Need help with receipe's for DD - 6 months.

[FoghornLeghorn]

Anyone would think DD2 is my first, she isn't but i weaned DD1 on jar food and am adamant I wont be doing that again this time.

DD2 is 26 weeks - I started weaning about a week ago - she is so far having her usual milk feeds throughout the day along with either carrots & swede or cauliflour & parsnip once a day. She has so far gotten on really well with this, she is taking the food great and seems to really be enjoying it.
When should I introduce her onto more food ? She has started waking an hour earlier each morning and as much as i try to give her more milk throughout the course of the day she just plays with it and wont take any more than usual.
I tried her on banana yesterday but she wasn't very keen and pooed for britain afterwards.
Basically what I need help with is when to introduce her onto more food and what other things can I be giving her - she's probably a bit bored with carrots, swede, cauliflour and parsnip

[3sEnough]

Go and get/buy Annabel Karmel book - can't remember the name, but basically I gave my children pretty much every veg and fruit known to man - seriously hard work at times but really worth it. Well done for going for it!

[3sEnough]

Oh - meat and fish too but AK book has the lot - v good.

[HenriettaHippo]

At 6 months I think basically anything goes. You can introduce protein and dairy, but not too many new things all at once or if there's a reaction you won't know what caused it. I'd leave egg for a little while (I introduced egg to DS2 a couple of weeks ago, he's 8 3/4 months). She can have gluten now too, so bread, pasta etc. Avocado is good too, really nice with banana.

If she likes cauliflower I reckon that's a good sign as it's quite strong.

[dontwanttogetoutofbed]

how do you give a 6 month old bread?
mine is 8 months i still only give mushed food. am i paranoid?

[HenriettaHippo]

oh, don't give her honey until a year, I've read. It can carry listeria I think? I added it to DS2's cereal the other day out of habit as DS1 has it and had to scrape it all off...

porridge and weetabix are good for breakfast mixex with fruit. Yum yum.

[HenriettaHippo]

DS2 isn't much good with lumps either, but will happily munch away on a lightly toasted finger of toast. He ate nearly a whole slice with scrambled egg on Tuesday... If you use quite soft bread with butter it kind of melts in the mouth.

[dontwanttogetoutofbed]

i am worried if she bites a piece of and can't swallow. yesterday i let her suck on a piece of watermelon i could tell she wanted to eat it so badly but i was scared she might bite a piece and it will get stuck.

honey and vacuum cleaner dust are dangerous for babies under 1 because they can contain spores which stick on babies lungs and grow.

[HenriettaHippo]

watermelon would be great as it kind of dissolves.

[colditz]

Don'twanttogetoutofbed

She will be fine, honestly. Give her something very easy, like toast fingers, to start with.

Chewing proper food helps with speech developement (apparently) as it strengthens the muscles needed to produce speech sounds.

At 8 months old, ds2 was eating scrambled egg on toast, pasta with cheese, whole sprigs of broccoli etc. With no problems at all.

He is now 13 months and uses a fork to eat most of his meals - he uses the fork, I don't touch it unless we are out and I am avoiding mess!

[dontwanttogetoutofbed]

Thanks colditz. i really want to try but am scared. so, if she only has two front teeth she will be fine with the toast? i will try today. and i should just sit next to her and watch?
sorry but, what if she bites of a big piece. my dd1 would bite huge pieces off of everything so it was hard with her (she still does that today)

[MrsBadger]

better than AK
(imo of course )


The honey thing is about spores but in the stomach not the lungs (so different to hoover dust risk) - their stomach isn't acidic enough to kill them till 1yr.

[colditz]

2 teeth is fine. Just sit with her.

If she bites off a big big piece, wait and see what she does with it. She will probably spit it out when she realises she can't chew it.

PS

Gagging is normal and is NOT choking. They will all do it whenever they start to control how much goes in their mouth. she may gag and vomit a few times - this is good as it shows her gag reflex is working well. The gagging is to prevent choking, it's not a sign they ^are choking.

Don't give hotdogs, whole grapes or whole cherry tomatoes yet. (I don't even give these to my 4 year old)

[FoghornLeghorn]

Do I just cook pasta and fish etc like I normally would (no salt obv) and then sling it all in blender ?

Sad I know but I am actually quite excited about this - I'm looking forward to her having proper nurtitious food and trying new things

[FoghornLeghorn]

Thanks - I do have the book somewhere (I never used with DD1 until she was much older ). Will get in the garage and see if I can find it.

When should I start putting her on more than one meal a day ? She currently has her evening meal - should I start giving her breakfast or lunch when I introduce another meal ?

[colditz]

I would give pasta twirls whole and let her pick them up and eat them herself.

then to make sure she actually got some food, I'd spoon her some rice pudding for dessert!

Blended pasta - ick. Glue.

[FoghornLeghorn]

Can she do that at 6 months colditz - she's no got any teeth - surely she would choke ?

[colditz]

I'd just give her bits of what you are having, when you have it, and she will just start to eat it her self, amazingly quickly. Like, by this time next month she will be a proficient self-feeder if you start her now.

AK is all well and good, but when you have spent 2 hours concocting a delightful cauliflower and dill puree, and freezing 2 weeks of little meals, and then she spits it at the first meal and screams every time youo go near her with it, you will feel like crying.

And if you don't eat stuff like cauliflower-and-dill puree, she is going to have to learn a whole new set of foods when you get sick to the back teeth of cooking 2 meals all the time.

Some broccoli and carrot off your plate is just as healthy, honest!

[colditz]

No she won't choke.

[colditz]

It doesn't matter whether she has teeth or not, because pasta is soft, and easily eaten with no teeth.

I'd avoid raw carrot and apple, etc, but pasta is fine. It was ds2's favorite at that age because the twirls are easy to pick up.

[colditz]

They love it, honest.

[HenriettaHippo]

just cook it til it's nice and soft, not al dente.

I have a mini mixer that I just sling a portion of my and DS1's lunch in to give it a quick mix round. Works fine and DS2 seems happy. Was determined not to be cooking different meals for everyone... I also put some florets of brocolli/other veg on the table in front of him and he mushes that about too. And then chucks it on the floor quite often! But if they don't start to feel food like that, and experiment with it, they'll never be able to develop eating skills.

Colditz, thanks for the stuff about the vomit - DS2 has vomitted a few times when he's put a big chunk of bread/pasta in his mouth, and on a couple of occasions out comes the whole meal. But it has only happened once this month, so we're getting there! I never thought of the gagging reflex like that - basically he's not choking but dealing with the consequences of biting off more than he can chew, so to speak! My grandmother was here last time he did the vomit thing, and you'd have thought I was torturing him the way she reacted!!

FHLH, my DS has been on 3 meals a day for a good couple of months now, since he was about 6 1/2 months. He hasn't cut his milk intake at all, in fact, he often asks for more at bedtime, and sometimes drinks 10 oz...!!!???

[HenriettaHippo]

"asks" for more - I mean cries for more! He isn't that clever!

[dontwanttogetoutofbed]

thanks for the advice colditz. i will try today.

[jetjets]

Message withdrawn

[BexieID]

DF cooks Toms meals and we then freeze them. Last weekend he did chicken and tomato with veg, roast pork, salmon and beef stew. I made a lamb mousakka yesterday for him. Hes even had steak! We are lucky that he's eaten 99% of what we've given him. Tom is 13 months, has 4 teeth (top and bottom) and has only recently started to eat food with lumpy bits. He doesn't self feed either. Well he picked up a bit of bagel the other day and started eating it. Usually it ends up on the floor!