to go down the traditional weaning route, I would cook the chicken with the vegetables in some water, it's then softer and will puree more easily.  I think I used to do something along the lines of Annabel Karmel's one pot chicken, basically onion softened in unsalted butter then add veg, e.g. sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots and some thyme / parsley or both and chunks of chopped up chicken.  Add water or very low salt stock and simmer until everything is cooked.  Puree.

[Lemonthyme]

Oh I forgot, I added nutmeg to spinach pasta from about 8 months I think.  I never gave it to him without so I can't say whether or not he 'preferred' it but now at 14 months I've made the same recipe (with adult pasta) and he just ate the biggest portion of food I've ever seen him eat!