Other iron rich meat besides liver for infant?

[tt7]

What other meats are iron rich, besides chicken liver (he doesn't like it)? And how do you cook/puree them? tx
(Grains are not an option)

[Rainbow2911]

Venison is iron rich and my kids enjoy it. If I'm cooking meat for small people then I usually stew it long and slow until it is really tender and puree it in some broth/sauce.
Hope you find something he enjoys!

[caedmyn]

All red meat is high in iron. Ground beef is generally tender enough for little ones to finger feed themselves as long as you don't over-brown it.

[Ruthla]

For a baby, I'd boil/simmer meat rather than browning it- cook it in water or broth so it's extra soft. Depending on whether you're planning to spoon-feed or encourage self feeding, I might shape the uncooked ground meat into "fingers" before cooking it, or puree it with a food processor, blender, or food mill after cooking.

[tt7]

I tried the chicken livers again and he was gagging with disgust(even pureed with coconut oil). FYI-He doesn't have teeth yet, so I puree and feed him with a spoon. I bought chuck meat and was thinking about stewing it, but how and in what kind of pan? So sorry to ask, but it seems that some pp say that liver is the only way to go and I feel like if I don't do the livers that I am a bad mom, but aren't there other meat options?. My son had such a rough start in life I just want to be extra careful. Thank you all, I am single mom so your experience and advice means the world to me and my son...

[Zenzero]

Originally Posted by tt7

He doesn't have teeth yet, so I puree and feed him with a spoon.

He doesn't need teeth to eat meat if it's soft enough! My DS has never been spoon fed or eaten purees and had meat from pretty much the beginning (6.5/7 months). How old is your wee one? Even if he just sucks all the juices out of a piece of beef he will be getting all the goodness.

Maybe just cook your meat in some stock (or water) with some veggies, very slowly for several hours until it is nice and tender.

Good luck!

[dogmom327]

I believe buffalo is higher in iron than beef although that's for conventional meat...don't know how they compare if you are doing grass-fed.

[AJP]

I don't know anything about your child's history or current health status, so this may not apply, but IMO if he has no teeth and can't self-feed, he shouldn't be getting solids. Do you know for a fact his iron is low? How old is he?

[buttercupmama]

My DD's teeth haven't come in yet and she won't self-feed (unless the remote and other non-food items count), but she did lose the tongue thrust reflex and started chewing on my fingers instead of sucking them about 5 weeks ago, I felt she was ready, so we started adding solids to her diet. She's about 9 months and a week now and gets cranky when everyone is eating but her. While I would prefer that she feeds herself for her own personal development, I think that's just going to take time.

[dogmom327]

I had the same issue with DS. I really wish I'd just kept BF and offered him stuff to gum until his teeth came in. We did purees and I think that was a mistake. If you have a good diet, then your LO will be just fine.

[buttercupmama]

Oh, I don't really puree. I mean, I mill, but not everything. Like I mill spinach and carrots--these never seem to get soft enough to my liking when I steam them. But everything else I dice fairly small. She didn't chew enough once and struggled a little when she was swallowing, but since then she does fine. She just finds the food so fascinating in her hands. She needs to roll and squeeze it to oblivion. And when the excitement builds up, she picks up the plate and throws it. She's very playful. Thank goodness I have a sense of humor.

[tamagotchi]

Even if your kids don't like chicken livers, they might like liverwurst or braunsweiger. We get braunsweiger from US Wellness and both my kids will eat huge amounts of it (the adults like it too). The kids also like the liverwurst and head cheese, but I don't think those are as tasty.

[gardenmommy]

My little ones love lamb. As far as how to cook it, I like to make a stew with the meat, carrots, potatoes, some salt and pepper, chopped onion, and a little water. Set it on low for about 8 hours or on high for about 6. It will be falling apart tender, and easy for a baby to pick up and finger feed.

Lamb is higher in zinc and iron (and, in my IMO, more digestible) than beef. I can't stand liver, so I never use it. I think that there are other options for highly nutritious foods. Like PP, if the baby isn't able to finger feed, perhaps he isn't ready to start solids. If he is, but has no teeth, I would probably just give him the bone to gnaw on, and focus on encouraging him to BF exclusively for a few more weeks/months.