Snacks for baby when out and about?

[charcb]

I’m not very sure how to feed baby when out and about? He’s 6 m only just started eating and is very messy. We do a mix of purée and blw. When we go out walking for example on weekends husband and I would get lunch out and about and I feel bad not to give him anything. What can I pack that’s an easy finger food for him to eat that isn’t too messy? Many of the shop bought snacks are too high in salt /
Sugar. Would I take the bib etc and just give him normal food id give at home? Or wait to feed him when out until he’s better at feeding? Or find appropriate non messy snacks? Ideas? Xxx

@weegiemum

All 3 of mine used to eat french toast fingers when we were out. It became known as mummy's special bread and dd1 took it in her packed lunch when she started school!

Yummy. Does this hold well when having been cooked several hours before? Xx

Banana, little pots of chopped cheese, cucumber sticks, fruit, etc.

I don’t worry about the salt in bread, cheese etc

But I wouldn’t use a jar of curry or tomato sauce, as they all contain loads of salt. Start making own for everyone.

Ds favourite is just roasted veg ( onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes) add tin tomatoes and blend. Add oregano. Add salt to adult dishes after serving if you want.

Out and about: cream cheese sandwiches, banana, raspberries, rice cake, all fairly clean and easy to take. In restaurants usually something else you can add from own plates

I tend to make my own pasta sauce. Super easy to do with some tinned chopped tomato, onion, garlic, mixed herbs and some tomato purée. Chuck in a stock cube for whatever meat you might be having with it.

For curry I just use curry powder. My two love a lentil and butternut curry from slimming world.

Avoid ready made jars of sauces, they tend to have unnecessary salt and sugar. Do you have any baby recipe books? I recommend how to wean your baby by Charlotte Stirling Reed.

Btw for later on I have the stasher bags which are fantastic to take snacks out :) it's a great way of getting them used to certain foods because if they're hungry in the park they either eat cucumber and peach slices or they have to wait until they get home 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Caspianberg

I don’t worry about the salt in bread, cheese etc

But I wouldn’t use a jar of curry or tomato sauce, as they all contain loads of salt. Start making own for everyone.

Ds favourite is just roasted veg ( onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes) add tin tomatoes and blend. Add oregano. Add salt to adult dishes after serving if you want.

Out and about: cream cheese sandwiches, banana, raspberries, rice cake, all fairly clean and easy to take. In restaurants usually something else you can add from own plates

I'll try your roasted veg sauce. Sounds yummy!

@thebigpurpleone

Avoid ready made jars of sauces, they tend to have unnecessary salt and sugar. Do you have any baby recipe books? I recommend how to wean your baby by Charlotte Stirling Reed.

I got what mummy makes from the library and will try out some of her recipes soon!

@grey12

Btw for later on I have the stasher bags which are fantastic to take snacks out :) it's a great way of getting them used to certain foods because if they're hungry in the park they either eat cucumber and peach slices or they have to wait until they get home 🤷🏻‍♀️

My main question with this is how do you manage for your child to stay clean after you give them for example cucumber or peach on the go? Would I need to bring spare clothes to make sure they're dry? (Mine is only a baby so who knows.. maybe they aren't as messy after a while and you can manage these foods without having to change?)

For us it was breadsticks, rice cakes or banana when out and about for snacks.

I am not fan of readymade food or snacks like melty sticks but some people like them!

When it was lunch time I had with me whatever I had prepared for him to had for lunch/dinner at home, but in a puree version, not BLW.

Chicken with rice and tomato sauce, cooked green beans, lentils, pasta, potatoes, meat balls, whatever I had cooked but in puree.

If you care about the mess either take a bib or a change of clothes. I usually just leave DS if he's not that bad (cucumber, strawberries etc - looks messy but he's actually still pretty comfy). If I've given him something with tomato sauce I'd Curran him up properly.

A lot of the suggestions here are great. I'd add that I keep a packet of "baby wotsits" and a couple of those fruit wafers - the low sugar kind - in my changing bag. I also always have a clean bottle and some ready to feed milk. I'll always try to make something or find a shop with a banana and plan my day right but every now and again I'm out longer than I expect and I need to cobble together something to keep him going - sitting at the GP for over 90 minutes or stuck in a jam on the motorway for example. One other "hack" is to take some cucumber of you're going out for lunch and planning to share with baby - sometimes it takes ages to arrive and some cucumber will keep them occupied for a surprisingly long time!