Alot of qns...Need hlp!!

[happiness12]

Hihi!! =)

My baby just passed the 8 months mark but we started late on solids...

So by 6th months or so, baby was just starting and trying out on cereals whereby baby still doesnt know how to swallow..

By 7 months, we started baby on abit of the jarred purees and I tried making apple puree on my own.

Now at 8 months, we are starting baby on porridge and I was hoping to expose baby to more of the different flavours of puree...

So, the list of questions'd be (pardon me for this.. =p )

-avocados
-apricots
-blueberries
-melons (what kind of melons?watermelon etc?)
-cherries
-cranberries
-grapes
-kiwis
-papayas
-peach
-strawberries

Would it be better to feed in puree form or fresh? If fresh, can only feed at night when we get home from work...

Would it be better to steam or boil the fruits? If steam, I find that steaming the apples and pears take real long a time, would the nutrients be gone by then?

Any other recipe to recommend?

Btw, my baby has very serious constipation, anything that we can feed or do to make baby feel better or to poo more regularly? Had changed fm but instead the constipation prob's only slightly alleviated but phglem's brought into the picture, not sure why...

Thanks alot! =)

 

[diymummy]

Avoid berries in the first year or put it off till at least after 10 mths.

Steamed, fresh and pureed is always better than jarred pureed.

Steaming retains the most nutrients compared to boiling.

Jarred prunes can help alleviate constipation problems. Papaya as well. Avoid grapes and citrus fruits which is rumoured to cause phlegm in babies.

You can go to the website Wholesome Homemade Baby Food Recipes, Make your baby healthy homemade baby food with our easy baby food recipes, solid food tips, baby nutrition & more! for more ideas and information.

Your timeline for starting your baby on solids is fine. You're not late in starting.

 

[meiteoh]

Hihi!! =)

My baby just passed the 8 months mark but we started late on solids...

So by 6th months or so, baby was just starting and trying out on cereals whereby baby still doesnt know how to swallow..

By 7 months, we started baby on abit of the jarred purees and I tried making apple puree on my own.

Now at 8 months, we are starting baby on porridge and I was hoping to expose baby to more of the different flavours of puree...

So, the list of questions'd be (pardon me for this.. =p )

-avocados
-apricots
-blueberries
-melons (what kind of melons?watermelon etc?)
-cherries
-cranberries
-grapes
-kiwis
-papayas
-peach
-strawberries

Would it be better to feed in puree form or fresh? If fresh, can only feed at night when we get home from work...

Would it be better to steam or boil the fruits? If steam, I find that steaming the apples and pears take real long a time, would the nutrients be gone by then?

Any other recipe to recommend?

Btw, my baby has very serious constipation, anything that we can feed or do to make baby feel better or to poo more regularly? Had changed fm but instead the constipation prob's only slightly alleviated but phglem's brought into the picture, not sure why...

Thanks alot! =)

More important issues addresssed first:

1) Constipation
If your baby has always been taking nothing but cereals, FM and apple, he will DEFINITELY be constipated as grains and apples, if consumed daily, can lead to constipation. You need to introduce soluble and insoluble fiber as well as make sure that he takes in more water. Start offering one to two servings (two to three tablespoons) of prune/plum, pear, peach puree at least once a day to help him be more regular and cut back on apples, bananas and grains. For example, if you have been feeding him cereal with apple puree, replace the apple with any of the fruits I listed in the previous sentence, for breakfast. You can also give him those fruits as a snack/finger food or even as a meal on its own. Once he begins to poo regularly, you can experiment by offering other fruits and veg BUT keep in mind that he needs fruit, veg more than grains, meat and dairy. I think Super Baby Food suggests the following amounts at 7-8 mths (need to double check) - three to four servings of fruit/veg and only threes servings of grain and one serving of dairy (yogurt, cheese, etc) a day plus one protein (like tofu/egg yolk) serving every two days. That is what we mean by a balanced diet.

2) As mentioned earlier, no berries - strawberries, blueberries, raspberry, blackberry, all theses are off limits. You can offer cranberries - they are good for avoiding UTI and are packed with antioxidants.

3) Boiling fruits is more damanging than steaming as you require more water to boil fruits whereas you can place fruits in a place (without water) and steam them. Fruits need gentle steaming - about 4-5 minutes is good enough. You can start to offer fresh fruit like apple, watermelon (remember to remove seeds), mango, papaya, banana and so forth as well but make sure you serve them immediately. I too feed Eva fresh fruit - usually at night but sometimes I'll pack it as a snack to the babysitter. Since she's older and very ripe fruit is soft, we don't puree it. I used to give her cooked puree for dessert so it's really up to you and your baby. If he can handle pieces of fresh fruit, then why not? Otherwise, just mash and feed loh.

4) I have some recipes on my baby blog like mashes, roast veg and chicken, etc. You can check them out and see if it suits what you're looking for.

Hope this helps!

 

[happiness12]

Hihi,


Thanks diymummy & meiteoh, appreciate lots.. =)

Ok, will avoid berries... was thinking of trying different fruits to sorta widen her taste bud bah...

was thinking dragonfruit, cranberry, kiwi, banana, apples, pears, avocado, papaya, carrots etc...

but since baby has very serious constipation now, will hold back on cereals, apples, bananas etc... =p

cham, just gave mil some biscuits for baby to snack.. think gotta hold back..

my mum kept saying that baby's trying to grow and learn new things but by feeding solids so late, we'r hampering baby's growth... made us feel pretty bad that we'r the cause for baby's low weight etc..

What about fish? threadfish and any other fish to recommend for porridge?

Btw, would it be better to buy those brown rice powder or to use the japanese pearl type of rice for the porridge?

As the porridge will be cooked by MIL (fish & porridge) and I was thinking of making some shredded carrots mixed with brocoli/ spinach (high iron right?) for her to mix into the porridge, should the carrots and veggies be made into shreds or pureed forms?

As for the puree, I try to steam instead of boil.. but the thing's the pear'd be very very hard and I cant smash it well into bits.. so in the end, I steam it till like, for 30 mins... =p until it's all soggy and soft before I mashed it... so basically, I cant steam it for too long, gentle steaming'd be good, but what'd be a good way to mash the still-pretty-hard pear into puree form?

Glad to know that our timeline's ok... =) coz we kept getting feedback from relatives and all that baby's thin and we should've started solids at 4 months... =p but I remembered reading somewhere that it may cause added burden on baby's digestive system if baby's not ready for solids....

 

[apollo]

Hihi!! =)

My baby just passed the 8 months mark but we started late on solids...

So by 6th months or so, baby was just starting and trying out on cereals whereby baby still doesnt know how to swallow..

By 7 months, we started baby on abit of the jarred purees and I tried making apple puree on my own.

Now at 8 months, we are starting baby on porridge and I was hoping to expose baby to more of the different flavours of puree...

So, the list of questions'd be (pardon me for this.. =p )

-avocados
-apricots
-blueberries
-melons (what kind of melons?watermelon etc?)
-cherries
-cranberries
-grapes
-kiwis
-papayas
-peach
-strawberries

Would it be better to feed in puree form or fresh? If fresh, can only feed at night when we get home from work...

Would it be better to steam or boil the fruits? If steam, I find that steaming the apples and pears take real long a time, would the nutrients be gone by then?

Any other recipe to recommend?

Btw, my baby has very serious constipation, anything that we can feed or do to make baby feel better or to poo more regularly? Had changed fm but instead the constipation prob's only slightly alleviated but phglem's brought into the picture, not sure why...

Thanks alot! =)

yes diymummy and meiteoh is right, dun gif berries b4 the child reach 1.

for fruits, since ur baby is 8mth old alrdy, u can just gif fresh ones for those 'soft' fruits which he can chew and swallow. for apples, have to puree it. use steaming method. slice it smaller so it will be cooked easier and use a blender aft tt.

as for constipation, pls avoid giving banana. some ppl has the wrong idea tt banana is good for poo poo but actu it will cause and even worsen constiptaion. gif more papaya and kiwi. =)

 

[diymummy]

Threadfin is the most popular fish among old folks to start.

I use normal rice to make porridge. I use a slow cooker to cook my porridge to make sure it is soft enough.

You can try thin shreds. If you're afraid your child cannot accept it, puree would be better.

I'm not sure abt pears but 5-10min for apples are good enough to puree.

Dragonfruit is ok to feed if you intend to start it.

Baby being thin is more of a genetic issue rather than you starving your kid. No baby would remain quiet if she were hungry. She would be crying her lungs out already.

My son eats loads but he is still small and skinny. As long as your child is hitting developmental milestones and her weight is within the percentile chart, she is fine.

 

[apollo]

Hihi,


Thanks diymummy & meiteoh, appreciate lots.. =)

Ok, will avoid berries... was thinking of trying different fruits to sorta widen her taste bud bah...

was thinking dragonfruit, cranberry, kiwi, banana, apples, pears, avocado, papaya, carrots etc...

but since baby has very serious constipation now, will hold back on cereals, apples, bananas etc... =p

cham, just gave mother in law some biscuits for baby to snack.. think gotta hold back..

my mum kept saying that baby's trying to grow and learn new things but by feeding solids so late, we'r hampering baby's growth... made us feel pretty bad that we'r the cause for baby's low weight etc..

What about fish? threadfish and any other fish to recommend for porridge?

Btw, would it be better to buy those brown rice powder or to use the japanese pearl type of rice for the porridge?

As the porridge will be cooked by mother in law (fish & porridge) and I was thinking of making some shredded carrots mixed with brocoli/ spinach (high iron right?) for her to mix into the porridge, should the carrots and veggies be made into shreds or pureed forms?

As for the puree, I try to steam instead of boil.. but the thing's the pear'd be very very hard and I cant smash it well into bits.. so in the end, I steam it till like, for 30 mins... =p until it's all soggy and soft before I mashed it... so basically, I cant steam it for too long, gentle steaming'd be good, but what'd be a good way to mash the still-pretty-hard pear into puree form?

Glad to know that our timeline's ok... =) coz we kept getting feedback from relatives and all that baby's thin and we should've started solids at 4 months... =p but I remembered reading somewhere that it may cause added burden on baby's digestive system if baby's not ready for solids....

since ur bb is having constipation, avoid carrots also. carrots also can cause constipation. brown rice also will cause constipation. avoid all these until ur bb constipation is getting better. but of cos brown rice is defintely healthier than normal rice =)

as for fish, i started giving ds threadfin since he reach 6mth old. ehhh okay, seafood is actu NOT allow b4 the bb reach 1 but for threadfin, i didnt follow the 'rule'. lucky ds does not have any allergy towards it *phew*

sry but i dun agree with ur mum. u delay ur bb's solid food cos he wasnt ready yet. let ur bb take his time, dun rush him. =)

 

[meiteoh]

A baby's size has precious little to do with his/her development. As long as you're not starving your child, I don't see what's wrong with what you're doing. Bear in mind that the older generation's mentality is that babies MUST be fat in order to be healthy. That's the wrong approach as it encourages overfeeding which can result in obesity in children.

Eva was just 7.5 kg at 10 months, I think, and sometimes I get comments about her size but I always ignore them because I know her best - she is healthy, happy and active. That's what counts NOT the number on the weighing scale.

 

[Ivy Miao]

I can add purée into son frisocrem? Adding si sen into his porridge, just like that? Or I can add pear purée and si sen powder into his porridge?? otherwise no taste.. He's only 5 month plus. Believe he's getting sick of his frisocrem cereal.

 

[vinder79]

Hi happiness 12, all the advise i would wanna give has alredy been told by the nice mummies upstairs the only thing i can add id try not to feed your baby 2 late if u feeding him in the evenings as he has just started on solids.Try to feed him at least 2 -3 hrs before he sleeps as sometimes babies this young can get bloaated and will be very uncomfortable. And as baby gets used to eating the porridge with no bloating/wind u can slowly stop puree and mash instead as baby's gums will start to harden and it adds texture to their food for them.Hope this helps.

Hi ivy miao,If u feel baby is sick of friso why dont u try heinz baby rice cereal (from 4 mths)I feel that friso is already very sweet and if u add puree u will make it sweeter.(my sons dont take much sweet stuff)As for heinz if u add the puree it will taste all right still as its rice cereal.Another thing is u can start to puree veg and add into his porridge.U can add sweet potatoes if u wanna give your baby something sweet.(very easy to cook steam 20 mins mash/puree and add to porridge)Actually its the same for all veg.My son started porridge at 4+mths.Actually sometimes for breakfast for my boys i still give them friso(especially when they are sick)