help needed from all you mothers!!

[oubykh]

and fathers obviously..... :D

we have found out we are due our first child later this year and was thinking about what to grow to puree and freeze for when its able to enjoy its fathers home grown!

i will be already planting pumpkins, squash and carrots anyway, but anything you recommend was be much appreciated.

[oubykh]

[Wicker]

Carrots were always a firm favourite (because of the sugar content ::)) and I expect it will be trial and error to find out what baby Oubykh will like!  Think you may have to be careful of veg that may cause "wind" in very small babies tho :-\

Congratulations on the great news by the way!!

[Hot_Potato]

Just want to say congratulations to both of you - what exciting news.

It's decades ago now since I was pureeing food for my 3 boys....had one of those baby moulis (sp) and once they were old enough for 'little tums' to cope, I think I tried lots of things......definitely carrots as Wicker has said and small amounts of potato too....

[Obelixx]

Congratulations!  I weaned mine very late - 6mths - to reduce tendency to allergies.  She started with mashed banana and avocado having spat out baby rice.   Pureed carrots were the best veggies then broccoli with potato.  Pureed apples and plums too when she was a bit older.  Have to warn you though, she lapped these up as a baby but now (age 10) will only eat raw carrots and won't go near bananas or avocados or cooked apples.  Broccoli is still OK - so far.  Rhubarb crumble is requested all year!

[wattapain]

Congratulations to you both on the great news. Lucky baby to have allotmenteers as parents for many reasons. 
1. A healthy organic diet is the best start any baby can have both in terms of its own development in the womb and also the fact that his (or her) parentswill be full of energy to cope with parenthood.
2. Also the start of a healthy life as a little helper in the lottie. I'm sure Nattyem & Emma Jane will point you in the right direction.
Plus I am in fact a midwife so any questions, pm me and I will try to help.  ;D 
Terri

[Jesse]

Hey, congratulations to you both! I made all my babies food and puree. Make up batches and freeze into ice tray cubes, then you can simply defrost the amount you need when you need it. My kids loved most types of veg. Green veg like broccoli and courgette tastes better mixed with potato in a puree and maybe a little grated cheese as well when they're a little older. Grow some fruit as well, like apples, melon, pears (that was their favorite) and strawberries (great finger food for when they're around 9mths). We make our own yoghurt (or you could buy plain yogurt) and flavour with fresh fruit puree or maple syrup rather than buying those sugar loaded kids yogurts. Great news!  :)

[terrace max]

I haven't got any info to add to these excellent posts.

Speaking as a dad, I just wanted to say looking after babies/kids and allotments is all you need to be really happy. I gave up my job to look after three of each and I've never looked back. (Even on the 3 am shift...)

Congratulations! 

[Multiveg]

Congratulations! Osian loved looking through the seed catalogues - all those pictures (sorry Tuckers, not good enough as only a few pictures) T&M excellent, as was DT Brown, Fothergills..

This is our 3rd season on the plot, so didn't have homegrown veg for puree-ing. Osian in the first season preferred shop broccoli to ours  ::) but last season, was quite happy to eat it while it was still attached to the plant  ::). We grew broad beans and Osian helped shell them, then he had some for dinner. He also liked runners and french beans.

Good luck....

[Mrs Ava]

Congratulations!!
Everything!!!

Steam the veg to prevent masses of vit and mineral losses and blitz or mash.  Some veggies are thicker than others, and when mine were teeny I would add a little milk or water to loosen the mix.  Cauli is great, makes a lovely smooth creamy moosh.  Carrots are very sweet along with 'snips, nips, and swedes.  I did try roasting them, then mashing with olive oil and number one daughter loved this with fish when she was about 6 months......try it now she is 6, pah!  Apple is a good carrier and when they are tiny, mixing sweet and savoury seems to be fine.  With peas and beans, don't forget to remove the thin skin around the pea as this is indegestible and can catch in their throats....you can sense I found this one out much to my panic!  Cabbage and sprouts aren't great until they are older and they are hard to puree, altho it can be done in a blender, but wow their nappies can be seen and smelt streets away!!!!!! :o 

As Jesseveve says, freeze in decent sized ice cube trays, then tip them out into tuperware boxes or bags.  Stewed fruit is a must, add a little lemon to apple, but only a little, unless you want them to pull 'that' face! 

I started daughter off at around 4 months and was terrified, even more so when at 6 months she had her first egg and went into anaphalactic shock due to an allergy!  Number one son was eating much sooner, but now at 4, he is the worlds most fussy eater EVER!

Again, HUGE congrats to you all!!!  ;D

[wardy]

Cauli is a good first food for baby.  I had a food mill which was very good and I used a lot.  I think it was from Boots.  Too much green veg though is bad news from a whiffy perspective  ;D

There's bound to be a mountain of books on the subject for you to check out

I did all this careful food preparation for my little sprog.  He's now 6'5" and would never eat anything remotely resembling a vegetable.  He lives on McDonalds and pizzas and the only veg he eats are chips.  Tt!

Wardy

[Roy Bham UK]

Congratulations to Mum and Dad ;D ;D ;D

[NattyEm]

Wot everyone else said!

Mine absolutly loved pureed swede (and its still a firm favourite - then they're not normal Rei's favourite food is kale)  Freeze different vege in icecube portions then tip them into a plastic bag.  You can create your own veg medlies this way, mixing what they like.

We started with banana and avocado (mmmmm have you ever had banana and avocado on toast, it's yummy yummy) and stewed pears, then moved onto other things, sweet potato and butternut squash were both favourites.   It isn't long until they can eat what you eat (assuming you eat a healthy diet low in salt and additives). 

So basically they loved everything we gave them, and at 3 still do.

Congratulations!!! ;D

[Kerry]

just want to add my congratulations!

[oubykh]

A big thank you to you all for your lovely words :), means alot to use both.  we have told only a couple of people, not even my family yet as its still very early yet, so to recieve all your support and advice gives a nice glow inside. :D

does mean i'm having to redraw my allotment plans again though!!

[Mrs Ava]

Yup!  Now you need room for a safe grassy play area, a den, somewhere for mum to sit and feed baby, somewhere shady, which leaves just enough room for the veggies that babe will love so!

Forgot, strawbs!  Daughter number one was eating whole strawbs long before she started on rusks and she still eats them whole, and quickly, and makes lots of mess to this very day!  The only reason I grow strawbs in the garden and on the plot is to watch her work her way down the row eating them as she picks.  We don't get a look in, and I really don't care!  ;D

[Slaine]

Many congrats

Our 2 loved puree'd butternut squash, I'm sure that we still have some hiding in the depths of the freezer.

Take a look at "Annabel Karmel's Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner".

It's a very good book with loads of recipes in and plenty of stuff to do with fruit n veg.

Thats part of the reason i decided to get the lottie this year so i can start to give the nippers some non extortianately priced organic food.

Cheers

George

[Slaine]

Here's Annabel Karmels web site it has some good puree recipes on there.

http://www.cookingforchildren.co.uk/

[Doris_Pinks]

Congrats from me too!
I used to do all the above, the ice cube trays of food were a Godsend!  Mine still eat loads of veg, but won't come within a mile of a mushroom, and spend ages picking them out of spag bols! We are lucky that they eat most everything else though! ;D

[Jesse]

I second that, Annabel's book is great and I still use some of the recipes now for my nearly 6 and 3.5 year old.

[Moggle]

Have no advice whatsoever, but congratulations!! :D