Blueberries, Raspberries, Bananas, Organic cheerios...

[Amandala]

Blueberries, Raspberries, Bananas, Organic cheerios...cut up tiny for him to feed himself by hand...does this sound like a good lunch for an 11 month old baby who is also still breastfeeding? Sometimes avocadoes, instead of berries.

He demands solid foods, but so many of them come out looking exactly the same as they did before they went in, if you know what I mean, so I wonder if he's really digesting them. Anyway, he still nurses before bed and nap, on waking up from either, before dinner, and once in the middle of the night. At least.

For dinner he usually eats squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, green vegetables, (all cooked just until soft enough) or soup homemade from scratch. Homemade chicken broth! Woo!

I'm not sure if I'm doing a good job with his diet. I have never had an 11 month old baby before.

[Chicky2]

Sounds pretty good to me! I would probably add some more proteins, though, at that age. Cheese chunks, yogurt, a bit of tofu maybe? My kids always loved beans, too. Just make sure they are soft (chickpeas are a bit more firm, yk?), and maybe even mush them a little.

What a fun age!

[Alyantavid]

Sounds good to me. All I could think of was some more fat, but the avocado should take care of that. Or some cheese.

[Amandala]

Oh, i forgot about yogurt and cheese!

I started to give him plain, whole milk yogurt and raw cheddar (both organic of course) recently, and he's a fiend for them! I still feel kind of eh about feeding the baby milk from other animals besides humans so that's just more of a treat.

He's a FIEND for avocado though. He'll inhale one in the blink of an eye and then start banging on the table!

What kind of beans do you think are most nutritious? He happened to have some beans that were in some kind of dish before - we pulled out the beans and fed them to him - and he loved the heck outta those.

[JessicaS]

Any beans are good, black and kidney beans are ds' favorites.

[Chicky2]

Yup, all beans are good. We are some bean-eatin' peeps here, lol!

At that age my kids particularly liked hummus, plain pinto beans, cannelini beans, and black beans.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Amandala

Blueberries, Raspberries, Bananas, Organic cheerios...cut up tiny for him to feed himself by hand...does this sound like a good lunch for an 11 month old baby who is also still breastfeeding? Sometimes avocadoes, instead of berries.

Fruit and grains is really high in sugar with no fat and very little protein. I'd look at offering a little less variety in fruit and add a protein/fat source of some sort, whether that's meat, egg, bean, cheese, etc.

He demands solid foods, but so many of them come out looking exactly the same as they did before they went in, if you know what I mean, so I wonder if he's really digesting them.

No, he's not really digesting them. This point in development is about experimentation, learning about textures and flavors. So this is a good time to introduce good eating habits (like the above) and get them used to a variety of things. But nutrition - not so much (they get some, but not like what an adult would get from it).

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by Chicky2

At that age my kids particularly liked hummus, plain pinto beans, cannelini beans, and black beans.

Oh yes! My ds loves really garlicky hummus. It is a little startling how much he loves it.

[Amandala]

Oh, Hummus! Thanks for saying hummus! He LOVES hummus, too, and Ive forgotten to get any for weeks.



a shopping list is taking shape.

No, he's not really digesting them. This point in development is about experimentation, learning about textures and flavors. So this is a good time to introduce good eating habits (like the above) and get them used to a variety of things.

Yeah I guess that's the primary reason why I'm still breastfeeding him, and plan to continue until he is able to get more of his nutrition like a big person. The idea of ceasing to nurse him at one year and expecting him to get it all from food and processed milk seems preposterous, at least as long as whole peas are still coming out the other end

[redvlagrl]

They say for the first year that eating is just for experimenting and at 11 mths I was def thinking about trying to balance DD's diet even though she was still (and is still BF).

Eggs were and still are a firm fave. She loves them scrambled, esp with some grated cheese. Also will grate in some zucchini and cheese and make a 1 egg frittata.

I personally didn't offer cheerios but that's a personal preference. I didn't grow up with them so I offer kashi crackers as a wholegrain snack or our homemade ww bread. I often make her some toast and spread it with boursin (creamy cheese with garlic and herbs), goat cheese or butter and vegemite.

If I offer beans then I try and make sure there is a wholegrain there too to complete the protein. DD hates meat, so she relies on cheese and eggs for most of her protein.

[Amandala]

I haven't even offered him meat of any kind and don't plan to until he can hold it and chew it himself. I'm kind of ticked about the Earth's Best baby foods - the stuff that's for nine months and up, they have like ONE KIND that doesn't have ground turkey, chicken or beef in it!

The way I see it, if he was meant to eat meat, he'd have more than four little teeth. So if he's not equipped to eat meat yet I just see no point in feeding him ground up meat til it's in a form he can get down. I AM a food processor to grind up meat and feed it to him in a form he can get down, that's what my boobs are for!

That's just my personal opinion though.

Tonight's menu: boob juice, mashed sweet potatoes with bits of spinach, made with homemade chicken broth, and probably a bunch of black beans, pinto beans and squash from mama and dada's plates!

[ju1ia]

totally agree that it's frustrating to see it all coming out the other end! but one thing I think is interesting is when even the pureéd things, like say sweet potato, seem to come out just like they went it!
the one thing I've found most kids like are frozen peas/carrots/mixed veggies, even if they do come out the other end whole! but the funny thing is, my kids like them much better straight out of the freezer. I have many friends whose kids "don't like peas" but will eat them frozen. so while mama fixes dinner, my boys snack on frozen veggies. just another snack idea