Lactancia – Breast Feeding Problems
6-9 months
Feeding problems
Some babies find the transition to solid foods easy, while others can be more resistant. Try to stick to a daily routine, even if you are out and about, or on vacation. It’s not always easy, but with a little ingenuity and a good thermos, you’ll soon overcome any problems.
My baby refuses the same foods over and over again; how can I tempt him to eat more foods?
Perseverance is the order of the day. Simply continue to offer the “new” foods over and over again, until they become familiar to your baby. You can try them in different combinations-for example, mixing spinach with some apple purée or even a little Parmesan cheese and his normal baby milk, adding apricots to sweet potato, and pear to peas. Once you find one or two things you know he likes, you can use these as a base for creating different blends. Remember too that many babies have quite sophisticated tastes. Baby food doesn’t have to be bland, and your little one may enjoy trying exciting tastes that you may not have considered, such as garlic or a touch of mild curry paste in the cooking.
Can you recommend some combinations of vegetables to appeal to my fussy baby?
Some of the best vegetables are those that are sweet. Fortunately, most of these all contain good levels of vitamins and minerals, and, in particular, antioxidants, which will ensure that your child grows and develops, and maintains good health.
Try sweet potato, squash, sweet corn, peas, edamame beans, butter beans, carrots, potato, zucchini, parsnips, and even avocado. Any combination of these will work. If your little one has already expressed a preference for fruit purées, you can blend a little into your vegetable blends for added sweetness and flavor.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. I like root vegetables together, such as parsnips, carrots, and potatoes, or butternut squash with very ripe pears. Sweet vegetables, such as carrot, puréed with fish or chicken are also a favorite with many babies.
Again, persevere; if you can tempt your baby to eat vegetables early on, she’ll be much more likely to continue.
My baby likes only one type of food, and refuses everything else; any advice?
Babies easily become accustomed to the familiar, and if he’s found a particular food he likes, such as apple purée or carrot purée, and had it offered on a number of occasions, he may be reluctant to try anything else-and he may also hold out until he gets what he wants. Don’t underestimate the determination of even very young babies.
The best thing to do is to continue offering new foods; over time (and this can take up to 15 or 20 attempts in some cases), the new food will become familiar, and he’ll accept it. Try mixing his favorite food with other fruits and vegetables, adding small quantities at the outset, and then gradually more until he is getting a variety of different tastes.
If your baby is very young, he may find the process of weaning a little upsetting-in fact, some babies are more sensitive to change than others-so it may help to mix new foods such as green vegetables with popular “first tastes,” like sweet tasting root vegetables, to make them more comforting. Remember to take weaning slowly, and follow your baby’s own pace. Some little ones take to it quickly and move on to a variety of different foods with no fuss; others need a little more time to adjust to the change.
It can also help to eat the same meals as your little one. If he sees you, and perhaps the rest of the family, clearly enjoying a variety of different foods, he may want to follow suit. Make a “mmmm” sound when you offer them; it may sound simple, but if he is convinced that what he is trying is delicious, he’ll respond much more positively. Whatever you do, don’t panic, or make a fuss. Simply remove the food and try again later.
Is there any way to bring homemade purées on vacation?
If you don’t have far to travel, you can pack several trays of frozen purée along with some ice packs and other frozen items, to ensure they remain at the lowest possible temperature while in transit. This may not be feasible, though, and perhaps more trouble than it’s worth. There are, however, plenty of ways to make fresh purées that don’t even require cooking, and if you have a kitchen available, you can easily whip up the odd fresh purée as and when you need to! Exotic fruits like mango, peach, or papaya make perfect baby food and they don’t even need any cooking. See the following pages, too, for some great recipe suggestions, requiring little more than a knife, fork, and bowl. For older babies, a wedge of peeled mango or melon makes good finger food
* Transporting purées
For days out, you could invest in a small wide-necked thermos flask that will keep your baby’s purée warm. The cover will serve as your baby’s food bowl. If there is a fridge at your destination, a good cool bag with an ice pack should keep your baby’s purée fresh until you reach your destination. The purées will then last a couple of days in the fridge.
