Finding it difficult to cook for baby

[Emma961064]

I am just looking for advice really on what meals most people cook for thier babies at this age as I am struggling.

My baby is 8.5 months and I’m struggling to cook nutritious meals that she eats. She contact naps ( I know I need to try and get her to sleep in her crib but she won’t) so I have to cook when she is awake.

She gets irritated being in her high chair while I’m cooking ( I give her toys etc). My partner says I should just feed her the ready made stuff like Ella’s Kitchen etc all the time . I don’t mind doing that but I’d still like to give her fresh food. Im using recipes like Anna Karmel and Ella’s Kitchen. I find it difficult
as they require lots of ingredients and baby is not interested when it’s ready.

I’m worried she’s not eating enough/not interested and I’m doing it all wrong. What sort of foods should I be giving her at her age?

I also end up chucking a lot instead of freezing as I’m not 100% sure I’ll do it right and I’ll make her sick when I re cook ( just a fear of mine)

Just give her some food your all eating? Your don’t need to make special food for here. You can always make one simple thing extra like some sweet potato that will keep in fridge a few days or freezer as back up

What food are you cooking?

There are lots of foods that you can freeze as well as store in the fridge for a couple of days.

Also little kids - even though it's winter - like eating raw fruit and vegetables e.g. banana, apple, carrot

Second PP - as long as you eat well, just give her what you have. Cook without salt and add it to yours at the table.

I’ve always eaten breakfast and lunch with DD, and save her a portion of my dinner for hers the next day (+ freeze spare portions for the days this system doesn’t work).

I use to make extra of what I was cooking and freeze portions in silicone cake trays? I also use to do the occasional batch of baby specific food such as chopped and steam veg. Smaller pasta etc. As long as you remember to defrost first thing there was minimal meal prep

She can eat what you eat.

Pouches are fine too.

Give her raw veggies while you cook.

Batch cook.

DD just had what we were having? I don’t use salt in cooking much anyway. Why make life so hard for yourself. (Did BLW and didn’t ever mush or purée anything.)

What do you cook/eat? Can you keep a portion to serve next day? Even pureed veg and pasta/rice, simple stews, mince (cottage pie, bolognese), fish in mashed potato, or quick meals like scrambled egg and toast, mashed avocado, jacket potato.

If your having a meal they can’t easily, then easy things like avocado, banana, scramble egg, cream cheese on toast, grated cheese, steamed veg batons ( keep 2-3 day small supply in fridge).

Sometimes they might have something your eating combined with something simple like above.

The freezer really is your friend! As long as things are piping hot when reheated then you'll be OK (obvs then cooled down for baby to eat|). Once I built up a bit of a stash I'd only be 'cooking' once or twice a week.

We eat a lot of spicy food so did mostly cook separately when DS was this age. Also lots of bits like pasta, toast, avocado, omelette etc

Maybe try following a couple of insta accounts? Foodie fun with us and my first meals spring to mind

We freeze load of purees. He's had Sweet potato and carrot. Chicken and green bean. Mango. Pea. Pea and spinach. Leek and potatoes. Butternut squash. Banana. Add breast milk to some of them. He's had bread. Stuffing. 2 types of fish. Panna cotta and chocolate mousse. He's 9 months.

Also had some pouches. The Ella kitchen ones

Also loves greek yogurt

I follow SR nutrition and Rebecca Wilson. They both have brilliant books and online content.

www.srnutrition.co.uk/

rebeccawilson.com/

As pp's we pretty much gave what we were having. Usually from the night before, so any potato, veg, pasta, sauce, was whizzed up and given the next day. If unsuitable in any way, always had a stash of my own premade veg mixes in the freezer. I spoon fed, so slowly went from pureed to fork mashed, and then to solid state and cut up small.

Serve leftover food from your previous night's dinner.

Serve chopped up cooked veggies that you can prep at the weekend along with instant mashed potatoes.

Prepare something simple ahead of time like savory bread pudding with egg, milk, cheese, chopped spinach, or pasta, spinach/kale and cheese strata, enough for two days (you can use a small baking dish to make enough for a baby for two days, or make this for the whole family and serve baby leftovers).

There are also quick options you can prepare or serve daily -
Cottage cheese and blueberries,
Scrambled egg, omelette, warm, buttered, chopped hard boiled egg,
Little cubes of cheese,
Chopped up mac and cheese mixed with chopped broccoli,
Little toast fingers or squares with smooth peanut butter,
Peas,
Cooked frozen veg (diced carrots),
Toast with cream cheese,
Diced ham,

Polenta is easy to make ahead and it goes semi solid when cool - easy to cut into baby sized pieces. You can add cheese to it as it cooks.

You can make enough of the cooked foods to last for two days.

Don't put your baby in the high chair until you're ready to plonk food in front of her.

We made some purees but most of the time our baby had what we did

She should be well on the way to finger feeding herself at this point, and she should be given foods that are soft and cut up small so she can chew and swallow, and gain confidence.

For food like mashed potatoes, she could be given a little stubby baby spoon to practice with while you also feed her a little.

*Don't forget sweet potatoes that can be mashed or cubed too.

It's hard work if you're cooking separately for her- agree with PPs that it's easier to cook whatever you're having without salt and serve hers before adding salt to yours. And for other meals, it doesn't have to be elaborate- jacket potato mashed up with some grated cheese, pasta, scrambled eggs and toast soldiers, omelettes with diced veggies in, pitta bread and houmous etc. And then a few different cooked veggies cut into sticks on the side for her to feed herself.

I also found it handy to have salad vegetables on hand for when I couldn't be arsed to cook- cucumber, avocado, tomatoes cut into slices, lettuce leaves. Mine was also a big fan of tinned sweetcorn and any canned fruit in water instead of syrup.