Freezing food for holiday…weaning help needed!

[HavingFaith]

Hi,

We’re going away in a few weeks with our 7month old DS. He is on three meals a day but most chunky ‘purées’ and the odd bit of finger food.

We’re going self-catering so will have a full kitchen but I don’t want to spend my holiday steaming and blending so was thinking to batch cook his lunch and dinners, freeze them and then pack them with ice packs etc in my suitcase…is that silly? The flight is about 4ish hours. Would the food stay frozen so I can just transfer it to our freezer in the apartment? He has weetabix or oats for breakfast so that’s easy to just do each morning.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated. If this sounds like a stupid idea then forgive a first time mum just trying to figure it all out!

thanks x

Just buy jars/pouches for the holiday? And increase his finger food to make things easier.

I don’t think it will stay cold and you can’t re freeze it.

You’d be better off giving him what you have, smooshed up if need be

Just give him finger food or mash up stuff you're eating. Nothing frozen is going to survive the travel time unless you pack it in nitrous oxide.

Babies don't need purées

Lol liquid nitrogen, not laughing gas

Could you just ditch the purees and feed him bits of what you're having?

Really recommend solid starts free app which describes the safest way to serve 1000's of foods by age.

We went on holiday when DS was weaning though hotel not self catered. I took a box of his porridge to make up at breakfast time - he had toast, yoghurt and fruit etc from the buffet. I also took enough pouches for his lunches and dinners then he also had finger food/ tried our food also. The box of pouches was pretty heavy for the week but split it across the suitcases and it worked well!

Also took his perfect prep machine and milk (reflux formula so no pre made bottles) plus bags for sterilization with a microwave. If you need to make up formula/ give water then Evian has a low sodium content which is fine to give at that age.

This way madness lies.

Buy some Ella's pouches and stick them in your suitcase. Top up with bits of whatever you're eating.

We bought pouches and jars from the supermarkets where we we’re staying. Ended up bringing some home as DT’s liked the different local range so much.

I doubt it would stay completely frozen, plus it would be really heavy taking ice packs and a load of frozen food.

take some punches of food, and have a mixture of those plus what you’re having.

Absolute madness. Surely the baby will eat some component of what you eat? Smush it up if need be?

We’ve travelled massively with our current 7 yo since he was 6 months owing to my work , and now also the 3 year old, but all baby/toddler meals have been whatever we were having.

It won’t stay frozen - don’t go there. Local supermarkets and/or a few pouches to tide you over.

when DS was about 8 months I had to take him to Japan (long story). They have bananas … it was difficult to work out what was what, but fruit and hotel breakfasts were great. He also tried a few interesting things. He survived and is now 18 and 6 foot!

enjoy your holiday!

Don't do it.
Take his breakfast. Buy him fruit. Mush up your meal with a fork, and feed it to him. Have some jars for the days your food is unsuitable. Load him up on finger foods.
He'll be fine.

Surely that will weigh a ton? You'll use up half of your luggage allowance on food that can't be re-frozen.

Just buy pouches when you get there and finger food.

There are also restrictions on what food you can take abroad, so you would have to carefully follow guidelines or risk it being confiscated if found.

As others have said, just vary the foods you offer for the week to include easy things e.g. avocado, banana, parts of your meals, toast etc or buy pouches.

I was like you. I remember arriving at my holiday place and steaming vegetables so I could puree them in ice trays.

I look back and think what was I thinking?! Pouches all the way (it was more the diarrhoea coloured food jars back then which weren't so appetising). One week is a drop in the ocean if they're fed well at home.

Thanks for all the suggestions - I’ll pick up some pouches and give those a try and bring some with us. DS was extremely premature so the guidance is to be super, super careful and slow with introducing finger foods which is why it isn’t quite as straightforward for a baby born at term.
But I’m certain this is all just another thing I’m overthinking ha.

Just Mash up what you are having take your blender and pouches , if he was prem but managing 3 pureed meals a day then he's doing grand 😃

I was worried about this when we travelled at 8 months but it wasn't as bad as I thought. We mostly did what PP suggested and mashed up some of our food alongside fingerfood. At 7-8 months they also don't need 3 meals a day so we didn't worry too much if she missed a meal or didn't eat much. She really went off food for the first bit of the holiday, not sure if it was due to time difference, unfamiliar surroundings or just not being comfortable in different high chairs etc. If you really need to it's quite quick to steam veges in a tupperware in the microwave, only takes a couple of minutes. Fruit, avocado and yoghurt are also good no cook options.