Weaning on to fish and meat

[RosieMum]

I know I'm a fretful one and worry like it's an olympic sport but when have you weaned your LO's onto fish and meat. Rose is now 36 weeks and I still can't bring myself to give her fish and meat and I know I should. I'm not even a vegetarian myself, I just hate the idea of it. It's almost as if meat is a 'dirty' food! Has anyone else felt like that? I know that when I will I'm going to use an organic free-range butcher across the city, I really can't bear the thought of feeding her the rubbish in the supermarkets... <fret, fret...> xx

[mcruari]

Don't fret!! It's probably more the fact that she is becoming just that little bit older and will be eating like 'us' soon that also worries you. I am a vegetarian but fully believe in giving my DD everything that is available and not limiting her choices/tastes. I started giving her baby pureed meat at 5mths as I had to get her weaned before I went back to work at 6mths. Although I'd love her to be eating salad (highly unlikely) and pulse soups and cauliflower cheese etc - she is not interested. She loves meat. She would eat it day and night. I do however buy my(her) meat at a local butchers who I have known for a long time and who knows and chooses where he gets his meats from. The fish I give her is usually frozen as I tend to trust that more than fresh fish as I don't really know what to be looking for in fresh fish

HTH

Sinead

[Samanthas mum]

I can understand how you are feeling. You only want to put good stuff into your baby's system - I only buy organic and make all my dd's meals but I do give her fish and meat mainly because I feel they are an important part of the diet. Red meat in particular is important from an iron source point of view especially when they move over onto cow's milk at 1 year which hasn't got the iron in that formula has.

From memory (and mine is not very good at the moment) I think I added chicken at around 6 -7months and then red meat and fish at around 9 months. I use Annabel Karmel's book for receipes and have generally followed her guidance on when to introduce things as her books are nicely divided up into ages.

If you are going to use an organic free range butcher then you will be giving your lo the best quality meat possible - on that basis a good varied diet including meat is the best thing you can do for your dd in my opinion.

Good luck and let us know how you get on if you decide to introduce it.

[RosieMum]

Thank you ladies, I know I'm just being silly about it. I bought the AK book today actually, funny you mentioned it I'll let you know how I get on. The butchers is near where I work and I'm off sick today so I'll maybe take a walk up there tomorrow lunchtime xx

[lilapple]

Oh my gosh!  I was just going to write a post like yours---I totally don't want to give my dd meat---fish okay, but even that I'm a little scared of.  I totally feel like it's dirty and I am not (although was) a vegetarian.  It just FEELS wrong.  I don't know how I'm going to deal with that but something tells me it's going to have something to do with my hubby asking why I haven't done it yet.  I just can't seem to stomach pureeing chicken, meat,   pastey, yuck!!!

[RosieMum]

I totally agree lilApple, but today I grabbed the bull by the horns and fed her some. We had some pasta, leeks, mushrooms and chicken last night and I blended some down for Rose and gave it to her at lunchtime today and she loved it....
I still don't feel right about it in exactly the same way you don't but I think I'm over the first hurdle. I'm just going to continue feeding her free range organic and I think I'll feel a bit better about it. But there's not a need to feed it to her every day (also desperately worried that it may constipate her as meat stays in the stomach longer than fruit and veggies) but she drinks loads of water so hopefully that won't happen. Good luck lilapple