protein foods

My babies HATE pureed baby food meats, even if I try to hide them in veggies or fruits that they like. What other proteins do your babies like? We've been given the go-ahead to try egg yolks, yogurt, and cottage cheese. I've tried the graduates meat sticks, mushed up into small pieces, and they seem to like that a bit better.

I just need ideas. I'm so scared of them choking...do I have to mix the egg yolk with formula or just crumble it up and let them eat it with their fingers? I'm so clueless.

 

QUOTE(skittles @ Feb 6 2008, 06:08 PM) [snapback]608666[/snapback]
My babies HATE pureed baby food meats, even if I try to hide them in veggies or fruits that they like. What other proteins do your babies like? We've been given the go-ahead to try egg yolks, yogurt, and cottage cheese. I've tried the graduates meat sticks, mushed up into small pieces, and they seem to like that a bit better.

I just need ideas. I'm so scared of them choking...do I have to mix the egg yolk with formula or just crumble it up and let them eat it with their fingers? I'm so clueless.


We have had good luck with soy burgers (Morningstar brand) - they like the chik'n and the tomato basil burgers. I'm not sure your feelings on soy, but these work well for us. Also, you can try very small pieces - vs. puree - just watch them carefully, you would be AMAZED at what they can eat with their gums. It may be a texture thing.

 

cous cous. it's like teeny tiny pasta (smaller than pastina). comes in a variety of flavors and goes down easy. you can add anything to it. you can cut up those little meat sticks or you can mince up steamed veggies or chicken or whatever. the cous cous itself is high in protein.

 

Here are some protein foods that my babies love:

-mashed black beans - eaten plain or as a toast spread
-table foods with legumes (lentil soup, etc)
-marinated tofu
-Sunshine burgers (veggie burgers based on sunflower seeds)
-egg yolk (DS will eat pieces of it from my hand, DD thinks it's yucky unless I mash it up for her)

Also, anything whole grain has a respectable amount of protein. My babies love whole wheat toast and pasta, and also those Kashi waffles that have some soy protein.

 

Have you tried the turkey and sweet potatoes and chicken and apples stage 2 from gerber? for some reason they love these but hate the other meat ones. I think the apple and sweet potato flavors mask the meatiness KWIM?
Anyway, mine prefer the morningstar fake meat over the real stuff too, I think it is easier to chew, which is fine since I buy these for myself anyway! We also love grilled cheese, bean and cheese quesadillas, beans and rice (just make sure the beans are mushy enough, you can kinda smoosh them a little) mac n cheese (the mini shell shaped pasta are easy to pick up)
I use the kitchen scissors to cut anything I can up into teeny bites.

I would just give them the crumbled egg yolk and see if they like it like that. you can also make it like scrambled eggs.

good luck, try not to worry, they are still just trying it out for now and tastes change over time.

 

My girls liked/like, refried beans (or any beans that are cooked long enough), ground browned burger, shredded beef cut really well, cooked ham they can usually chew really well, turkey and chicken all just cut really well.

 

A vegetarian friend of mine (I'm still not clear on if she's making her baby eat like one), recently put soft tofu and fresh fruits in the blender to make a smoothie, and she said Clare LOVED it...I've been meaning to try!

 

We made homemade baby food out of red lentils and chickpeas and they love both. Just cook until soft and give it a whirl or two in the food processor, spread in ice cube trays, and then when frozen transfer to plastic freezer bags.

Those two are super bland so we often mix them with either sweet potatoes, squash, or yogurt.

I am going to try tofu this week.