8 Foods That My Fussy Baby Loves
The early days of introducing my baby boy Charlie to solid food was tense, trying and tearful - and that was just me.
Being baby number one for my husband and I, we were both under the illusion that the world of hard food introduction would be relatively pain-free and even downright fun (oh so naïve!).
And for some babies it is, but the early weeks and months after Charlie turned six-months-old were a bit of a battleground.
I cooked and prepared everything I could possibly think of within the 'safe for baby to eat' realm, but let's just say my freezer ended up being overtaken by single-portion size plastic containers.
A lot of which still sit in there hopefully, waiting to be devoured.
I too dream of that day, plastic containers...
Fast forward 2.
5 months and mealtime has slowly become easier as I learn what Charlie enjoys and let go of any preconceptions that I had about baby food and what he 'should' be eating at this stage.
Charlie also pumped out eight teeth in a two-month period so he didn't have a great time of it for a while there.
I've put together the following list of eight foods that Charlie loves (currently).
While it's not quite the extensive list that many a baby food cookbook author would have you believe that babies will eat by now - but perhaps a tad more realistic for some babies.
*Disclaimer: I know there are babies out there who will happily chow down anything and everything put in front of them and to mums of those babies I say, I hate you! Not really - I say congratulations, but this article probably isn't for you.
*Another disclaimer: I still regularly feed Charlie baby food out of a packet (shock! horror!) because basically he adores a handful of vegetable and fruit combinations and they still contain a lot more nutrition than giving him another flippin' rusk.
Again, if you are overtly anti-baby food from a packet, well, I don't really care.
In no particular order, '8 Foods That My Fussy Baby Loves': 1.
Banana: Mashed, made into wedges for little hands to hold onto and blended - the humble banana rocks in my humble opinion.
2.
Avocado: Its creamy but subtle flavour has become another staple in my bub's small but growing eating repertoire.
Interestingly, banana and avocado blended together is delicious (did someone say, cake batter?).
Sometimes I blend those two goodies together with either a boiled egg OR some cottage cheese.
A great protein-packed meal that Charlie will eat every morsel of, every time.
3.
Cheese: With cheese-loving parents, of course bub was always going to be a cheese worshipper.
Currently Charlie is enjoying some cubes of cheddar quite regularly; again another protein and calcium rich gem.
4.
Oats: While Charlie doesn't exactly wolf his rolled oats down of a morning, he does have at least half a dozen (baby) spoonfuls, which makes me happy as I imagine the complex carbohydrates filling his little belly and giving him energy for the day ahead.
5.
Watermelon: Once you get past the fact that your bub will get the sticky watermelon juice EVERYWHERE - you'll realize what a great fruit it is for bubs' diet - full of hydration and Vitamin C.
I've been putting wedges of watermelon in Charlie's mesh baby feeder (this type of thing), since he first started solids and he loves it a lot.
It's worth the 10 minutes of cleaning required following a session with said watermelon.
6.
Light rye bread: Toasted and spread with avocado or cottage cheese or margarine and Vegemite (yes we're Aussies), Charlie seems to enjoy the texture and challenge of holding onto the wedges of toast.
And it keeps him amused for longer than 10 minutes - win! 7.
Nanny's chicken and vegetable casserole: No matter how often I try it, using the same ingredients and technique, my mum's casserole always tastes 1,000 times better! It must be some secret nanna ingredient that I ain't got.
Mum (and I in my futile attempts), put chicken breast, carrot, potato, beans and sweet potato in a slow cooker for up to eight hours (adding a packet of frozen spinach and some pasta for the last hour).
By then the meat and veggies are perfect for using the stick blender on.
The confronting green colour that it becomes has surprisingly not deterred Charlie from consuming this delicious meal.
Sometimes my husband and I are even disappointed when he eats it all because we wanted some of it.
8.
Tuna: This is a very recent addition to the list.
I've started buying small tins of tuna in springwater and once drained, mash the flakes with a spoon.
It's still slowly, slowly at this stage, but Charlie is taking small, consistent nibbles - another massive win in my book.
Of course there are also other foods that Charlie enjoys but let's face it, eight is a great number so I'll leave it at that.
I look forward to the day when I can write '800 foods that Charlie enjoys'.
For any mums like me out there looking for some solidarity and confirmation that they're not the only mum in the universe to have a fussy-eating baby, please know that yes, we do exist! Baby food recipe books and articles often explain introducing solids in a perfunctory tone when in reality it can be a highly emotional time.
You worry that your baby's not getting the nutrition they need; you worry that they'll never sleep through the night; you worry about what others will think of your fussy-eating baby; and you're frustrated with the time and food wasted on meals that are spat out or never even tried.
Just know that mums the world over are going through the same thing.
Yours in endless pureeing, Megan
Being baby number one for my husband and I, we were both under the illusion that the world of hard food introduction would be relatively pain-free and even downright fun (oh so naïve!).
And for some babies it is, but the early weeks and months after Charlie turned six-months-old were a bit of a battleground.
I cooked and prepared everything I could possibly think of within the 'safe for baby to eat' realm, but let's just say my freezer ended up being overtaken by single-portion size plastic containers.
A lot of which still sit in there hopefully, waiting to be devoured.
I too dream of that day, plastic containers...
Fast forward 2.
5 months and mealtime has slowly become easier as I learn what Charlie enjoys and let go of any preconceptions that I had about baby food and what he 'should' be eating at this stage.
Charlie also pumped out eight teeth in a two-month period so he didn't have a great time of it for a while there.
I've put together the following list of eight foods that Charlie loves (currently).
While it's not quite the extensive list that many a baby food cookbook author would have you believe that babies will eat by now - but perhaps a tad more realistic for some babies.
*Disclaimer: I know there are babies out there who will happily chow down anything and everything put in front of them and to mums of those babies I say, I hate you! Not really - I say congratulations, but this article probably isn't for you.
*Another disclaimer: I still regularly feed Charlie baby food out of a packet (shock! horror!) because basically he adores a handful of vegetable and fruit combinations and they still contain a lot more nutrition than giving him another flippin' rusk.
Again, if you are overtly anti-baby food from a packet, well, I don't really care.
In no particular order, '8 Foods That My Fussy Baby Loves': 1.
Banana: Mashed, made into wedges for little hands to hold onto and blended - the humble banana rocks in my humble opinion.
2.
Avocado: Its creamy but subtle flavour has become another staple in my bub's small but growing eating repertoire.
Interestingly, banana and avocado blended together is delicious (did someone say, cake batter?).
Sometimes I blend those two goodies together with either a boiled egg OR some cottage cheese.
A great protein-packed meal that Charlie will eat every morsel of, every time.
3.
Cheese: With cheese-loving parents, of course bub was always going to be a cheese worshipper.
Currently Charlie is enjoying some cubes of cheddar quite regularly; again another protein and calcium rich gem.
4.
Oats: While Charlie doesn't exactly wolf his rolled oats down of a morning, he does have at least half a dozen (baby) spoonfuls, which makes me happy as I imagine the complex carbohydrates filling his little belly and giving him energy for the day ahead.
5.
Watermelon: Once you get past the fact that your bub will get the sticky watermelon juice EVERYWHERE - you'll realize what a great fruit it is for bubs' diet - full of hydration and Vitamin C.
I've been putting wedges of watermelon in Charlie's mesh baby feeder (this type of thing), since he first started solids and he loves it a lot.
It's worth the 10 minutes of cleaning required following a session with said watermelon.
6.
Light rye bread: Toasted and spread with avocado or cottage cheese or margarine and Vegemite (yes we're Aussies), Charlie seems to enjoy the texture and challenge of holding onto the wedges of toast.
And it keeps him amused for longer than 10 minutes - win! 7.
Nanny's chicken and vegetable casserole: No matter how often I try it, using the same ingredients and technique, my mum's casserole always tastes 1,000 times better! It must be some secret nanna ingredient that I ain't got.
Mum (and I in my futile attempts), put chicken breast, carrot, potato, beans and sweet potato in a slow cooker for up to eight hours (adding a packet of frozen spinach and some pasta for the last hour).
By then the meat and veggies are perfect for using the stick blender on.
The confronting green colour that it becomes has surprisingly not deterred Charlie from consuming this delicious meal.
Sometimes my husband and I are even disappointed when he eats it all because we wanted some of it.
8.
Tuna: This is a very recent addition to the list.
I've started buying small tins of tuna in springwater and once drained, mash the flakes with a spoon.
It's still slowly, slowly at this stage, but Charlie is taking small, consistent nibbles - another massive win in my book.
Of course there are also other foods that Charlie enjoys but let's face it, eight is a great number so I'll leave it at that.
I look forward to the day when I can write '800 foods that Charlie enjoys'.
For any mums like me out there looking for some solidarity and confirmation that they're not the only mum in the universe to have a fussy-eating baby, please know that yes, we do exist! Baby food recipe books and articles often explain introducing solids in a perfunctory tone when in reality it can be a highly emotional time.
You worry that your baby's not getting the nutrition they need; you worry that they'll never sleep through the night; you worry about what others will think of your fussy-eating baby; and you're frustrated with the time and food wasted on meals that are spat out or never even tried.
Just know that mums the world over are going through the same thing.
Yours in endless pureeing, Megan
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