Every other day I get a DM on Instagram asking me what and how Anouk eats. Finally, I decided to pen down what we are doing for her. First, Anouk was never fully breast-fed. We did a mix of formula and BM. Around five months, she started getting curious about food and demanded solids. Every baby is different, so listen to your baby’s cue.
Initially, we gave her fruits puree only, but apples and pears were a bit tangy for her. So we gave her vegetable puree, which she loved. Slowly we introduced her to cereal. I am sharing we feed her in a minute, but I will tell this – do what works for you and your family. We experiment every week, and this is how we came up with this list. Plus, Anouk is an excellent eater. She eats almost everything.
Fruit
- Apples that are less acidic such as Gala or Fuji
- Soft and sweet Pears such as Anjou, Bartlett.
Vegetables
- Sweet Potato
- Carrots
- Butternut Squash
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
We give her sweet vegetables more (quantity-wise) than cruciferous vegetables. She throws up with avocado, so we skipped that.
We do not feed her anything store-bought. Everything is made freshly at home with this. This has steaming option and a small food processor.
Protein
Matthew and I are into adding protein to our every meal. So we wanted Anouk to do the same. She eats lamb and chicken. Unfortunately, she is allergic to eggs, and she hated fish. So she stuck with these two. Now that it is approaching 1, we give her more cheese (hard, soft, cottage). She also eats paneer and tofu.
Spices
- Fruits – Cinnamon, Cardamom
- Vegetables – Cumin, Coriander
- Meat – Nutmeg, Cumin, Garam Masala, Coriander, Ginger, All-spice
- Herbs – Scallion, Cilantro for meat
A few things to remember –
- This is a complete list.
- Don’t mix all spices together. Mix and match based on your preference.
- Give in super small quantities.
- NO SALT.
We mix this cereal mixed with fruit broth & water or formula or milk.
Freezing baby food
My parents were recently traveling, and I did not want to spend hours in the kitchen preparing baby food and neglecting my child. So I prepared a lot of her fruit and vegetable puree before and froze them in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I transferred these cubes into a container and store them in the freezer. They stay safe and delicious for up to 3 months, but I used them under 3 weeks.
Baby Led Weaning
I did not know this term until a few weeks back when a follower of mine messaged me about it. Anouk ate food like crackers, pasta, etc., with fingers, but we did not let her eat a full meal by herself. Now that she is turning one soon, she wants to eat her entire breakfast by herself and let her. That said, I feed her lunch and dinner. Her pediatrician asked me to continue doing the same. Also, our pediatrician said not to force her to finish the entire bowl, and we don’t, but like I said, she is an excellent eater.
A few last pieces of advice from a millennial mom - read, educate but do what your pediatrician says. So finding a trusted pediatrician is significant. Don't do something just because you read a term on the internet.
