Real food....scary

[newmum2Jack]

Hi guys,

My little one is 6 and a half months old and has been weaning since 4 months. Eats really well, baby rice, porridge, cow&gate purity, ellas kitchen and formula.

I want to start giving him real food, but not sure. If I mash up potatoes, carrots etc, how long can I keep it for, or do I have to make fresh for every meal? Thanks x

[bundaberg]

at 6 and a half months he can have finger foods, basically whatever you are eating (minus salt!)
my preference is to cook fresh, if i was cooking for everyone else it's no bother to do a bit extra for the baby.
but if you want to do things in advance you can keep it for a couple of days in the fridge

[OpheliaBumps]

I froze mine, and defrosted in the microwave as I needed to use it. You could keep it in the fridge for a day or two, but freezing it in ice cube trays (or poncy Annabel Karmel weaning trays if you're like me) is much easier and avoids wasted leftovers.

[mummyxtwo]

Get yourself a couple of these:
www.amazon.co.uk/ZEAL-J251-SILICONE-BABYFOOD-TRAY/dp/B00309H9CK/ref=pd_sim_kh_1?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

• far easier than any of the pots or trays I tried with ds1. Freeze the tray and pop the cubes out into a labelled freezer bag the next day. Annabel Karmel reckons that foods last for 8 weeks but I've read elsewhere that 3 months is fine and I'm sticking to that! Dd2 is now 10.5mo and eats 2 cubes of savoury and 2 cubes of fruit for dinner. Dd2's favourites and easy things to make include:

Roasted sweet potato with some cheese grated in
Red lentils and spicy root veg (carrots, parsnips)
Red lentils with fried onion and coconut milk
Shepherd's pie - also made a mildly spicy version with Morrocan spices
Bolognese
Carrot, tomato (blanched to remove skins and deseeded), and onion
Broccoli, cauliflower cheese
Broccoli and carrot with a little cheese sauce - used as a pasta sauce with tiny pasta shapes or penne to hold and chew

Easy fruits to puree which don't need cooking and can be mixed:

Peach
Mango
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries (skins are indigestible so come out in their poo!)

Hope that helps! It's satisfying to watch them eat things you have (lovingly!) made.

[newmum2Jack]

Thanks guys, going to give it a try :)