Food - fruit and recipes

So here are our thoughts on food.

The first big question is WHEN?

I believe that there is a window of interest for all things in a baby’s life and so when my boy started to seem interested in what we were eating or how we were eating I decided it was time to try food. That said it was a very slow and gentle process. Not once did I force food on him and if he didn’t seem to like something (no mum, cauliflower is not for me) I have put it to one side until he is older and able to try it in a different way.

As a family we feel that food is very important and not a toy. There is a lot of information out there saying it’s a good idea to let the child play with food to get an idea of textures and temperatures. We do not agree with this method and teach our boy to eat properly and not put his hands in the bowl of tip food on the floor. He always has a spoon and is fully encouraged to help himself. Yep, it’s messy but we feel it’s the best way for him to become an independent eater.

I was told by the doctor to mash his food and never liquidise it as this helps him to get used to different textures and consistencies. I have never followed this to the Tee. I prefer to do what I feel comfortable with. For example, I give him mango and was very concerned about how stringy it can be so I liquidised it AND put it through a sieve. It made me calm and he was able to eat it very well. Now he’s older I liquidise it but he is able to cope with small strands so the sieve has become redundant. My advice would be to do what feels comfortable and natural. Sometimes we are not ready to give it all mashed and I think its fine to go slowly. There’s no point mashing it and feeling uptight as you feed your child and this will only make them feel nervous and perhaps give a negative vibe to meal times.

So, how did we start?

When he was around 4 months old there seemed to be an interest from him around the food we were eating both the utensils and the food itself. I began letting him suck on pieces of fruit when I was having them so I would cut a finger of apple removing the skin and hold tight as he enjoyed a new flavour. As he got more and more interested in the fruit and when he was able to sit up I gave him a few spoons of liquidised apple. He loved it! From then on I gave him a couple of teaspoons of fruit once each day and then began introducing vegetables. Once I was confident he was using a more chewing like action I gave him the fruit mashed. I found he loved cooked and mashed pear and apple and was beginning to eat larger quantities as the weeks went on. By the time he was 6 months he was having small portions (a few teaspoons) of fruit and veg twice a day. He still had his full quota of milk and only began to reduce this himself much later after he was well established on solids.

Below are a few of the recipes I have tried. Please share your own recipes or things you have tried and your thoughts and experiences on starting food.

Fruit recipes:

Stewed apple and/or pear

slice the apple and/or pear, put it in a pan with water and boil until the fruit is soft. Drain excess water then mash or liquidise. I usually freeze the fruit in ice cube trays so that I have quick snacks handy. 

Mango sorbet

Liquidise a couple of mangos then depending on the age of your baby sieve it or leave it as it is, freeze it in ice cube trays. To serve, take it out of the freezer about 30minutes before eating so it is icy but not too frozen.

Banana mash

Exactly that! Mash a banana and serve! (I gave him banana after 7 months when I was sure he could cope with the thick texture).

Strawberry milk

Liquidise and strain a few strawberries and add to milk (either babies normal milk or if over 6months cows milk).