How To Make Weaning More Fun with our Adorable Yummy Buddy Bowls

Weaning More Fun

Weaning is an important stage in your baby’s life. You might find offering your little one a whole new world of taste and texture exciting, but your baby may not. The first foods will be pureed, and while you might consider them relatively bland, your baby will not. New foods are a big thing in a baby’s life, and sometimes, they don’t actually want to try new things. It can seem like weaning won’t happen, and it can be frustrating at times, especially when you have a fussy eater on your hands. The important thing is to remain calm and persevere. You will get there eventually.

One really great tip for weaning and mealtimes is to make it fun. Try using the Yummy Buddy bowl. It’s made from an antibacterial material, comes in blue and pink, has a suction cup base, and has a fun character design that babies and kids love.

Stage One

Some babies seem to want to skip the runny, purees, and jump right ahead to the next stages. You can let your baby lead the weaning, decide what he or she is comfortable with and the consistency of his or her food. If your baby wants to start with purees, then you can make your own at home with fruits, such as apple, apricot, bananas, mangoes, pears, and pumpkin, vegetables, such as squash, sweet potato, and carrots, or grains, such as rice cereal, oatmeal and barley. Once you’ve introduced a new food, wait for four days before introducing another. If something doesn’t agree with your baby, you’ll be able to pinpoint exactly which new food it was. Only serve single ingredient foods. Some fruits can simply be mashed or blended, but others will need to be cooked before you can serve them to your baby. Peel, core and chop fruits and vegetables before boiling them, pureeing and serve. Always take care not to serve foods that are hot to your baby. Allow everything to cool completely first. As your baby grows up and becomes more adept at eating, you can start combing foods and flavors together.

Pureed Apple/Applesauce

You can use as many apples for this recipe as you want. If you want you can make a big batch, and freeze it in individual portions.

Peel, core, and chop the apples.

Put them in a saucepan.

Slightly cover them with water.

Boil until tender. Stir occasionally.

Once tender, they can be mashed with a potato masher. You can add water for a runnier consistency, or you can add cereal to thicken it up if necessary.

Pureed Winter Squash

1 Medium sized butternut, or acorn squash

Cut the squash in half and remove all the seeds.

Put about an inch of water in a baking pan, and place the squash, cut side down on the pan.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees, until they feel soft, and the skin has puckered. Check the water level as they bake.

Once soft, take them out of the oven and scoop out the flesh.

Use a food processor or blender to puree.

Add water to thin, or cereal to thicken as necessary.

Oatmeal

1/4 cup ground oats (Do not use instant oatmeal or quick cook)

3/4 cup water

Grind the oats in a blender or food processor if they aren’t the right grind.

Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan.

Add the oats.

Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add formula, or breast milk to thin.

Serve warm

As your little one grows and gets used to new tastes, you can add pureed fruits to the oatmeal.

Stage Two

As your baby grows and can eat more solid foods, you can introduce finger foods. Finger foods are great because babies can eat by themselves, which also improves their hand to eye coordination. Stick to soft foods and dice or chop them up. Always supervise babies when they’re trying finger foods, and make sure they don’t choke. You could also make your own finger foods such as this recipe for chicken or turkey nuggets.

Home Made Chicken Nuggets

1lb boneless, skinless chicken, or turkey, breast

1/2 cup raw wheat germ

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 egg (If your baby has allergies, then this can be omitted)

Tablespoon minced garlic

Sage, thyme, pepper mix of spices

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Dice the chicken or turkey, and then grind in a food processor.
3. Mix equal portions of the sage, thyme, and pepper. Add spice mix to the meat.
4. Add the egg, or if you aren’t using an egg, add a tablespoon of water, and pulse until combined.
5. Shape the mixture using your hands. Keep your hands moist, which will help keep the mix together.
6. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes on a ridged baking sheet, or on an oven rack set onto a baking sheet, until golden.
7. Serve with applesauce or marinara sauce for dipping.

 Bon Appetite.....

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