Gina Ford/Annabel Karmel

[AllieM]

OK I'm ducking behind the parapet for even mentioning Ms Ford, but I find that both she and AK seem to be of the opinion that I will have oodles of time to cook lovely risottos and chicken stocks to make meals twice daily for my DS who is now 7 months. I am cooking all food for my DS (fruit and veg at the mo., in batches, to freeze - I do have a bit of a life outside the kitchen!), and feel happy doing so, but I draw the line at chaining myself to the cooker every day.

Any tips for continuing to cook and introduce new foods without becoming a galley slave?

Ta muchly!

My HV told me that I wasn't feeding my ds properly at 3 months and I was so upset and shamed that I went out and bought both The Contented Little Baby Book and the AK recipe book, both with some good suggestions for for babies, toddlers and older, but by and large I just gave my ds the same foods we were eating. I cooked meals that we could all eat, put some in a dish or on the tray of the highchair and let ds tuck in himself, and anything he didn't like he didn't eat (or went on the floor!)

Those books are ok and have some good advice but I personally would have gone absolutely mad if I'd taken them as seriously as my nasty HV told me to! Your ds also won't be malnourished or turn a funny shade of green if you give him food out of a jar ( shock horror! Mum in baby feeding scandal!)

The one bit of weaning advice I used as a rough guide was what kind of foods to introduce from what age, for example a three month old baby won't necessarily like the same foods as a one year old toddler, but it was only a rough guide. If you ds wants to taste what you're eating then, if it's soft enough, I'd let him. Trust your instincts, you know best! Honest!

Buy some jars?

At seven months babies should be capable of feeding or learning to feed themselves finger food - I hardly ever made anything special for DS (now 17 months) - he just had bits from our meals - no extra work at all. The only books I used were the cook books I already owned - just read the info I found on the web from places like the babyled weaning yahoo group.

keep on doing what you're doing!
batch cook and freeze! I make a lot of stews and things and dish ds some out before i add any stock etc. I will put a portion in the fridge and one or 2 in the freezer for another day.
so always think about what you're doing for yourself and whether you can adapt it for your ds.

also, do extra veg when you cook for yourself and pop it in the fridge.

easy things for when you can't be arsed:
scrambled eggs
avocado (just need to mash)
toast/bread and marmite
yoghurts (mums4 and little rachels have no sugar in)

God yes!!! Unless you have a strong objections to them, get some jars in! They don't really deserve the bad reputation they have and my ds loved them on the occasions he had them.

Not sure who wrote the book on how to be a perfect mother but whoever it was they obviously didn't have a life before having their children or else they wouldn't dedicate so much time and effort telling those of us who do naughty things (use food in a jar, disposable nappies, let their children watch the tv, that kinda thing) that we should be doing everything differently!

Wasn't there some report about the amount of pesticides and other yucky stuff used on most veg, that isn't allowed in baby food jars? effectively making them a healthy choice for babies?

or was I drunk and dreamt it?

Just give table scraps! Don't bother cooking things specially, just give your kid whatever you're eating. Much much less work.

i don't like the taste of jars... but used to use them as a stopgap if we got caught out anywhere.
however ds has now decided that he doesn't like them either! grrr

pesticides are not a problem if you buy organic!

I am put off jars myself by the smell but they are handy . They all seem so bland.

Agree that cooking is a PITA but I try to adapt our own evening meals and set some aside (esp as DH does most of the cooking

Perhaps I am too new to weaning but I get enjoyment out of making things that ds likes. I also continue to freeze in batches and stock up on quick things like avo and yoghurt and ripe fruit etc

With dd1 I followed GF religiously, hilariously so when I look back, but after I while I supplemented with my food (pasta/rice/potato dishes etc) and the odd jar.

Agree that jars smell foul, especially the cheese ones, but they are ideal for out and about and in emergencies at home.

I found that doing a 'cook-in' once a week at nap time was enough to do for the week, do quick stuff like cauli cheese, spag bog, tuna rice etc and shove them all in the freezer.

OK I have taken your advice and stocked up on some jars (organic ones) for over the Christmas period when we are travelling about as it saves having to find somewhere to defrost chunks of green and orange goo! But agree that it's a good idea to get them on to our food (unseasoned) as soon as is suitable. Also will try finger foods as suggested but may wait till DS is a little more used to lumpy bits; in the past week or so I've been introducing more lumpy stuff and it has provoked some very interesting faces.

You'd have laughed if you'd seen him when introduced to avocado. There I was all excited about something so nutritious and easy, fed it to the little scrap, and watched . . . . as he pulled the most disgusted face, retched, and just hung his mouth open as he fastidiously ejected all traces of it. It took him five minutes to get the last bit out from under his tongue but he wasn't having any of it!

Thanks everyone!

Happy Christmas!

Love

maybe i'm mad but with ds2 (now 8mths) the only way i survive is by batch cooking and putting stuff in the freezer. i cooked a bunch of meals one evening (it was a very late one!) and they've lasted a month. i just get what i need out the night before to defrost in the fridge. i use GF and AK recipes (only use AK one's that have less than 5 ingredients!) not a massive fan of jars more cause of the smell but ds1 loved them when he did have them.

Try avocado and banana as it is lovely.
French toast is easy.
Sugar free baked beans is easier
Fish fingers are ok too