Introducing desserts & weaning

[CJ98]

My daughter is about to turn 7 months and we’ve been weaning her for a couple months, we’ve mainly been focusing on savoury items & meals. I was just wondering when can I add in desserts and sweet treats. Do I give her one after her evening meal ?
We normally give her a meal at around 5pm and that’s her main meal for the day.
We really struggle with getting a morning meal (as in breakfast) & so we are currently just sticking with a bottle for the moment.
over the last few weeks I’ve been giving her a meal around dinner time rather than a bottle which has been something like a pasta meal & if she shows signs of being hungry after that meal I’ll give her something like an Ella’s kitchen melty stick that she can snack on.
I was just wondering if I can give her a dessert after her main evening meal or am I best to leave it if she’s having a dinner meal and an evening meal. Or when did everyone introduce desserts ? How am I best to introduce these to her meals so that she’s experiencing sweet and savoury meals ?
when I say desserts im talking custards, rice puddings, baby fruit crumble etc…

Nothing wrong with the odd pouch but they should also know what real food looks and tastes like. There’s loads of quick stuff you can make when you’re time strapped- something on toast (peanut butter, avocado, mashed banana), eggs, microwave porridge, pasta (orzo is v good for this age as doesn’t need blending), crudités e.g. chopped cucumber or pepper. I’m not particularly strict, I’d let them have pudding if there was something homemade everyone else was having like my mum did a crumble after Sunday lunch, but I wouldn’t be giving puddings on the regular beyond natural yoghurt with a blob of fruit puree. A 7MO doesn’t need snacks- you’re looking at probably around 10 months for that, when the daytime milk feeds start dropping and even then I’d keep the melty sticks for when we’re out as whilst they certainly have no nutritional advantage you can’t argue with the fact that they last forever at the bottom of your bag!

Sorry OP, but your daughter is only 6 months old, about to be 7 months, she needs better food. Stop the snacks - it doesn't matter if you found them in the baby aisle in the supermarket, they're heavily processed and unnecessary, especially at this age. Just feed your baby actual, real food. It doesn't even need to be a complete meal at this age - some strips of roast chicken, a piece of broccoli, a strip of cheese. That's enough for a meal. Or some scrambled egg and a soldier of toast. It's just about exploring tastes and textures. It takes less than 5 minutes to throw something together for them when they're this little. Time is not an excuse. You are establishing the foundations of a lifelong relationship with food, so stop the snacks, limit the pouches, and show your daughter what eating actual food is about

What will you do about cooking for her when she's too old for baby food? Does throwing some veg and pasta together really take longer than waiting for a take away?

Haha, my DS is nearly 4 and he still doesn't know about pudding. He also thinks we only have chocolate biscuits in the house when we're having friends over.

This is mental. A 7 month old having chocolate buttons. And I am relaxed, particularly with my 2nd. He's nearly two and he might be allowed a choc button occasionally.

Pouches have a place, but you obviously need to teach your child how to eat real food. But the biggest problem you are going to have is that pouches taste like crap. Your baby might like them now but if you intro dessert and chocolate and your baby begins to expect it every night then they will probably not eat much else. Don't create a problem for yourself

Or you could literally make them some food? Stew some apple. Mash a banana. Radical I know but...

You need to make it at the weekend and freeze it. In baby sized portions. Use it as a catalyst for you both to eat better. You should not be living off pizza and takeout! General rule was whatever you're having but with no salt added. So potato, meat, vegetables, make it for you all and add your seasoning after you've portioned baby's up. Or whatever your preferred meal is. Stews. Casseroles. Cottage pie. Fish dishes. Search online for meals for you and baby. Time for a change. 😊

Greek yogurt and fruit for pudding. That's all we regularly have in our house. When we visit the GPs the 3.5 yo gets pudding (which is usually a homemade crumble or something) but the 14 mo still only gets yogurt.

Either batch cook at the weekend, or take it in turns to cook each night. As a pp said, cook for yourselves, and portion off a couple of servings into some tubs for your baby. That way you have tomorrow’s dinner for her sorted. Eventually you’ll have a stash in the freezer for the nights when you order in, but baby still gets a nutritious meal.

Back in the day, I’d make one pot meals (chicken cacciatore was a fave) because you’ve got your protein and veg in the one dish. I’d whizz up some for the babies, then season and serve ours.

No need for desserts at this age. Greek yoghurt and smooshed berries will do at some point.

One scrambled egg is a great quick go-to baby meal.

It was the one piece of advice I gave to my sister. I wish I had never given fruit to my weaning children, not until they were much older and no child needs chocolate at a young age. Veg, veg, veg. And I hated school meals that made pudding a daily option.

One thing that has really stuck with me all these years and it is so true, no one has ever said they have a fussy eater and all they want is spinach, kale and broccoli.

Batch cooking is really easy. There are lots of recipes and helpful videos on youtube ie The Batch Lady. Invest in a slow cooker and look up "dump dinner" recipes. You just need to get organised. One of you looks after the child and the other starts prepping food, you can tag team and swap over when needed.

Didn't give my kids anything sweet other than fruit or yogurt until well after two. Exception being they did have cake on their birthdays.

I think people are missing the post where it says the baby has already been fed biscuits and cake.

There could be a few days standoff where the baby holds out for more, and the processed puff things, but all the baby needs to be fed is food. No sugar is needed.

You could give her fruit and veg, it doesn't take long to steam it boil veg, toast with peanut butter, cheese on toast, scrambled eggs, pasta, omelette, is all quick to cook, strips of chicken, fish, frozen veg etc
Have a look at first steps nutrition website it's full of great information and has a healthy recipe book for little ones.
she doesnt need sugary puddings, and the pouches are mainly water so they need to eat a lot to get the calories they need so best saved for now and again.

I really think you need to go beyond pouches whether or not you are working. Quick ideas:

• vegetable purée (homemade can freeze)
• mash/ sweet mash/ cheesy mash
• grated cheese
• scrambled egg
• toast
• mashed banana and avocado
• peanut butter
• stewed apples
• natural yogurt
• pasta stars

Avoid the sweet treats and desserts as long as you possibly can.

There is no nutritional need for them.

End meals with a little cheese and fruit if you feel you must give her something.

On a weekend, cook half a packet of peas, a packet of chopped spinach, half a packet of frozen broccoli, half packet cauliflower, carrots, peppers.

Put the cooked veg into a blender (separately) and whiz. Put the purees into ice cube trays and cover with foil. Freeze. Defrost and warm up to serve. Meals for a week...
You can use Idahoan instant potato flakes to make mashed potatoes, and bake a sweet potato in the microwave during the week too.

It will take you less than half an hour to make the purees and instant mash takes no time, nor does microwaving a sweet potato.

I think you need to go back to the drawing board and look at infant nutrition.

No 7 month old needs chocolate or pudding.

If you're giving Ella's kitchen pouches they're mostly boiled blended fruit anyway.

Ask you health visitor 'when can I give the baby chocolate and puddings' and see what they say.

Nothing wrong with a mashed banana, stewed apple also cheaper than buying all this stuff. What do people think everyone did before they sold all these things.

You're getting a hard time here OP. Previous posters are right, but I think it's fair to say weaning can be stressful and making baby friendly meals as soon as you walk in from work does take some organising.

You really do need to try though. Advice to batch cook and freeze at the weekend is good.. and then just nuke it in the microwave.

Your baby is still very young and there's loads of time for broadening their diet to include puddings.you're really only supplementing their milk at this point so maybe slow down a little.

We didn’t do any sort of dessert item until the first birthday. Dc gets cake on the first birthday. That is the first sugary treat. that is why the first birthday cake is such a big deal.

My 2 year old still doesn't get any puddings, not even natural yoghurt or fruit, but she eats big portions so we don't eat after a meal
I'd recommend the what mummy makes book, quick and simple meals that last a couple of days as well or freeze :)

I don't think it takes much organising at all. A 7 month old baby is only just discovering food. Batch cook if you want but it's not necessary. I've never done batch cooking. I might freeze leftovers I've made in the slow cooker but that's about it.

Porridge/scrambled eggs/boiled egg with toast soldiers/weetabix/greek yoghurt and fruit/ sugar free pancakes, are all very easy things to make in the morning for everyone to eat and baby can easily explore some.

Lunches and dinners can be absolutely anything that you'd be eating yourself as long as it's not some frozen pizza or something cooked with lots of salt.

At 7 months old my child ate everything we ate: curry, risotto, bolognaise, roast dinner, pastas etc. Nothing salted, nothing too spicy, and everything served in an appropriate way.

Weaning is more about textures,and children taste buds are highly sensitive, so they are getting a really inpactful expirience from a wider range of veggies, fruits meat etc anyway, so no need for sweet treats.

https://mykidslickthebowl.com/muffins-for-baby-banana-blueberry/

I have been making these - or similar with carrot/cinnamon - since about 9 months.

Only takes about 25 minutes total and you get 30, I freeze all but a couple to eat straight away.

I come from an Eastern European country. At school from reception to graduation every pupil had a free meal prepared on school premises. It consisted of 2 courses- a soup as a starter and the main. We never had pudding at school.

At home I had chocolates 3 times a year on special occasions. A candy as a special treat. All the families I knew had this diet and no one questioned it. It was the norm. Sweets and cakes were reserved for special occasions.

You won't see many overweight people in my country of origin