Cooking for Babies and Toddlers

[bookluvingbabe]

I've noticed there has been a wee baby boom on dr.com and some of us are in the midst of trying to figure out what to feed baby for breakfast, lunch and dinner on a daily basis. I also see that there are various parents who seem to have thriving children so they must have figured this out along the way!

BLBaby will be 16 months old in a few days. We are pretty conservative about what he eats. No sugar, nothing fried, still haven't had him try meat and we are avoiding peanuts and tree nuts for the moment. I shop at the farmers market for him (and us) in season and we try to be as organic as possible. He was diagnosed with a severe egg allergy a few weeks ago and our doctor suggested that parents who are more careful about processed foods that might be cross contaminated with egg products see better with results with baby outgrowing the egg allergy. Fingers crossed that it works and then our Epipen training is never needed.

This kid loves to eat and he likes a wide range of food. I know at some point that will stop but right now we are enjoying it.

A typical day--

First thing in the morning after a long snuggle and nursing, he is a "coffee bear" with me. He gets frozen peas or mixed veggies, sometimes fresh blueberries and organic o's, or a frozen bagel while I have my coffee. We are still trying to convince him that cow's milk isn't awful and he will have several drinks out of a straw of hemp milk mixed with cow's milk.

Breakfast after his morning nap is some sort of whole grain hot cereal with fruit mixed in. I rotate them so he doesn't get bored and so far that is working. I usually offer another veg at this point--varies with his mood and my cooking. Roasted butternut squash has been a big hit as has sweet potato. And then more fruit--grapes cut in half are popular.

Lunch is usually beans, hummus or baba ghanoush, banana, a green veg, and more fruit (cherries lately...frozen pineapple or mango when he goes to daycare)

Dinner is organic cheese (last night was pepper jack), yogurt with applesauce and pumpkin pie spice, another veg (asparagus has been a hit of late) and then fruit. Sometimes I whip out the frozen bagel if I need to do the dishes or kill time until Mr. BLB can get home for bath and bedtime.

I need to move toward more shared meals--we eat dinner after he goes to bed and I think he needs to see us eating the same foods that he does. I made a vegetarian split pea soup a few weeks ago that gave him fits of joy. He will also happily eat red beans and rice. Not scared of spice in the least bit so far. Which is good cause both his parents are wimps (and chili peppers make me sleepy for some unknown reason.)

Enough from me! What are the other parents of the wee set feeding their kids?

Jennifer

[Heather]

Hemp milk?

I don't have much advice to offer, other than to get him eating what you eat as soon as possible, before his tastes are set. After age two it is going to be much harder. By 18 months my kids were eating everything we ate, including meat (cut up very small) and fish. And I made sure that both of my kids would drink plain old water. No food allergies at all.

This kid loves to eat and he likes a wide range of food. I know at some point that will stop but right now we are enjoying it.

It doesn't have to stop. Both of my kids have stayed good eaters. They have a few idiosyncracies, but are very slim, healthy, energetic kids who love vegetables and salads, get a good amount of protein (not in the form of hot dogs ), and don't rely on juice or milk to quench their thirst.

[goodeats]

I am with Heather on this one -- for DS, he was eating everything we ate, sometimes with less seasoning. I think once at 16 months DS was having some steak at RTS!

I find this a common dilemma amongst my mommy friends: moms have a hard time letting go of making food or limiting certain foods (e.g. meat) for their child(ren). Myself included, as I sometimes still make separate foods for DS. My theory is that as parents, either we have this fear of letting our kids explore food-wise, or even in everyday situations, such as having them walk around the neighborhood w/o holding their hands, because we're scared of "potential consequences," OR we're too much consumed by routine -- used to making their foods separately. It's just a matter of training ourselves.

A good example for me occurred just last month, when my friend and I had lunch with our kids at Southside 815. She ordered fries to share between the kids, as her daughter, 6wks older than DS (20mos. now) loves fries. I had not exposed fried foods to DS, so was hesitant, but I let him try it anyway. And he loved it. Nothing happened, I quickly learned to let go of my fear, and I can now add another food he'll eat.

Here's an example of (what I've served over the past 8mos. during) our typical day, if this helps:

Breakfast: Eggs, toast (plain or with almond butter, or jam), pancakes, toaster waffles (TJ -- organic and gluten-free), mantao (Chinese bread), croissants (plain, almond, or with spread), bagels, muffins, scones (from Atwater!), bacon, and sausage (DS didn't like this). Usually DS has soy milk as his drink. Otherwise, it's water throughout the day.

Morning snack: Rice crackers, Baby Mum-mum, Goldfish crackers, Seaweed and seaweed crackers, Barley crackers.

Lunch: Fried rice, rice porridge with pork or fish sung (limited b/c it's fried and the fish is swordfish), noodles, noodle soup, turkey & cheese sandwich, dumplings & wontons (homemade), whatever is available if we're eating out, and fruit smoothies.

Wake up snack: Yogurt, apples, bananas, more crackers, string cheese, gelato (Dolcezza and from the Arlington place), watermelon, fruit in season.

Dinner: Rice with meat & vegetables, dumplings & wontons (homemade), fruit smoothies, noodles, lasagna (homemade with squash), pizza crust, chicken tenders, different kinds of fish (at Hook too!), fried rice, pasta with sauce, curry rice and whatever seems acceptable when dining out (BBQ ribs at one point).

If you're worried about excess sugars or salt, then perhaps cooking the meal without seasoning, then spoon part of it for son's meal (freeze other part, if excess), and then season the rest of the pot for you and your family may be a good experiment to start with.

Good luck!!!

[RJ Cooper]

Okay from a Chef/Father/Cooks perspective,

Our twins eat everything but broccoli. We have found that at a young age (now 22 months) it is easier to introduce them to new foods and experiences. They are extremely competitive at this age and wont to be first to try. The farmers at market can count on them to devour 2 pts of blueberries and 2 pts strawberries. Last week they were eating crispy skin of the suckling pigs we did at the Depont demo. Last night the split a rack of ribs, drank spicy salsa from the bowl and eat a ton of guac.

My experiences at the restaurant with toddlers in "GIVE THEM MORE CORN BREAD AND MAC AND CHEESE"!!!!!! and let the parents enjoy.

[JPW]

I don't have much advice to offer, other than to get him eating what you eat as soon as possible, before his tastes are set. After age two it is going to be much harder. By 18 months my kids were eating everything we ate, including meat (cut up very small) and fish. And I made sure that both of my kids would drink plain old water. No food allergies at all.

It doesn't have to stop. Both of my kids have stayed good eaters. They have a few idiosyncracies, but are very slim, healthy, energetic kids who love vegetables and salads, get a good amount of protein (not in the form of hot dogs ), and don't rely on juice or milk to quench their thirst.

Amen. At about 6 months, Peanut refused to eat any more baby food of any type. So we pretty much started feeding mushier versions of what we had. Once she had the hardware required to chew better, we moved on to just serving her what we had (just cut up into tiny pieces). She certainly has her favorites (anything with starch in it), but will eat just about anything. She knows that if she doesn't at least try something, she's not going to get anything in its place. So occasionally she'll look at her plate and say, "I don't like it!" before she has taken a bite. When that happens Mrs JPW and I sit down and start eating. 9.99 times out 10, Peanut will start digging in within 2 minutes.

[lackadaisi]

At almost 9 months, we are starting to branch out V's diet. We are now feeding her little bits of just about everything we eat except honey, seafood, egg whites, nuts, milk, and anything horribly overprocessed or "light". We will give her all of those things (other than the overprocessed and "light" items) as soon as the Dr. gives us the green light.

She loves eating and trying new things. The first bite of each new thing makes her angry, but she sure loves the second one. And, the third, and the fourth . . . until she tries to rub it in her eyes. And, she is growing mightily on this diet. She is already over half my height!!!!

[JPW]

She is already over half my height!!!!

That's not really saying much.

Now if you said she was already half of jlock's height...

(sorry, it was too easy and it's Friday)

[Heather]

I am with Heather on this one -- for DS, he was eating everything we ate, sometimes with less seasoning. I think once at 16 months DS was having some steak at RTS!

IIRC, Ian's first meat was Lobel's steak. He cried when it was all gone. That's my boy.

I did follow all the strictures about introducing new foods, and stayed away from honey for the first year.

RJ is right on - my kids are competitive about trying new things too. Plus I let both of them play with my cookbooks and cooking mags. Ian loves The Good Cook series, and the pictures on the back of Cook's Illustrated magazine.

[RJ Cooper]

IIRC, Ian's first meat was Lobel's steak. He cried when it was all gone. That's my boy.

I did follow all the strictures about introducing new foods, and stayed away from honey for the first year.

RJ is right on - my kids are competitive about trying new things too. Plus I let both of them play with my cookbooks and cooking mags. Ian loves The Good Cook series, and the pictures on the back of Cook's Illustrated magazine.

The girls have put a dent in all the stainless bowls, broken several wooden spoons, they love hanging in the kitchen.

When we were out in Napa in February they enjoyed Bouchon Bakery, Bistro Jeanty, running the gardens at the laundry, and pushed away all the crappy hotel food.

They are way into corn, berries and swine (like there old man) enjoy the flavors of empty wine glasses and empty beer bottles.

[rockcreek]

I thought we had one pretty good eater and one not very good eater, but they pretty much take turns not eating something I made. The best I can hope for that something in the meal catches on with them and they eat. Wife and I went to a parenting seminar recently and the first thing they wrote on the white board was "You Can't Make Them Do It." (Interestingly, the seminar was about eating, sleeping, and potty training. Their point was that the rule applies globally.)

Big Monkey (nearly 4) eats carrots and celery, field greens with ranch and cracked pepper, and the occasional brussels sprout, and his body weight in pork-cilantro guotie. Other days he just wants a bologna sandwich. Little Puppy (nearly 2) throws the majority of his food at or near me except Yogurt Berry Os, bananas, and raisins. Then a few days ago, he threw his spoon at me so he could go double fisted into a bowl of tofu and rice noodle soup.

You never know (more accurately, I never know.) I think ultimately I hope they learn to make their own good choices, so the best I can do is have choices available to them.

[V.H.]

One thing we found when introducing meat was that tender easy to chew things went over well. This made me really hone my grill skills since anything that was the least bit overcooked got an upturned nose.

I think generally, kids will eat what they're used to. My nearly 5 yr old will eat almost anything that we eat, with a few exceptions. We did have separate food for her when she was just starting to eat table food and I think it went on longer than it needed to because she was our first and we were afraid to break her or something. We now have an almost 6 month old and I think we'll be much quicker to start him on mushed up bits of our dinner.

[Heather]

enjoy the flavors of empty wine glasses and empty beer bottles.

Ian asked for a taste of my chablis the other night. The kid is going to be a chip off the old block. Emma has only asked to taste my cocktails.

Both kids abhor overcooked meat, so they got medium rare steak cut into very small pieces. Same with chicken and fish - very small pieces. Asian food is also a favorite, anything with noodles or rice.

[Waitman]

With my kids, I found that anything fried and salted worked. Also, kids are pretty adaptable and can live for quite a while off what they find on the floor and formula spiked with cane sugar. We laid off the hemp milk and let them introduce themselves later, when they were teenagers, though possibly not in milk form. Regarding wine, I usually kept some of those screw-cap airline bottles around because, at that age, they can hardly tell the difference and with a toddler on my hands I needed as much of the good stuff as I could get.

[paula]

My little one is 11 months old. She is still formula fed but of course we do feed her fruits/veggies/meat and cereal. I have to admit that I used Gerber food as it is much easier with daycare. I did steam/puree and freeze some veggies for awhile but then baby stopped eating them. She used to love veggies but now she prefers fruits which we give her now that fresh fruit is abundant. She also has decided that anything spoon-fed must be evil. So no more Gerber packs, at least not without lots of crying. She'll eat just about anything she can feed herself. About a month ago I made veggie lasagna with collards and decided to let her try it. She loved it and even seemed to pick out the green to eat before the rest. Since then I have given her a little of anything we're eating (that's not too spicy...she doesn't like spicy yet). She loved the roasted chicken I made although I only give her the inside meat (no skin). When we went for sushi they brought her a bowl of tofu and she couldn't get enough. A lot of food winds up in her lap or on the floor but at least she's trying.

My biggest concern is I can't imagine she is getting enough nourishment from the solid food she eats. When we start taking away formula how do I ensure she's getting enough of what she needs? Any thoughts/advice?

[JPW]

My biggest concern is I can't imagine she is getting enough nourishment from the solid food she eats. When we start taking away formula how do I ensure she's getting enough of what she needs? Any thoughts/advice?

I was paranoid about this as well. Just keep serving nutritious meals like the lasagna with collards. Make sure that you serve a well balanced variety of things. She will eat as much as she needs.

ETA - when you take away formula, she'll eat more. Think of formula like Guinness -- it's more a meal replacement than a meal addition.

[V.H.]

My biggest concern is I can't imagine she is getting enough nourishment from the solid food she eats. When we start taking away formula how do I ensure she's getting enough of what she needs? Any thoughts/advice?

When you take away formula will you introduce whole milk? If so, she'll continue to get a good bit of her nutrition from that. I read somewhere that as long as kids eat a varied diet, as measured over the course of a month rather than a day, they're doing fine. If you're concerned you can talk to your pediatrician about adding a daily multivitamin but if she's a good eater she might not need it.

Have you tried cold/room temp bits of baked sweet potato? It's easy to cut them into little cubes and they're easy for babies to pick up and feed themselves. This was one of my daughter's favorite foods.

[goodeats]

My biggest concern is I can't imagine she is getting enough nourishment from the solid food she eats. When we start taking away formula how do I ensure she's getting enough of what she needs? Any thoughts/advice?

I think the first thing is to not worry. Second is to share your concern with your pediatrician and get some basic advice nutrition-wise. I'd be happy to loan you (or you can check out from the library) Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. She shares very good ideas/recipes/thoughts on baby nutrition. I think we all try our best, and on a daily basis, I try to make sure that DS gets something from each food group, even if it ends up being fries. Trial and error is the best experiment for you and baby to figure out what she is getting and what she needs. You're doing great!!

[goodeats]

Have you tried cold/room temp bits of baked sweet potato? It's easy to cut them into little cubes and they're easy for babies to pick up and feed themselves. This was one of my daughter's favorite foods.

The first time DS learned how to shake his head "no" was when we put sweet potato in front of him.

[Heather]

I followed the advice in Feeding Your Child For Lifelong Health. This was a great book and very helpful. The advice on appropriate portion sizes was worth the price of the whole book (they are a lot smaller than most people think). Paradoxically, both of my kids would eat better meals if they were initially served smaller amounts.

What worked for us, with both kids, was introducing milk in a bottle, and letting them use a bottle as long as they wanted to. Both kids switched to a cup before age two, and gave up their bottle at night well before age 3.

BLB, another thing my kids both loved at about 12 months was a sandwich on thin-sliced bread (Pepperidge Farm makes it), cut into small squares. Grilled cheese, and turkey with or without cheese were favorites. That young, it's best to give a mix of white and wheat bread, because feeding a lot of whole grains can fill their little tummies with fiber and prevent eating more of other foods. Plus, in large amounts it can prevent micronutrient absorption. Little kids don't need a lot of fiber: none until age 1, 5-8 g. per day until age 5.

[Heather]

I forgot to add that toddlers fiber requirements can be met just through the vegetables and fruit they eat every day, without any whole wheat bread, pasta, etc.

[Dmnkly]

The little fella's 19 months, and since he was roughly eight months old, he's eaten everything I do...

...which is to say, everything :-)

(Except nuts, under the direction of his doctor)

[Pete]

When you take away formula will you introduce whole milk? If so, she'll continue to get a good bit of her nutrition from that. I read somewhere that as long as kids eat a varied diet, as measured over the course of a month rather than a day, they're doing fine. If you're concerned you can talk to your pediatrician about adding a daily multivitamin but if she's a good eater she might not need it.

Have you tried cold/room temp bits of baked sweet potato? It's easy to cut them into little cubes and they're easy for babies to pick up and feed themselves. This was one of my daughter's favorite foods.

We have tried the sweet potato, and it is normally something that our daughter likes (with the exception of last night when most of it wound up on the floor, along with the apricots...she didn't seem to like orange food last night ). She has her 12 month appointment in a couple of weeks, so the food/nutrition questions are on our list for the pediatrician.

Thanks to everybody for their input. This thread is great! Keep the ideas coming!

[zoramargolis]

When my daughter started feeding herself, I used to make polenta with reggiano parmesan mixed into it. When the polenta was cold and set, I would cut it into little cubes that she could pick up easily. She loved it. As I recall, I made the polenta with water, but it could be made with milk for even better nutritional value.

[hillvalley]

While we are on the topic of babies, congrats to Buckinghamilton and Diner Boy on the birth of Diner Baby last week! If his pictures are any sign, this is going to be one adorable little boy (not to mention he'll never have to wait on line at The Diner to get fed )

[DonRocks]

We will give her all of those things (other than the overprocessed and "light" items) as soon as the Dr. gives us the green light.

I'm giving you the green light.

P.S. Be careful what you wish for ...

[Malawry]

Our son didn't really take off on solids until we found foods he could feed himself. He scarfed crackers, peas, blueberries, grapes and grape tomatoes because he could easily grasp them and shove them in his mouth. (You can cut down the grapes and grape tomatoes to make the pieces smaller and less chokeworthy.) Same for bits of chicken, beef or turkey burger, and fish. He did not like the texture of pureed food and he really didn't like being fed. He's since gotten pretty good with a spoon, so a lot of typical baby foods like yogurt and applesauce are on the menu more at age 2 than they were at age 1.

So, if you have trouble getting baby off the bottle and into a plate of goodness, keep experimenting and offering things, and don't just stick to purees.

[rockcreek]

My biggest concern is I can't imagine she is getting enough nourishment from the solid food she eats. When we start taking away formula how do I ensure she's getting enough of what she needs? Any thoughts/advice?

There's going to be a little weight dip when you change up the diet and go off of formula, but it's short term so don't freak out about it. I think babies require more calories than toddlers; at our house, it's not unusual some days to watch Little Puppy out-eat Big Monkey.

Wife and I recently went to a parenting seminar about eating, sleeping, and potty training, and the first thing they wrote on the board was:

"You can't make them do it."

This is true.

[Buckinghamilton]

While we are on the topic of babies, congrats to Buckinghamilton and Diner Boy on the birth of Diner Baby last week! If his pictures are any sign, this is going to be one adorable little boy (not to mention he'll never have to wait on line at The Diner to get fed )

Aw...Thanks Hillvalley!

[paula]

Thanks everyone. It's nice to know we seem to be on the right track. Maybe it's just the teething this week but she won't eat anything...except blueberries and strawberries we found out last night.

We do plan on asking the doctor all our nutrition questions and I am anticipating the move from formula to milk. Although one of the doctor's at the office we go to said no finger foods at her 9 month appointment. Of course we had already given her some so we didn't stop but it concerned me for a little while. It's amazing how doctors can vary on the subject of feeding baby.

[goodeats]

Thanks everyone. It's nice to know we seem to be on the right track. Maybe it's just the teething this week but she won't eat anything...except blueberries and strawberries we found out last night. We do plan on asking the doctor all our nutrition questions and I am anticipating the move from formula to milk. Although one of the doctor's at the office we go to said no finger foods at her 9 month appointment. Of course we had already given her some so we didn't stop but it concerned me for a little while. It's amazing how doctors can vary on the subject of feeding baby.

Awww, poor baby. Does tofu work? I sometimes just use dashi stock and cook a little soft tofu as a mini-soup and give to DS when he's teething. Or make extra-mushy rice in the rice cooker.

I agree about the doctors having different assessments. My peds said to try to get him to eat by himself at 9mos. But, go with your gut. You know best.

[lackadaisi]

Although one of the doctor's at the office we go to said no finger foods at her 9 month appointment.

Hmm, maybe we should have waited until her 9 month appointment (which is in 2 weeks) to start the finger foods. Now, she is feeding herself her whole dinner. Well, not going to stop now as she loves it, we love it, and by god that dog certainly loves it.

[DanielK]

Thanks everyone. It's nice to know we seem to be on the right track. Maybe it's just the teething this week but she won't eat anything...except blueberries and strawberries we found out last night.

Are strawberries no longer on the "not before 1 year" list? They were a few years back when my kids were little. I believe the reasoning was that strawberry allergies are common enough and severe enough, that they recommend waiting until the immune system was mature enough to handle an allergy attack.

[lackadaisi]

Are strawberries no longer on the "not before 1 year" list? They were a few years back when my kids were little. I believe the reasoning was that strawberry allergies are common enough and severe enough, that they recommend waiting until the immune system was mature enough to handle an allergy attack.

They are on all the lists that I am seeing now. Something about the seeds, I think.

[paula]

Are strawberries no longer on the "not before 1 year" list? They were a few years back when my kids were little. I believe the reasoning was that strawberry allergies are common enough and severe enough, that they recommend waiting until the immune system was mature enough to handle an allergy attack.

I forgot strawberries are on "the list"...oh well she survived. We have been trying to feed her everything we get from the CSA. I mostly remember to avoid nuts and seafood.

[zoramargolis]

While my daughter has inherited many of my physical characteristics, she mercifully did not inherit my tendency to develop allergies, which I inherited from my father's side. My mother isn't allergic to anything, nor is my husband. Veggie-teen is lucky. My brother's kid had two allergic parents, and he had many allergies, including milk and eggs when he was growing up, which made it very tough for him to get adequate protein when he was little. Allergies are a gigantic drag.

[DanCole42]

My friends had their two week old baby over to our house recently. Throughout the pregnancy, I'd been talking to the fetus and telling her how lucky she was to be having nutrients derived from my pizza and other dishes.

So the kid was crying (the house was a little smoky) all night. I'd made some killer potato puree to go with our steak au poivre. The mother (who is a doctor and knows better than to feed solid food to a two week old but made this one exception) took a molecule-sized portion of the potatoes, put it on her finger, and fed it to the baby. Her first solid food!!!! The flattery on the mother's part was beyond cloud nine for me, but the baby's reaction was priceless: it was like she'd been given acid. She stopped crying and her eyes were glazed over with joy. I'd never seen anything like it. I was very proud. Clearly my food carries some sort of miraculous infant-calming potency. She was quiet and adorable the rest of the evening.

[bookluvingbabe]

We have done a bit of dining out with BLBaby in anticipation of a week on the road later in the month and we did a trip to see the family this weekend.

The good: He loves going to restaurants. New people to flirt with, lots to see and do and we have a few quiet toys that he loves that I reserve for these outings. At La Tosca (not so great tapas for the grownups but the best option for us at the time) he gobbled down grilled mushrooms and asparagus like a champ. We added in a yogurt from home and he was in heaven.

The less successful: We tried Bob's 88 and the spinach with garlic for him. He would happily try the spinach and then spit it out. I think it was way too watery for him--I make a much drier version at home. Next time I'll know better. The staff adored him. The only downside--it took forever to pay and we were bumping against bath and bed time at the end. A little fussiness at the end and we did laps around the parking lot while Mr. BLB paid the check...

The family visit was good--he dazzled his aunt and uncle with the variety of foods he was eating while their 6 and 8 year old ate mac and cheese, french toast and chicken fingers at every meal. (It actually caused a bit of sniping between them in the end--he would say "Wow, he's eating frozen peas for breakfast. And he had chickpeas as a snack..." And she would say "Our kids ate like that too. Until there were two." I stayed out of it and just kept giving him his asparagus and sweet potato...) His superstar moment for the grandparents was a family lunch at a fancy, white table cloth place where he ate 80% of my grilled veggie plate--including the grilled red peppers. Not a moment of fussing.

Our goals for the coming weeks--continue to take him out to get him used to different restaurants and to integrate more of our meals into his meals. To that end, I'm getting out the crockpot to make soup while I'm at work. Our previous experiments with split pea were quite successful so I'd like to expand upon that for all of us.

Jennifer