Do annabel karmel's meal planners make anyone else feel completely inadequate?

[babs102]

They are ridiculous, how does anyone have time to prepare that much food?

[notyummy]

They are not for anyone real - who 'hand makes' their own breakfast FFS. Thats what weetabix are for. Just pick a few receipes out, use them and ignore the sodding menu planner.

[posieparksherbroom]

I did stick to the meal planner, when I had one baby and no job!!

[notyummy]

posie - I bow in awe!

I went back to work when dd was 6 months and spent ages prepping and freezing meals - but I never kidded myself that I would use the meal planner.

[babs102]

wow posieparksherbroom, i am impressed, you deserve a gold star! i'd probably be more inclined to make three courses if my DD would even eat on of them but at 10 months she still refuses pretty much anything solid, its pretty disheartening! - not that i don't ofer her delicious hand cooked food of course, but not quite the variety AK suggests...

[BertieBotts]

Glad it's not just me. In fact the whole book makes me feel inadequate. My one year old eats nowhere near the amount she insists is "essential" for a 7 month old

[babs102]

i've just read my last post and i can feel the guilt ooozing as i try and qualify myself

[wahwah]

Recycle the book and BLW. No more guilt.

[ImSoNotTelling]

Not read it. But... 3 course meals for a 7mo?

Like garlic scallops followed by roast venison followed by chocolate torte, with a cheese course to finish?

3 courses sounds very slack to me. I would seriously consider calling SS if i found out that a baby was being fed anything less than 4 courses.

[babs102]

Ah.. you have a point, i obviously need to up my game... i'm thinking 7 hour lamb, dauphinoise potatos...

[lisianthus]

YADNBU 3 courses? Wow! DH and I couldn't manage three courses ourselves. If I did that, I think I'd be giving DD expectations of what a meal should be that will definitely not be fulfilled. We normally only have one course! Who has time to organise starters at home unless you are doing it antipasto style?

Mind you, I LOVE the Annabel Karmel recipe for fish pie on the Waitrose website.

[lisianthus]

[Hides from ImSoNotTelling and the SS]

[babs102]

is it too late to start BLW at 10 months, she is just not interested in me feeding her at all, she will happily suck finger foods, she just doesn't swallow anything

[posieparksherbroom]

Whoa there, I'm no smiley-face-shepherds-pie-maker, I just did the first few weeks maybe a couple of months back in the day when babies ate at 14 16 weeks!!

[babs102]

don't try and cover your tracks now posie, your stepford mummy secrets are out!

[Piccalilli2]

IMO it's totally ridiculous to expect 7 month old babies to be eating three solid meals a day with puddings if you only start weaning at 6 mths. Maybe some do but both mine took waaaay longer than that to be remotely interested in food and I beat myself up over it terribly with my first. Luckily I chilled out and sort of BLW with dd2. Still took ages to be interested in food (and the whole BLW 'my child is 7 months old and eating a whole roast dinner on her own' thing is also a bit disheartening) but at least you're not spending hours lovingly blending pureed whatever only for them to spit it in your face.

[ImSoNotTelling]

Definitely not too late to start BLW - or just do what I do - which is just give them normal, reasonably baby friendly food and let them get on with it

DD just had what we were having and I stopped adding salt to cooking. Unless you live on cheesecake then all should be fine

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

I didn't BLW but now take the view that if he can pick it up and chew it, he can have it so plonk food on his tray and let him get on with it. He definitely eats more if I spoonfeed him but I think it's ok.

Have never read an Annabel Karmel book in my life. Do feel a bit rubbish about the lack of variety in his diet but as he has started refusing to eat vegetables I don't know what to do! Baked beans are a vegetable, right?

[babs102]

thank you imsonot, i think thats the way forward, thank you everyone, i'm feeling much more noraml after reading all of your comments x

[babs102]

baked beans are so a vegetable!

[babs102]

and i'm feeling normal...

[ImSoNotTelling]

Baked beans deffo a vegetable, (or a legume? or pulse? or something good anyway) and tomato sauce v good for you. If you are feeling iffy about it you can even get organic reduced salt and sugar ones to ease your conscience

[ImSoNotTelling]

There are loads of recipes on the food section of MN BTW

[sweetnitanitro]

I haven't read the book and more importantly, DD hasn't read the book so has no idea what she 'should' be eating generally I have just pureed up some left overs and given her that.

DD has just turned 1 and has only just started eating 3 solid meals a day. I wouldn't worry how much your DD 'should' be eating, as long as she is putting on weight. My DD wasn't really interested in much apart from boob until a few weeks ago. Sometimes she would have no solid food at all in a day, other days she would have one or two meals. You'll be able to tell if your DD is healthy, you know her better than Annabel Karmel does!

[AitchTwoToTangOh]

it's not even really blw at ten months, it's just food. i'd let him pile in with what you're having, if you're confident that the salt levels aren't too high. i gave both of mine baked beans (despite salt levels, because i kept an eye on how much else they were eating that day).

plus, by ten months your baby probably has his ...... pincer grip... thank the LORD.

i was always hanging out for mine to develop this asap, cos it means you always have the standby snack of frozen peas or frozen sweetcorn. i just rinse them and chuck em on the tray still cold. both mine loved the chill against their hot, teething little gums.