GOOD OLD FASHIONED BABY FOODS TO NOURISH YOUR CHILD

Before I had Taj I'm sure I had my own ideas and preferences around what I would or would not feed my child. But as I have found, yes feeding a small human is straight forward and simple, but it is also challenging, time consuming, and frustrating at times. In the early days of Taj eating I would so often actually forget about making food for him. I'd cook, sit down in a tired heap, put dinner down for Brock and I, only to look at Taj and think "oh fuck I've got nothing for him!" 😣Which I honestly think is why he is such a good eater now and always has been - because I've always given him what we eat (he has also always been an exceptional breast feeder... no doubt trying to survive if mum forgets to feed him 😂)

We gave him no strange baby foods from the supermarket (generally speaking; of course he has had some organic ones when as a parent you can't cook, you're out, you have nothing to feed them, or like me you forget!). No nasty processed foods as entire meals. Just simple whole foods cooked and prepared lovingly just as we eat. Only either mashed up early on, or lumpy, or chunky or in pieces.

However, even with food my number one passion... Even having studied nutritional medicine for years... Even working in health food shops and cafe surrounded by food and health... I wasn't sure what I really needed to be feeding my kid. So as any mum, you research. And in everything I read, this is what I believed would be the most nutritionally-rich, whole foods for the first 12 months (and beyond) of Taj's life. Most of which has come from my favourite foodie book for babies and children, Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care by Sally Fallon (it's ah-mazing!!).

Please only use this a guide though. By no means is this a definitive list of foods to feed your baby. I also chose to feed Taj mashed and pureed foods mostly, at least initially. I know some parents choose baby-led weaning, which means you can't really give pureed foods as they cannot feed that to themselves. But Taj was a keen eater so I wanted to know how much he would eat, and I could easily do that if I fed him. Now at 14 months old (and for the last few months) he hates being fed by me, off a spoon, so I no longer do it.

The choice is your's of course. And as a mama, your intuition trumps anything I write here. Always. So go with what feels best for you.

4-6 Months

Go by your baby's signs... some are very interested in food early. Others are not.
Minimal solid foods as tolerated by baby

Egg yolk – if tolerated, preferably from pastured chickens, lightly boiled and salted

Banana – mashed, for babies who are very mature and seem hungry
Avocado – mashed (great mixed with banana)

Cod liver oil — 1/4 teaspoon high vitamin or 1/2 teaspoon regular, given with an eye dropper

6-8 months

Organic liver – grated frozen and added to egg yolk, or pureed (find my baby liver puree recipe here)

Pureed meats – lamb, turkey, beef, chicken, liver and fish

Soup broth – (chicken, beef, lamb, fish) added to pureed meats and vegetables, or offered as a drink

Fermented foods – small amounts of yogurt, kefir, sweet potato (I gave Taj Kultured Wellness coconut yoghurt)

Raw mashed fruits – banana, melon, mangoes, papaya, avocado (in season)

Cooked, pureed fruits – organic apricot, peaches, pears, apples, cherries, berries

Pureed vegetables – zucchini, squash, sweet potato, carrots, beets ... with butter or coconut oil

8-12 months

Continue to add variety and increase thickness and lumpiness of the foods already given from 4-8 months

Creamed vegetable soups

Homemade stews – all ingredients cut small or mashed

Dairy — cottage cheese, mild harder raw cheese, cream, custards

Finger foods – when baby can grab and adequately chew, such as lightly steamed veggie sticks, mild cheese, avocado chunks, pieces of banana

Cod liver oil – increase to 1/2 teaspoon high vitamin or 1 teaspoon regular dose (only if already been given earlier on, otherwise start at smaller dose)

Over 1 Year

Grains and legumes – properly soaked and cooked

Nut butters (or nuts, but watch them closely... Taj loves them and I cant eat them without him wanting them, otherwise I probably wouldn't be feeding them to him)

Leafy green vegetables – cooked, with butter

Raw salad vegetables – cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.

Citrus fruit – fresh, organic (citrus and tomatoes can aggravate skin before 1 yr... these gave Taj nappy rash if either him or I ate them)

Whole egg — cooked
Liver pate (find my liver pate recipe here)

Now, depending on where you are in your health and dietary journey, you might be thinking that there's no way your little bubba would be keen on eating some (or all) of these foods.

Taj is 14 months young now, and eats everything. Yes he has days when he won't eat something he usually loves, but I'm not too bothered by this. I find most of the time, when we as adults say things like "oh Johnny won't like a green smoothie" it's usually because we don't like a green smoothie. So let them try it. Taj is an incredible eater (tonight he had organic beef sausage, roast sweet potato, broccoli and Brussel sprouts in herbs, spices, coconut oil and butter) and has eaten or tried everything I have ever offered him (except durian which I find amusing... that's ok, he'll get there. We all did).

I'm going to write another post on what I'm feeding Taj now that he is 14 months young, complete with photos and recipes for anything that isn't straight forward.

If there's anything specific you'd love to know, please fire away in the comments below and I'll make sure I answer it in the next post.