I know a few Moms. I didn’t know any before I was a Mom (ok, except for family members). Some of the Moms I know seemed to be a little too eager to start their babies on solids… and in the UK it seems it all starts with baby rice.
I like to think of myself as a nature Mom. I breastfed my kids until they were 16 months old. They started eating solids at 6 months, not before… by the book.
I am not a fan of baby rice. I’m not a fan of bottled food. I’m not a fan of baby biscuits and anything for babies that comes packaged in pretty glass packaging. Call me a fanatic if you wish. I’m as stubborn about this as I can be.
My kids are weaned by me, not by the baby food industry. And (so far), my kids have no food allergies, no illnesses of note (apart from colds and flu in the winter), no skin problems.
I started giving them vitamins when they were 6 months old. And they still take them every day.
I start with fruit and vegetables (one at a time to rule out allergies) that I cook and blend. I make lots and put it in the freezer in ice cubes. I take what I need for a meal and I thaw it in a bowl of boiled water. After a month or so I start using the microwave to warm it up.
Apples, carrots, pears (not cooked), parsnips, bananas (not cooked), squashs, courgettes, leeks, broccoli, spinach, peas, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, avocado, etc, etc… And the carbs – sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice, millet, oats, bulgur wheat, buckwheat, etc, etc… and the protein – white fish, salmon, tuna, sardines, chicken, cheese, yogurt; not forgetting the complex carbohydrates – quinoa, chickpeas, beans, lentils…
I follow some simple rules for their diet. Breakfast is normally porridge (made with organic oats) with fresh fruit and a bit of soya milk, although I only start adding the milk after they’re 1 year old.
When they are older than 1, I also add a tablespoon of ground seeds to their porridge (2 parts linseed, 1 part sunflower seeds, 1 part pumpkin seeds, 1 part sesame seeds).
For main meals: the plate is split as ¼ carbohydrates, ¼ protein and ½ vegetables (generally 2 different veg to make it fun), so for example, fish, sweet potatoes, peas and sweetcorn (a favourite around here). If I’m using complex carbs, then I use 2 instead of the carb/protein combination, so for example quinoa and lentils plus 2 veg.
Snacks are normally fruit with some protein – yogurt, cheese, nuts (when they’re a bit older). I also give them oatcakes or rice cakes at snack times with cheese, avocado or hummus. Carrots with hummus is another favourite. I give them toast too (toast with avo is a favourite) but no sugary biscuits or crisps in our cupboards. Sorry.
If you’re keen on finding out more, my diet decisions are based on the wisdom of this man – Patrick Holford. A British nutritionist that I am a fan of. Look him up if you’re curious. He has published books about many health topics.
One of these days, I was with a group of Moms whilst feeding Miss A her dinner. She was commenting that Miss A is a very good eater. My sister-in-law confirmed that my kids are very good eaters. Mom friend says “well, that’s lucky, you can’t really teach them to be good eaters”, to which I made a funny face. “Really?” she said “so what do you do if they don’t like it and spit it out?”. “I put it back in”, I said 🙂
The easiest time to get kids to be good eaters is when you’re first weaning them. Their taste buds are not fussy yet and they’ll eat just about anything (ok, ok, maybe there’s some exceptions). I try to get as many different foods into them as soon as possible (all healthy stuff). And I don’t mix them together!!! (that is one of the reasons I hate bottled food). I want them to know the tastes of each thing – not the taste of broccoli mixed with carrots and apples. If everything you give them tastes of apples, guess what, you’re in for a treat with a very fussy eater.
As usual, I make the efforts from the word go and I reap the benefits later 🙂
You may be wondering why I’m not listing milk – as in cow’s milk – well, that’s because milk is not part of my kids diet. Never has, never will be (if I have my way that is)… but I’ll leave that topic for another post.