Shop bought ingredients suitable for babies?

[charcb]

Hi everyone!
What would you recommend as ingredients that I can just buy straight off the shelf that I can use for baby feeding and to put together quick lunches and snacks? Here's the list I came up with so far - think these are okay but feel free to correct me??

Greek yogurt (to serve with mashed fruit)
Oatcakes (to serve with cream cheese / hummus / avocado)
Fish cans in water
Cans of fruit with no added sugar / in water, not syrup
Rice cakes (to serve with cream cheese / hummus / avocado)
Cous cous as a base for quick meals
Nut butters (to serve on bread or with banana)
Ready to use lentils
Pitta bread (for pitta pizza)

Is the baby vegetarian? How old are they?

Some oatcakes are quite salty. (It's really easy to make your own though and they keep well.)

When you say baby do you mean a 6mo or a 12mo? Different answers...

Mine always enjoyed breadsticks

Raisins are handy just to have in the cupboard too, depends on age though

Why canned fruit? Use fresh fruit.

Are you looking for easy? Or a range of textures..

Crackers

mozzarella cheese
banana
rice (rinse, don’t have often)
Porridge
Asda do baby pasta (tiny starts)
raspberrys
scooped avocado
occasional toasted waffles (in toaster)

Dried apricots- great for iron and less easy to choke on (a young one will just suck them to mush)

And cold meats that can be ripped (not stringy), like cold sand which chicken

Baked beans
Fish fingers
Bread
Mushy peas
Frozen cauliflower and broccoli

How old is the baby? If just weaning then I never restricted salt or sugar because 90% of the food I give DS is home made and I can’t stand salty or sweet food and he has always just eaten what we have. But if you’re going to be basing your meals on pre-made stuff then you may need to buy stuff specifically for babies - I hate suggesting this because I find it a waste of money so the more home made items you can give the better.

You can give them normal foods, just as you say choose versions which are less adulterated. So for example tuna in oil or spring water rather than brine. But even salty foods like bread, cheese etc are ok in moderation. Babies tend to eat such small portions to begin with that you don't really need to monitor it.

You can often buy jars or pots of fruit purée rather than the baby food jars. Check the ingredients for 100% fruit rather than ones with added juice or sugar.

Heinz do a reduced salt and sugar baked beans.

Potatoes are nice and easy. Stab a medium sized one with a fork and microwave for a quick jacket potato. You don't get crispy skin but they don't eat the skin to start with anyway.

Eggs

Eggs

Eggs are brilliant aren't they! Try one egg omelette, scrambled egg or eggy bread.

Thanks all lots of good ideas. Baby is 6
Months and just started weaning.

Just to clarify I wasn't intending his whole diet to be these foods. I'm just asking for things to have at home for quick lunches / snacks but planning on cooking proper meals too.

Don’t overthink it. Just give them normal foods, toast, bananas, cheese, crumpets etc

It can be quite hard to find unsalted rice cakes but they do them in lidl. Also the tesco free-from ones are unsalted too.

Kallo do unsalted rice cakes but they are expensive

Just a quick reminder that it's probably a good idea to wait to give egg, as in just egg, not cooked in as an ingredient for something else. Cooked into biscuits, cake etc is fine, but my paediatrician advised us to wait till after one for just egg, especially the whites. Obviously all babies are different and some will have no problems at all.

That is not the advice in the UK. They can have everything except honey from 6 months.

@BertieBotts

That is not the advice in the UK. They can have everything except honey from 6 months.

Is there not still advice to minimise salt?

No egg white or honey until 1 year
No meat/fish until 9/10 months
Avoid salt and added sugar as much as possible

For the first few months we did broccoli, carrots, courgettes, bread, fruit, yogurt, egg yolk (soldiers are a good idea), cheese. Starting slowly, one at a time ;)

Oh! And "baby cheetos" from Ella's are a huge saviour for out of the house snacks

@grey12

No egg white or honey until 1 year No meat/fish until 9/10 months Avoid salt and added sugar as much as possible

For the first few months we did broccoli, carrots, courgettes, bread, fruit, yogurt, egg yolk (soldiers are a good idea), cheese. Starting slowly, one at a time ;)

The only piece of advice you got correct there is salt / sugar / honey. Egg white, meat and fish and nuts should be introduced early so you can avoid long term allergies particularly if things like Asthma / ezcema / hayfever / autoimmune conditions run in the family.