Feeding baby

[blueridgewoman]

I'm not sure that I subscribe to SF's egg yolk, liver and salt idea for a first food. We're planning on doing avocado and a few other fruits and veggies over here first before we go to anything like that, but I'm wondering about what you all think of the timing of meat.

Also, I have access to great grassfed beef. How would I prepare that for a baby? What cuts would I buy, how would I cook it, etc? I could also buy liver, so I'm wondering about mixing that with the muscle meat or serving it separately.

I'd love to hear a TF approach to first foods. I plan on delaying solids at least another two months, hopefully longer, but I have an order coming up with my farm.

[momma4fun]

we did bananas and avocadoes and a little homemade yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, sweet potatoes, carrots and various fermented veggies cut up small, butter on everything.

I tried the egg yolk with my last 2 and while I don't think it's bad I certainly didn't serve it every day or push it at all. My youngest had egg yolk maybe 5 times between the age of 10 months and 12 months, and after that I switched to lightly scramble whole eggs for her.

My youngest loves raw grated liver. I began giving it to her when she was 12 months. My older kids who didn't try it til later love it.

For meat, when we eat fatty cuts of beef or lamb I pre-chew it for the little ones, being careful not to swallow any fat while I do it. I believe my saliva will help them digest it.

[spughy]

I am a fan of meat as a first food. My LO had liver pate - which is close to SF's idea - as her first food. Then banana we're not hardcore.

Eggs I am not sure of... I DO know kids who are allergic to them, but my mom gave me raw eggs in hot applesauce as my first food and I've never had any problems. Go with your gut on that one.

But meat, in general - yes! Honestly I don't see the sense in giving babies lots of food that's lower in calories, fat and protein than breastmilk. Tastes, sure - but a whole meal of vegetables??? That's CRAZY. Meat has lots of fat and protein and that's what babies need far more than the vitamins and antioxidants in veg and fruit - breastmilk has all those, and in the right format and dose

[guestmama9904]

the current mothering mag issue has a great article on babies first foods where the author, a nutritionalist says that first foods are largely determined by the cultural history that a family comes from. in many cultures it is quite approved of to give meat that has first been predigested by mom, ie. chewed in her mouth and then given to baby.

on note of the avocados i actually think they are potentially more allergenic than meat or egg yolks. almost no-one is allergic to meat, very few people are allergic to egg yolks.

i have allergic type sensitivities to a number of fruits and vegetables so i would first go with a soaked grain in whey or meat or egg.

[Ruthla]

I mostly gave my babies bits of whatever I was eating, rather than making any special baby foods.

I used to give them chicken and veggies from the chicken soup, cooled of course, as finger foods. For beef, I'd go with ground beef and make meatballs or meat logs (meatballs in more of a "hot dog" kind of shape) as finger foods.

I'm not really thinking about making anything into a spoonable puree because IMO babies aren't really ready for solids until they're ready to feed themselves. Any cooked food can go in the blender or food mill, with added water or broth if needed.

[krankedyann]

In deciding on first foods, it's VERY helpful to know when babies develop which enzymes to digest which foods.

Children don't have the enzyme production necessary to digest grains before their molars come in. Fats are out until 9 months or so. Meat until one year. http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/so...ay-solids.html

I firmly believe that giving a child a particular food before they have the digestive enzymes for it can predispose to allergies, even in good gut health.

[MeadowSong_]

Some one gave me this link a while ago, good one too!

http://wss.nourishingconnections.org...%20Recipes.pdf

We have been just doing whatever we make, mushing some up for Oliver. He loves to eat and would be extremely offended sitting with us and not getting anything. We have not done the egg yolks yet, but will be doing some meat and beans soon.

I'll admit, I think about this way more since starting the TF way of mind. But in reality, I was doing fine with feeding my kids before. Just go with your gut and follow their cues, I think that is the real way to feed your baby.

[rayo de sol]

Originally Posted by krankedyann

Fats are out until 9 months or so.

But aren't babies getting fats in the breast milk that they have to digest?

[blueridgewoman]

Yep, I don't think we're doing the purees either, honestly. I'd prefer to wait until dd can sit up (which she's VERY close to doing) and can feed herself tiny chunks of things. A little pre-chewed meat (does that not add enzymes from the mama's saliva for easier digestion?) would probably be what I'd think of doing.

It's just so hard to decide how to go about this, and I really want to do it right.

[Meg_s]

my kids had meat first, tiny pieces that I chewed just a little. It was so easy for them to swallow - esp since it was basically raw. After that they had very greasy chicken..

They're both allergic to casein but they have clarified butter. We're all gluten/grain free (not rice free) because it is not nice to us.

The elder was horribly reactive to egg yolk until he was well over a year, the younger was fine with egg, even the whole egg, from 7 mos.

We really limit the fruit and veg. hard to digest, not enough calories, too many salicylates... my little ones grow like weeds and eat a ton of calories.