Baby Led Weaning Examples | Baby Food “How To”

First of all…

Check out my first post on Baby Led Weaning for resources. I took these pics back in JANUARY for this post…just now getting around to it….

I posted about this on Facebook and had OVER 50 COMMENTS between my personal and my FITori Facebook Page [of course some were my replies] so evidently this is a hot topic!! It’s so great to know that people are fired up about food!! We need this to make change in this country around the food we’re eating.  I need to let everyone know I’m not judging. Nothing is 100/0, even food. We eat in moderation. I think that’s healthiest mentally and physically. I’ve talked a lot about extremes in eating and working out and eating disorders. I believe it’s best to take an “I’m going to eat healthier” approach and let the weight come off vs crash diets and starvation.  FITbaby will have cake on her first birthday. We will go out for ice cream. We will bake. We are normal people…swear. We just TRY to make REAL FOOD choices as often as we can. And, with FITbaby….we ALWAYS make real food choices…at least for now!

Mini Rant About Baby Food in America

I have a LOT to say about how we feed ourselves and our children in this country…much of which would probably get me attacked if I were to say it in public…especially at the playground.  I think we all know that we lack proper nutrition knowledge as a country…and that’s not our fault, it’s politics.  [Of course, I believe we should educate ourselves...but I understand that the proper information is REALLY hard to find with SO much misinformation out there due to a billion dollar a year weight loss industry.]

But, I am afraid we don’t want to hear that we are feeding our kids crap!!! Why?! Tradition.  I challenge you to question WHY you are feeding your baby or kid what you are.  Think about it. Why? How is ____ helping him/her to grow? How is ___ developing their taste for good foods?  Some of the “convenience” foods may not hurt them, but are there more nutritious foods?  REAL FOODS  are always the goal for us…though we don’t meet every goal, every day.

As adults we have excuses and reasons why we eat crap…..stress, emotions, cravings and tastes, etc.  As babies…no excuses exist! I have my own excuses and reasons why I eat crap….I’m not perfect and don’t eat a perfect diet…far from it! Promise!  But, our babies only know what we feed them! WE can affect their health, taste buds and future love of food. It’s in our hands! It’s a very important responsibility…one I do not take lightly at all.  To me, in my very busy day, my FITbaby’s food is non-negotiable. There is no room for error. No running out of healthy food. No skipping healthy meals and giving her restaurant food [mostly b/c sodium is hard to process for infants under 12 mo old.]

So, my rant for today is over! Ask me more and I will tell you more.  For now, here are a few foods that FITbaby loves. I have a basket steamer. Yes, it can take a while, but it’s worth it. I just pick a time I’ll be home and around the kitchen for an hour and I fill up the steamer and let it go!  I set a timer so I don’t forget it. I poke it with a fork to check to see if it’s done enough. I put it on her tray in the fridge and it’s ready for the next few days of meals.

cucumber. carrots. broccoli. cauliflower. apples. ground meat. egg yolk. colored peppers. asparagus.

FITbaby’s Food Tray

FITbaby has a “baby food” tray that I keep in the fridge and bring out at mealtimes. It always has a sampling of the different food groups as listed below….

broccoli. cauliflower.

There is always:

• Protein
• Always a meat [usually chicken, turkey or beef]
• BLW says to give meat on the bone but this scared me so we did ground meat early on. When she was too little [before pincher grip] we offered to put it in her mouth. If she didn’t want it, she let us know. If she did, she opened wide.
• and often egg yolk [no egg white til 12 mo, I think, due to allergy]
• [I make meat and veggies in a pan on the stove and add garlic and onion or other spices but no salt]
• Green Vegetables
• Almost always broccoli, her favorite.
• Often peas, avocado [raw], asparagus, green beans, sugar snap peas, green, red & orange bell peppers, etc.
• [all steamed except avocado]
• Orange Vegetables
• Carrots or Sweet potatoes are always on her tray
• [all steamed]
• Fruits
• Fruits come out after she’s had her fill of her meats and vegetables.
• She loves apples [steamed] and watermelon [raw] the best.
• Starchy Carbs & Dairy [Not yet.]
• We will start these around 2 years I believe. I still have more research to do on starchy carbs and milk for around 12 mo-2 year. The research I have done says that babies cannot properly digest starch until around 2 years old yet Baby Center tells us to base our babies diets around starchy carbs like baby cereal…what??!!! Smoke is coming out my ears.  And, the research I’ve done so far says that cow’s milk is not for human consumption…yet I love it. Decisions, decisions.

apples. carrots. broccoli. asparagus.

About our meals.

• She eats 3 times a day. I don’t worry too much about whether it’s before or after nursings, etc. It falls where it falls.  These days as we are cutting out some nursings during the day, I try to feed her lunch and dinner when I can give her a sippie with milk between nursings.
• I give her a sampling of each item that I have steamed and ready for her.  Once she runs out of an item on her tray I give her more. So, I just monitor that she hasn’t run out of any food.  Some days she eats TONS of carrots, others it’s peas and others it’s chicken & broccoli. I let her decide what she wants/needs that meal.
• She eats her food cold if it’s been pre-made. It makes life easier when we go out and about. More on that later.

Out and about for the afternoon.

• 1-2 small tupperware containers with her lunch, sippie cup with pumped milk and a cooler pack. Done.
• One tupperware usually has her meat & veggies. Another with her fruits. So easy.
• I have a water sippie cup in the car or on her stroller now too.
• I take disposable placemats though they aren’t necessary. She can eat right out of the tupperware [I hold it to minimize mess.].

sweet potato. carrots.

Snacks & In Between Meal.

• For now, we don’t eat in between meals. LOVE LOVE LOVE the book Bringing Up Bebe & the French don’t agree with snacking. I’m curious where we’ll “land” on this subject in a few years.  Definitely “food” for thought!
• WE LOVE FROZEN VEGGIES FOR TEETHING!!!   Frozen asparagus (not while walking or crawling), broccoli, and peaches for example. Whole refrigerated carrots work to chew on too.

banana. ground meat. cucumber.

**AS WITH ALL FOOD, DO NOT LEAVE KIDS UNATTENDED WHILE EATING. WATCH & LISTEN CLOSELY!**

I also have to say….I have a 10 month old and that’s as far as my experience goes! I have no idea how to feed a 2 year old. Once I get there, I’ll let you know!  Snack ideas? I have no idea! Trail mix? Carrot sticks? Cucumbers & Natural Nut Butter?

I challenge you to question why you are feeding our kids particular foods every day. 
Is it providing true nutrition? Or is it filling up their stomachs with a empty calories and taking place of good, nutritious foods? [This works for us too.]

Please tell me if you have any specific questions about baby food.

Did I miss any foods here? I’m sure I did! Share some ideas!!

Tagged as: Green Vegetables, healthy, nutrition, REALLY