Garrett has learned one thing that pleases his spoon-feeding Mama immensely and one thing that really doesn't. He will open his mouth wide so as to let me shovel in his fruits and vegetables (yes, even the peas), but he zips his lips and shakes his head when I give him meat.
At his last appointment, his doctor told me to introduce meats into his diet at lunch and, in a few weeks, at dinner as well. Happily I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from the visit and bought a few of every stage one meat puree they had: veal, chicken, turkey, and beef. He's had a taste of every one now, except for the veal, and every time I try he gives me the same reaction: pursed lips and gags on what I am able to get into his mouth.
I've tried to disguise the meat as much as I can. I've mixed it with vegetables and fruits that he likes. I've watered it down to make the texture less grainy. I've tried alternating spoonfuls of fruits and veggies with spoonfuls of meat. But he's a smart one, this boy. He knows meat when he sees it. And he doesn't like it. (And it probably isn't helping that the introduction of new foods has brought on another case of constipation.)
Now, I'm sure that time and patience will cure all, but do any of you experienced meat-feeders out there have any suggestions for me in the meantime? In return for your advice, how about this: how about I leave you with the recipe for the chicken tortilla casserole we ate yesterday (which, I thought, was quite tasty). See there...it'll be a win-win meat situation!
Chicken Tortilla Casserole
2 cups cooked, boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 tbsp chicken stock
approximately 9 (6 inch) corn tortillas, cut into strips
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 (16 oz) jar salsa
1 onion, shredded
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
In a bowl mix soups, milk, salsa, and onion. Put 3-4 tablespoons of chicken stock in a 9x13" baking dish. (I boiled the chicken to cook it and used that stock.) Add a layer of tortilla strips, then a layer of chicken. Pour soup mixture over chicken and tortillas. Continue to layer in this order until dish is full. Top with cheese. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours (I only refrigerated mine for less than half that time...I prepared it in the morning and cooked it that evening. It turned out fine....so I'm still curious as to why this 24-hour cooling session is truly necessary). Bake at 300 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Enjoy! And thanks in advance for your wizened and experienced advice.
17 comments:
I was told by my first son's pediatrician to wait until 9 months to introduce meat. She said that he would eat his vegetables better as he got older. I have done this with all three of my boys and I believe that it has worked. My children are much better eaters than most of their friends their ages (1 1/2 to 6years). Their favorite foods are stir fry and salads with lots of veggies. We often hear comments from other tables at restaurants like, "See, that little boy is eating his vegetables."
None of my boys liked the meat I would give them until we were past the baby food stage. They do say (as I am sure you have heard) that you should try 10 times before you decide that your baby won't eat a particular food.
I hope this helps (or at least makes you feel that you are not alone). Good luck!
Ugh, I agree with Garrett! Those plain pureed meat jars are nasty! I think we waited until 7-8 months for meat, and then got the number 2 meal type things like vegetables and chicken all in one thing.
Oh, I agree: they smell gross, so I really don't blame Garrett for turning up his nose at them. His doctor said that in 3-4 weeks, we could start introducing stage 2 foods to him, so if the "try it at least 10 times" plan doesn't pan out, maybe a more appealing sort of introduction will click with him.
I didn't give my kids any meat until they started eating table food, probably between 18 months and two years. Babies (well, and people too) don't neccessarily need meat in their diets for protein. Especially if he's still getting lots of formula. Up through 9 or 10 months kids get most of their nutrition from formula or breast milk and solid food is just for "practice". Formula has protein and iron; cereal has iron too. I started giving my kids whole-milk yogurt (mixed with veggies or fruit) at around 8 months and that has protein too. At 9 or 10 months you can start giving beans (I just opened up a can of black beans or white beans and gave them to him a few at a time) as a finger food. I'm semi-vegetarian so I guess I have a bit of an agenda, but I really do think that babies are fine without meat.
Oh, I meant to say that I usually chose black beans or white beans (canellini) because they are pretty soft. Kidney beans have tough skins and garbanzos are pretty tough too. You could also cook and mash those kinds up. Beans have lots of fiber too :) It does seem like most stuff I've read recommends not giving them until about 9 months because of digestion issues.
I never had any success with those baby food meats. I always ended up waiting until 9-10 months or so and giving them tiny tastes of whatever meat we were eating ourselves. Like foxyj said, they really don't need the extra iron and protein if they're still on formula. Good luck!
I, also, had not luck with those disgusting meat purees. I didn't even bother with the twins actually. I just waited until they were old enough to eat tiny bites of meat from our plates or, as foxyj says, beans straight from the can. They ate hardly any baby food once they were old enough for stage 2 foods. I would just make our regular food without salt and before I seasoned just blend up a bit of what we were having, or just mash it good. And they are both great eaters now, one who prefers veggies and fruits, and one who prefers meat and cheese. Go figure. It must not make too big a difference what you feed them when they're tiny!
Savannah and Ethan both loved quesadillas with cheese and refried beans. or just refried beans depending on their age. I don't know how good it is to feed a baby refried beans from a can, but they both really enjoyed it.
I never gave my kids the canned jars of meat because I would never eat them. they didn't really do well with the texture of meat until they had more teeth. Good luck with that one!
Maybe if it was like chicken noodle soup or something along those lines he would eat it?
I just remembered Garret is like seven months old. So store my advice for a few more months. When our kids were seven months they still just ate veggies. Sorry I have no advice! But if you wanted to do meat I still think mixing broth into the cereal would be the best way for the flavor.
Stef hated any jarred/store bought baby food! I finally gave up and made my own for her. When it came to meat, I'd just throw whatever we were eating in the grinder and she would eat it. I probably didn't really start this until she was about 9-10 months old. I wouldn't worry too much about Garrett, formula gives him plenty of what he needs :)
Dang girl, from a child development background, you hang out with some smart people. Based on my (vicarious) experience and training, they have said it all great!
Thanks, guys, for all your suggestions. I'm confused now, though. In a case like this, what's more important: the advice of friends to wait a few months before giving him meats along with my own aversion to that nasty puree stuff, or the advice of my doctor, a veteran professional, who says to start now? Where should the line be drawn? In a larger sense, which trumps which: a mother's intuition or the doctor's advice?
Sometimes this mothering business leaves me feeling so inexperienced.
I always go with my mother's intuition :) When it comes to stuff like eating or sleeping pediatricians can be all over the map. Especially depending on how old they are and stuff like that.
I agree. Mother's intuition totally rules. Every child develops at a different pace, so I don't think there can be any cut and dry rule about when to do what for your child. A lot of the things doctors say seem to go in and out of style. For instance, when I was a baby, the big thing was that children shouldn't be introduced to solid foods until they were a year old. My mom told me that whenever I saw them eating I would just start shaking because I was so hungry. I think babies, though they lack communication skills, have their own way of letting us know what their little bodies need. You're doing great!
Yes, go with the mother's intuition. Actually, my favorite pediatrician said that "mom's always just KNOW their baby best" and to always trust your instincts. I also feel like with the Gift of the Holy Ghost, it's actually a bit more than just an instinct in most cases.
My kid is 2 and still won't eat meat unless it's a chicken nugget.
So, in order to get him some protein I started making him scrambled eggs (WITHOUT THE WHITES UNTIL AGE 1) and he loves them. But I think he was older (9-10 months) when I tried it.
My almost 2 year old won't eat any meat unless it's chicken and the shadows from the sun are exactly right or the pull from the moon or something. (really I have no idea what makes it ok for her to eat it one day and not all the others) She also won't touch milk in an variety, but she eats lots of cheese and yogurt and I give her a vitamin to get Vitamin D. She loves broccoli though. Go figure.
Dr's don't know everything. It's not worth a fight.....
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