corned beef

[samanthajm]

trying to think of new things to give my 7month old son. My mum told me that she thinks he wouldnt be allowed corned beef. Does anyone know?

I don't think your HV is explaining very well. Stronger flavours doesn't have to mean salty: things like parsnip, broccoli, kiwi fruit etc., are quite strong flavours to a baby (when you think they start on baby rice, pureed apple etc.) You can use garlic, and herbs and spices, even mild curry flavours - just avoid the salt. When I started ds2 on lumpier food I tended to give him what we were having, but mashed up. So if we had a roast dinner I would cook all the vegetables without salt, then I would chop up the meat finely in the food processor (meat is hard to eat with no teeth!), and mix it with the lumpy vegetables, then add a bit of very watery gravy (didn't buy baby gravy, just made very watered down gravy with the vegetable water). Pasta is good too - something like spaghetti bolognese, make it without salt and add salt to your own serving if it tastes too bland to you. Cauliflower cheese is another good one, as is macaroni cheese.

Is he having finger foods as well now?

The Annabel Karmel books are very good, btw.

Is that the salt content? crikey. I feel really thick. I have no idea about this. I cant believe i have fed him it. He has only had it twice.Know one i have talked to thought anything of it. Much loved meal in North East Scotland, will definitley being talking to hv at his assessment next week. i trusted her to know

Try giving him some finger food, SJM - DS has always had finger food, right from when he first started having food.

And remember things like rice, couscous (as Twiglett said further down this thread), pasta (either mash it or give it to him to explore - penne and rigatone are good for this). If you make something with lo-salt stock and decent meat/veg that's good - or a cheese sauce with cauliflower/broccoli maybe.

sorry samanthajm - have felt exactly the same about my dd and am honestly not trying to be nasty. Just annoys me how much cr*p there is out there with no warning about it. If you want a bit of help with cooking, can't recommend this book highly enough (there's a baby one too but toddler one should be ok for your ds) - its fab. There's another one I have that is great for food info but I'll wake dd up if I get it now, so will post the name tommorrow.

i knew what she meant about stronger flavours and the dangers of salt but like i said didnt think anything wrong with cb (stupidly) and it has stronger flavours. He loves macaroni and bolognaise as long as the mince is from butcher as it is finer minced.he is lazy with food and doesnt really chew it before he swallows.He loves finger food (breadsticks and cheesy toast are his favourite)

sorry sjm - have probably been a bit full-on, hard to ignore HV advice sometimes. But if you use 'from scratch' foods, ie not out of a tin, and look on tins etc at the sodium content, times by 2.5 for salt content, you should be ok. There are some excellent books out there, really opnened my eyes.

You're not thick! No-one teaches you this stuff and it's not inbuilt knowledge that comes with parenthood. You asked your HV and she gave you dodgy information. They do that. Read your Annable Karmel book and see what they've got at your local library - ther are loads of cook books for babies and children.

SJM, it sounds like you're doing a fantastic job - it's not your fault you were given dodgy advice.

thanks would appreciate it and that book looks good.he enjoys pasta and ive always gaven him finger food even though most of it usually gets squashed in his hand in his hurry to get it into his mouth.sometimes i understand why people choose jar and packets at least you know its designed for your baby.its a disgrace how little info you get on food

thanks H, im still rather angry that i have to find out on here rather than from my hv. I thought she sounded hesitant when i asked her but never thought she would agree or less it was ok.he loves fruit and i was safe with that and veg but she told me he had to have protein every day so apart from cheese i had to go onto meat and thats where i got stuck with cb as he doesnt seem to like chicken

Having no idea what a gram of salt looks like thought I'd weigh it out - 2g is the equivalent of about one quarter of a teaspoon. Doesn't sound like much but is 10 times more than I'd add to my own food. Quite scary to see it actually. Thanks for all this info - will definitely be looking for reduced fat and salt variety for myself.

If I gave my baby 25g of corned beef + the amt of potatoes that got mixed in with the corned beef that would be him stuffed for the whole day. never mind having to bother with any milk!

I think that as baby food, a bit of milk would also be added to take it to baby food consistency as well hence further reduction in the salt content. The first baby foods came from the family pot but altered a bit so baby could have it. (back in the really old days, mum would chew it and pass it on to baby to swallow)

I can't see really the necessity of bottled baby foods - from that the the conglomerates have got us to think that there must be 'children's food' too. Which got us in the mess that JO is ranting about anyway.

Samantha came here for some advice and we are driving her off. Isn't it nice that she is enquiring from people who she has a good opinion on? It is unfortunate that we cannot all count on our families for the best advice but as I remember right, that was one of the reasons behind the founding of MN.

It is a total disgrace, no wonder Jamie Oliver is having a hard time, no one cares what kids eat these days.

SJM, can't do it tonight, am a bit knackered but tommorrow would be happy to email you some recipes/ideas for meals I've found really good for dd if that would help. You can probably find a lot on the food board but not sure what's on there without trawling.

Samanthajm, you sound like you are getting there just fine (don't worry about the odd time or two). This baby malarky is a real learning curve isn't it? I have convinced myself that DS is losing weight and so I am now thinking of upping his food, this morning I attempted weetabix . . . it was a laugh a minute - not!

I just stick the Mumsnet Mantra - it is just a phase, just a phase (rather like clicking your heels 3 times!)

Sam, sweetheart - he's only a little baby. He's not lazy with food - he just isn't used to it yet.

You sound a lovely mum who is trying very hard to do the best for her little man

We don't all get it right all the time - so please don't feel bad about it!

Like the other mums here - I would stick to less salty and fatty food for now, there will be plenty of time to share your love of food with him as he gets older.

Sorry if I came across as too scathing of corned beef - but as my children are of school age now, 7 months seems like the tinest of babes to me and I can't imagine feeding a little one like that with corned beef! However you've only given it to him twice - thats not going to have done him any harm. On the other hand, I would lay off giving him it again til he's a good bit older

thanks for all the advice. Panicked a bit when i first came back on and read the replies.Dont want to do it wrong and my parents think its all a carry on so its nice to know what everyone else thinks.one thing about all this is that im becoming healthier as ive never cooked so many veg and eaten so many fruit but for now we will stay off corned beef even though i do agree slightly with my parents.They had none of this and their three children are very healthy while my sis did all this and her son was diabetic at two.im just not sure how much is being to protective rather than just enjoying things with him.

Tentative question, is jar food bad then? I really have no time to home cook as I work full time. (sorry to hijack your thread Samanthajm)

Libb, my ds started losing weight last month and i wondered if it was my food!! he is a big boy.He loves weetabix but doesnt like it being peeled of his face.He now prefers readybreak.Ive had to started making it with formula milk as cows milk seems to have given him slight reflux back.

Not hijacking but a very brave question,lol. i know a lot of friends that are in your position and give their babies jars etc and they are the picture of health.its a similiar debate to formula and bf i think

oh gawd, I hope not!! please forget I asked . . .

Thanks Alux for a different side on it. Could be done with you in my house most days as i go daft with all the different advise and opinions you get.Everyone has a different view and my mum always comes back to "it didnt do us or you any harm" what can u say back???

FWIW I don't think jar foods are "bad", but with home cooked you have the advantage of 100% control of ingredients, you can do it cheaper, and your child gets used to your kind of cooking, rather than have to adapt all over again once they are off the jars (which all seem to have a similar blandness). Knew a few children who refused home cooked food for ages having been weaned on jars - and who needs more stress?

you say about getting use to your cooking etc but ive often thought that the things i cook for my ds like butternot squash is something i wouldnt make for the rest of us as i dont like its taste so even though he gets use to that now he wont probably get it when he is eating like us. The same with a few others

I give DS cheese (lil moo cheese sticks) - it's plain cheese (organic admittedly - I'm like that ). Just cheese. Cheese. Not once, not twice but three times I've been asked by different people whether it's "special baby cheese". Quite what they'd have to do to it to make it special baby cheese, I have no idea!

When I've asked them, they have no idea either - it's just a form of brainwashing!

i might try cheese sticks as he loves cheese