Mommy Blog, Tips & Ideas
Posts tagged Babies
Ten Finger Food Ideas for Babies
Nov 30th
When baby is ready to have something other than milk, most parents are overjoyed. Their baby can now sit at the table and eat with everyone else. Here are ten ideas to get you started on the road to food self-sufficiency.
There is no specific age at which you are supposed to start your baby on solid food. It is a choice that is made between you and your child. Usually though, most babies begin to eat solid foods at around six to eight months of age.
When you introduce solid foods, don’t be in a rush to give them everything all at once. Introduce one new food at a time. Fresh foods are better than processed because they contain more nutritional value. And, baby can hold them in their hand, especially if they are moving around. And, many babies do move around as they munch on their snacks.
1. Soft cooked carrot pieces – Carrots are naturally sweet and make excellent finger food. This food provides potassium and other essential vitamins. Of course, you may have a mess in the kitchen (and everywhere else) when they are done.
2. Pasta noodles – These little guys will be a lot of fun for your little guy. Try to overcook them slightly so that they end up a little bigger. Place a few cooled noodles on their plate without any seasoning or butter. You can consider covering them with a few bread crumbs for easier handling by baby.
3. Cheese – Comes in many flavors. Try each one separately. Cut up sliced cheese and the block variety.
4. Cooked green beans – Baby can pick these up one at a time and snack. Use fresh and cook them just until slightly soft.
5. Potato fries – This includes sweet potatoes as well. Cut the vegetables into French fry strips and bake them. Be sure to remove the skin.
6. Cereal – Cheerios and puffed rice or corn is small enough for tiny hands. They usually melt on the tongue so you don’t have to worry about choking. Buy the unsweetened cereal varieties.
7. Diced pieces of chicken or turkey – Meat provides protein for your child. Take a lean chicken breast (or turkey) and cut it into small squares or strips about an inch long.
8. Toast – Lightly toast a slice of bread and cut it into squares. Buttering the toast makes it softer for baby to handle.
9. Avocado – This firm and tasty fruit can be diced up for baby to try.
10. Banana slices – As baby gets older, he or she can hold the banana themselves and bite it. But, for now, try slicing it into quarter inch pieces for baby to eat.
Happy Eating!
Kerry
Safe Baby Food Preparation 101
Nov 29th
What can be healthier than fixing baby’s food at home? If you are going that route, you’ll need to learn a few things about how to prepare baby food safely. Let’s start at the beginning and go from there.
Fixing baby food at home has its benefits:
* More nutritious
* No preservatives
* Access to the foods they want to eat readily
* More economical
There are a few basic food preparation do’s and don’ts to observe while you are getting the hang of things. After a while it will all become second nature.
* DO clean the area thoroughly before doing any food preparation (countertops, cutting boards, sinks).
* DO wash your hands in the beginning and between each food that you prepare.
* DO keep raw meats separate from vegetables and fruits.
* DO clean all utensils to be used before and between foods (knives, colanders, food processors, bowls, jars and etc.).
* DO wash all fruits and vegetables before cooking them. Even ones from the grocery store need to be free of all organic matter and as many bacteria as possible.
* DO remove seeds and skins from fruits and vegetables before cooking them.
* DON’T let meat thaw on the counter where juices can leak everywhere. Only thaw in the refrigerator.
* DON’T serve baby any meat that is not “well done.”
* DON’T leave cooked food out on the counter for more than two hours before refrigeration.
* DON’T store foods warm. Allow them to cool first so no condensation forms inside the container.
When baby is first learning to eat, keep it simple. Finger foods are going to be the main thing that they crave. You can begin with fruit pieces like bananas, apples, peaches and strawberries. For the apples and peaches, remove the skin first.
You can store cubed fruits in Ziploc bags in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Add a little bit of lemon juice to the apple pieces to keep them from turning brown and yucky. In actuality, most fruits can stay on the counter until you are ready to feed them to baby. It only takes a few minutes to cut them up.
Any vegetable that you give to baby needs to be cooked first. This is not a complete cooking process but just until they are soft. Once the food has cooled, use freezer bags to store extra vegetables for a later time. Date the outside of the bags so you know how long you have kept them. Try to use them up within a month.
When you prepare baby’s food at home, cleanliness is the first order of the day. To keep baby safe, following the information above is a great start. Now, let them enjoy some wholesome, healthy food!
When Is the Right Time to Wean?
Nov 28th
This is a question that most parents ask. It seems that baby grows up overnight. The time to wean is different for all children. Between you and your pediatrician, you can decide when baby is showing the signs that mean it’s time for something more.
Whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding, your child will need that milk as their main form of nourishment for the first year of their life. This is in addition to the solid foods that you will introduce when they are ready. Most babies don’t eat enough solid food at the outset to warrant stopping milk altogether.
There are a few signs to look out for that let you know your baby is getting close to eating something besides milk:
* Reaching for your food
* Making chewing motions with their mouth
* They open wide when you put a spoon or a piece of food near their mouth
* Baby can sit up and hold their head in place without rolling over
* They are starting to grow teeth
That last one is a painful eye-opener for moms who are still breastfeeding. Ouch! You will more than likely notice the first four signs before you see any tooth buds.
Talk to your pediatrician. They will probably suggest that you wait until your child is at least six months of age before introducing foods, even if you notice any of these signs before then.
The first food to introduce is soft single grains. They are sold in the store in the form of flaky cereal that can be combined with milk to make a paste-like cereal the consistency of oatmeal.
If your child is on an eating schedule, try to offer them cereal before they are so hungry that they cry. This might be hard to do since he or she can’t talk. When your baby cries from hunger, they are more likely to get frustrated with trying to eat food from a spoon. Drinking a few ounces of milk may stave off the hunger enough to get them to try the spoon.
Don’t be alarmed if you notice that they are pushing the spoon and the food out of their mouth with their tongue. This is a natural reflex that they learn from drinking the bottle or from the breast. It will take a little while for them to lower their tongue and chew the food with their gums.
Baby needs to be able to sit up so that they won’t choke. Having developed enough strength to hold their head up will allow for easier swallowing of food and their milk.
Are you ready for your baby to wean? They are probably ready too. Take it slow in the beginning and consult your doctor about proper times for and how to introduce new foods.
What to Consider when Raising a Vegetarian Baby
Nov 28th
There has been much debate over vegetarian eating in the past. As a vegetarian parent you probably want to raise your baby that way but you might have some questions. Here are a few things to consider when deciding to raise your child as a vegetarian.
One of the first questions asked is often about protein. Will they be getting enough? When a diet includes meat, there is usually no question about that.
First, if your child is breastfeeding, any nutrients that their bodies lack will come from you. For bottle feeding, most if not all formulas are fortified with vitamins and minerals to give baby everything that they need.
The misconception about protein is that there is none in plants. That is not true. Nuts, legumes, green leafy vegetables all contain lots of protein. And, plant protein is leaner than animal protein. There is less fat and what it contains is healthy.
It is always good to consult your pediatrician at the first doctor’s visit. Let them know your concerns. He can offer you suggestions for solid foods when baby is old enough to start. Also, ask about the difference between foods so that you can still maintain a healthy lifestyle for your child even without meat.
When baby is ready to be weaned off the bottle and start eating solid food, you are in the same boat as other parents. Introduce single grains like rice, oats and corn first. Stores sell boxes of single grains that can be mixed with milk to make a breakfast cereal. Also, you can purchase puffed rice and corn as finger foods for them.
One important thing to know is that children like simple foods. They are beginning with a fresh, untested palate. You don’t need to add fats or seasonings to foods. Let the natural flavor come through.
Consider making your own baby food. If you read the labels on baby food jars in the store, some may contain ingredients made from animal products. Home-made baby food is fresh and often more nutritious, as the preserving and canning process can remove many of the nutrients in store-bought food.
Be prepared to make home-made baby food with the necessary equipment. You’ll want to be familiar with proper and safe food preparation to avoid any illness. The good thing is you will know what is in your baby’s food and become more conscious of your own food choices.
Even without the meat, creating a healthy mix of fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts will provide the minerals and vitamins that baby needs for proper growth and development. Besides, you are starting your child off on a track that will help combat obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol. Here’s to a long and healthful life for your children!
How to Take Care of Baby’s Skin in Wintertime
Nov 25th
Your baby’s skin is sensitive. When the weather gets cooler you may notice a change. Here are some ideas for keeping baby’s skin protected during the winter months.
A child’s skin is prone to many things. They can develop rashes, dry skin, itchy skin and other conditions, especially when the seasons change. They are too young to tell you what is happening, so it is up to you to recognize and avoid such skin problems before they become serious. With a few common sense actions you can keep baby warm, healthy and happy when the weather turns cold.
1. Avoid long baths. You and your baby spend quality time together in the bath, but the dry heat inside can lead to even drier skin the longer they soak in the water. Clean baby quickly with a moisturizing bath soap and then take them out.
2. Moisturize baby’s skin immediately after a bath. You don’t have to dry their skin first. Let them lay on a bath towel while you slowly rub in a moisturizing lotion or bath oil. Be careful not to use heavily perfumed lotions as these can cause rashes to develop. After rubbing in the oil, gently remove the excess with the towel.
3. Wash baby’s clothing in gentle detergent. Using the same Tide that you use for your clothing may be too harsh for your baby’s skin. The fragrance can cause baby to itch when the clothes come in contact with their skin. Also avoid using dryer sheets and fabric softeners for baby’s clothing.
4. Keep baby hydrated. Babies naturally drink a lot of milk or breastfeed. Slip in a bottle of water every now and them. It helps to keep their skin supple and moisturized from the inside.
5. If the air in your home is dry, consider using a humidifier. A cool mist humidifier doesn’t raise the temperature while it keeps baby comfortable as the sleep.
6. Use moisturizing facial tissues when cleaning baby’s face. This goes for cleaning dirty noses, crusty eyes and crumbs off of their mouths. Especially for noses, constant rubbing when they have a runny nose can cause chapping. Softer tissues, along with Vaseline, will soften the wiping process and doesn’t roughen up the skin.
7. Bundle baby up but not too much. Have you seen those babies that look like they can’t even turn their heads for all the clothing they have on? There is no need for that. Wrap baby in a couple of layers of clothing that are breathable so air can flow. As baby gets warm, remove the outer layer. Too many clothes can also chap the skin from constant rubbing when baby begins to sweat.
Create a routine for protecting baby’s skin using the above ideas. When winter comes, you will already be prepared to keep baby comfortable.
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