On the go meals for 8 month old

[Kaaldane]

Hi, after some ideas please on meals to take out with you for an 8 month old. Particularly lunch. Struggling to find things when out and don’t want to just load her up with baby snacks

we’re doing pureed and building up along side some baby led so shes having both.

She can have most things but without added sugar/ salt. Cook casserole without seasoning, Puree, freeze extra and use that. Baby rice plus veg.

Little sandwiches - cream cheese, smooth peanut butter, houmous.

We used pouches and jars for weaning - so easy

Out and about the OP said.

It literally says it in the title 😂

Are you comfortable with finger food @Kaaldane ? I find you can’t go wrong with cheese.

Omelette made in advance (obviously 😂) and then cut into finger slices.

Bread sticks dipped in cream cheese

Peanut or other nut butter spread on a wrap and cut into little pinwheels which they invariably end up sucking away on.

Homemade oaty bars - oats, banana, nut butter plus whatever else and you get loads of nutritious stuff in

I used to just get those glass jars and feed DD them. And milk in cartoons. And bananas.

I'm going to assume OP is not asking for baby jar food or baby pouch recommendations 🤔

Enjoy this stage and stuff them full of goodness! I use to cook a piece of French bread and give it as picnic food at the beach. You could make it healthier, banana and cinnamon eggy bread with some chia seeds in mix. Omelettes, mini pasta with homemade sauce?

I’ve had 3 childern, and used 3 pack meals…beef casserole while travelling, toddler refused. A pear sachet for a 7month old again travelling…refused. And a tomato pasta at a friends house…ate …himself while friend fed each spoonful to keep child clean 🙄. Sorry too much wine. I feed them shite now… one is mega fussy, one good and one eats everything. But seriously packets, sachets and jars…that’s not food. Cook and freeze tiny portions…sorted!

I don’t think the OP wanted or needed a ticking off for pouches or jars.

She was looking for ideas when she’s at the park or having a day out.

I just gave a bit of whatever I was eating either by spoon or finger food.

DT’s were weaned on jars and pouches because it made things easy (was working full time from when they were six months) and I didn’t want the mess of blw. They have grown up liking everything - I’ve no time for fussy eaters. Always only offered one meal.

Literally nobody has given her a ticking off but since pouches simply involve 'go to shop, purchase pouches' I assume she didn't start a thread looking for advice on that but for ideas other than pouches?

But seriously packets, sachets and jars…that’s not food. Cook and freeze tiny portions…sorted!

Looks like a ticking off to me

But even if it isn’t, it’s not exactly practical to take a frozen portion of chilli con carne to the park, is it?

Small sandwiches with soft cheese, hummus or peanut butter.
A banana mashed up just before eating (take a fork and bowl)
Home made savoury muffins or scones
Also an occasional pouch on the go won't do any harm

This is such a good question and interested in ideas too for more variety of out and about food 🙂

My suggestions:

Toast, crusts removed and cut into finger-sized strips. I know cold toast sounds unappetising to us as adults, but baby likes it and very convenient to carry around

Cucumber fingers (with cream cheese if you have an ice pack)

Banana - the ultimate no-prep food IMHO

Not specifically related to this question but I highly recommend the solid starts app for advice on how to prep each food in a safe shape for baby’s age

Healthy pancakes, healthy egg cheese and spinach muffins, yoghurt, chopped fruit

Difficult of you're doing purées only and you'll be out as I assume you won't have any facilities for warming up?

Ax they only need to be offered food twice a day at this age, could you offer finder foods and whatever milk they have when you're out and purées when you're at home?

Yes - homemade purees, heated and kept warm in a little thermos.

Pitta bread spread with hummus and sliced into strips along with cucumbers

Shop bought frittata again cut into strips or make your own omelette

Baby pancakes

Homemade vegetable muffins or sheet tray bakes (I used to do a tuna and sweetcorn one loads at that age or berries for sweet ones, from the what mummy makes recipe book)

Cold pasta

Snacks - bananas (no need to mush!), other fruit in pots, rice cakes, cucumber sticks

When DD was a baby most lunches would be out and about as I would always plan to be out for the morning, have lunch wherever we happened to be then she could sleep in the car/ moving pram on way home and there was a chance she might stay that way for a bit once home!

I used to make batches of savoury muffins - the smoky chickpea ones from one of the What Mummy Makes books were a favourite. Or I’d do fingers of stuff like sweet potato or carrot - cooked so really soft but still just enough to hold their shape. A little pot of yoghurt with a spoon and some squished blueberries or raspberries or with a bit of banana. Pasta cooked till really soft and cooled. Mash some avocado, or I’d do sweet potato and butter bean mash and top with a little grated cheese and take that in a little pot with a spoon. Different toast/ bread toppers - tuna blitzed with yoghurt and squeeze of lemon juice, mashed avocado again, cream cheese, hummus. Fingers of omelette/ frittata.

I used to make most evening meals with a view to having something that could be used for the next day’s lunch too.

I didn’t do this then, but we did later get a mini thermos which is great if you want to do warm stuff and take that with you. However at 8 months DD was happy to eat most things cold anyway.

Again, not something I did but I know you can get your own refillable pouches so if you’re making any purée you can fill one of those for the next day too - or just bung yoghurt in.

This has been a really useful thread thanks all