It is "bad" to give DD (8 months) predominantly Hipp Organic jars

[pamelat]

Breakfast she has weetabix, porridge or toast and milk

Lunch and tea are Hipp Organic jars and fruit, banana, melon etc.

I used to make her lunch and tea but the jars dont seem to contain any salt or sugar? I feel a bit like a "bad" mum.

I just wanted to wait until 9 months to move her to lumpier food, when she can basically then eat whatever we eat?

I am a rubbish cook. My DH cooks for us but he has made several dishes for her too and found it takes along time for very little gain?

Any simple bulk recipes?

she can eat what you eat now... www.babyledweaning.com

pasta with some grated cheese, or a veggie/ tomatoey sauce, thick soup with toast fingers to dip, chunks of steamed veg.

jars are ok, but they can be bland and uninspiring...

just do whatever you are having and mush or whizz as necessary if you want to go the 'old-fashioned way'. otherwise, what she ^^ said!

oh, and there's also a danger they'll turn her orange if she only likes the carroty/ tomatoey ones lol...

If she is able to eat toast she is probably ready for more solid food at other meals as well!

DD has what we have. Breakfast same as you give, she has bread and cheese and a banana of something at lunch and then bits of what we are having for supper. When DD was age of your DD I would cut it into manageable chunks and she would nibble/chuck onto ground. See how you get on. If she won't eat like that then at least you've tried and you can always fall back on the jars.

Also, you don't need to cook with salt etc. If you want it you can always add it later or take some out for her before you season. Don't worry too much she needs to fit in with the food that you have in your household at some point!

Give her what you have.

Best if you avoid very processed stuff but otherwise she should be fine.
I wouldn;t even mush it up if she manages toast etc.

I wouldn't worry too much. As long as she's getting enough milk and enough variety. I think the important thing is texture and exploration at this stage, so as long as your lo's happy and healthy, you're not being a bad mother. Jeez, there are far worse things than Hipp Organic, and you're right to avoid salt and sugar. If you think you're being too limited, but can't cook, just expand the old finger food repertoire. You could cook up some pasta shapes and cover in jarred purée and serve up for her to pick up. My daughter loves to eat this way. Good luck, and enjoy.

Also remember she's not a gourmet! She's only just starting food and so won't know or mind if your food isn't restaurant standard!

At 9mo brocolli florets and carrot sticks, boiled, were a top supper. She has always loved cheese. Scrambled egg is easy but messy. DD has also always liked tinned sardines which are v nutritious and dead easy!

If DH is the cook ask him to make a big stew or bolognaise or pie with loads of veg in it for the family then just pick chunky bits out for DD and/or mash it up a bit and feed her. Then you can also heat it up for lunch next day or whenever you need it.

HTH

IMHO Jars aren't really the issue, I'd say you'd definitely need to introduce lumpy foods and finger foods asap as it seems that babies have more issues on the transition to lumps the older they are. Why are you waiting until 9 months?

I read that 7 months old is "learning to chew" and then more lumpy stuff at 9 months (I now cant even remember where I heard that)

She has bananas etc and the jars are level 2 (so from 7 months of age, that was only 3 weeks ago)

Gave her scrambled egg today and she loved it. It didnt really stay on the toast but it was fun! I can't imagine her turning her nose up at many things.

If you ever have "bad" food, such as sausages and mash, would you give your DD that at 8 months?

I think we have been too careful to only buy organic and never introduce salt. She has had sugar as she has those petit filous deserts.

I don't really understand what's meant by lumpy food as DS eats what we eats. Isn't level 2 lumpy? Sounds fun with the scrambled egg, I give DS omelette with veg in, he loves that too.

I've given sausages and mash already (when DS was 7 MO), mash definitely isn't 'bad' unless you add salt whilst cooking, and I got the sausages from a local butcher who assured me they didn't put salt in.

To be really honest with you I'd much rather stay away from sugary yoghurt like petit filous (which has one teaspoon per pot!), as there are yoghurts out there without any added sugar. Also I don't buy organic - apart from dairy products I don't believe that it's that important to get organic over ordinary.

I would have fed (and probably did feed!) DD sausages and mash at 8 months. I would normally do some veg as well eg carrot brocolli or whatever to make it feel a bit better and to give her (and us!) some roughage and vits etc!

Scrambled egg sounds fab DD loves it!

thank you, I suppose by "lumpy" I was thinking of mashed potato etc. The level 2 "learning to chew" jars have bits of pasta and potato but its not really lumpy. You could just swallow them (she doesn't have any teeth yet)

Right, will move her on to more adult food!

One last question please, with things like beans on toast, can you buy baked beans without salt? I could only see reduced salt

My DD is 8.5 months and eats what we eat, she even had a roast dinner sunday, cut up very small,she sat at the dinner table with us (in her highchair of course) she had roast chicken, potatoes, carrots and cabbage.

Its very rare she dosent have what we have unless we are having takeaway. (too much salt and crap for my liking)

Tonight she's got gineau foul .

You can buy reduced salt and sugar baked beans. I got these small tins from Tescos. I buy these for DD she has this on toast (making the toast more moist and chewable) she feeds herself mostly everything. I do feed her ready brek in the mornings, that stuff gets EEVRYWHERE. She hasn't mastered spoon to mouth and keeping food on the spoon at the same time so she feeds herself with her hands.
I always dish up extra food for her as inevitably alot ends up on the floor.

Its so much easier when we are out too. We went out last week and they had a food hall, DP got her a bowl of pasta, cut it up small for her and she ate it, its easier than trying to find somewhere that will heat up a jar of food, then your food is getting cold whilst you feed her.

Good question, I don't think you can get beans without salt, the Heinz reduced salt ones have 50 per cent less salt and 25 per cent less sugar than standard beans- I guess it's all about quantity isn't it? If you have a quarter of a tin that doesn't seem so bad? It's sad, now I'm thinking whether you could make your own baked beans from scratch... sad eh?!

Beans are easy to make but they do have sugar.

1 tin haricot beans
I tin toms
I onion
1-2 tsp brown sugar
pinch mustard powder

Fry chopped onion with sugar and mustard. add tin toms. blend if you want it to look like heinz. add beans. very nice with some ground coriander and chili too.

No reason for her to not have lumps until 9 months. It will do more harm than good.

I have never seen baked beans without salt but I buy Whole Earth organic beans and they have no sugar or artificial sweetener (which I would be much more wary of giving to a baby than sugar or salt TBH). The Heinz reduced sugar and salt ones have no sweetener added.

The problem with jars in my opinion is that they are so bland that unless they are supplemented with lots of normal tasting food you can end up with a child who will only eat bland, processed tasting food.