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Baby food christmas dinner


Baby's Christmas Dinner Recipe - Weaning Your Baby at Christmas

Christmas is a great time to be starting to think about weaning your baby. Or, if you’ve just started introducing solid foods, it may be even better. There are so many seasonal foods available at this time of the year that are just perfect to offer to your infant too. Additionally, Christmas is all about family and food. So trying to involve your little one in mealtimes around this period is a perfect way to help influence their eating habits for the better.

Don’t forget that as well as turkey and Christmas pudding, Christmas is also about filling your plates with vegetables. Carrots, parsnips, sprouts, cabbage – you name it, and (especially early on in weaning) vegetables are perfect first foods for your baby too.

On top of this, we know two very important facts from research which also makes baby’s first Christmas perfect…

  • Vegetables are the best foods to offer babies first when you start introducing solid foods.
  • Including children at your meal times helps them with development and food acceptance.

All elements of the Christmas meal are pretty good for your child. However, it’s good to make sure you get the texture right and that you’re not adding any sugar or salt to foods you’re giving to baby. Additionally, other recommendations around this time still stand too. Such as introducing allergen risk foods after 6 months and only one at a time, so you can notice any allergic reactions.

Your baby may be just starting out and is having purees. They are on mashed and finger foods by now.  Or if they are at a later stage and having only slightly chopped adult food, Christmas is a great opportunity to offer up some great food to your little one.

Most young children can simply have a version of your Christmas dinner that suits their age and stage. Offering the same or similar foods to what you’re eating is great too. It helps to make sure that your children copy and learn to eat the same foods as the rest of the family. Which can make feeding much easier later on! Additionally vegetables, potatoes and meat can all be served in multiple ways – soft cooked, as finger foods, mashed, pureed or even whole.

As an example of a perfect Christmas dinner for baby, see my recipe idea below. Remember that you can, of course, change any of the vegetable suggestions that are made and swap in other veg if you have it. Remember to also try and keep baby’s meals as similar to the meal you’re having as possible. It’s just the gravy, salt, or any added sugar that you need to be a little wary of.

Baby’s Christmas Dinner Recipe

Servings: around 2-3 servings, but this will vary from child to child and depending on their stage of feeding.

Ingredients:

  • 150 g mashed or minced cooked turkey (swap for ¼ cup of lentils if you’re baby is vegetarian or vegan)
  • ¼ onion chopped finely
  • 1 small potato, peeled & chopped finely
  • ¼ cup of cabbage
  • ¼ small swede, peeled & chopped finely
  • 2-3 sprouts, chopped
  • a dash of olive oil

Method:

  1. Cook the onions in some olive oil until it is slightly brown
  2. Then add the potato, sprouts and swede and cook for a further 5 minutes before adding the cabbage.
  3. Cook on a low heat until all vegetables are soft.
  4. Use a fork to mash the cooked turkey and add it to the vegetable mixture.
  5. Blend or mash (along with a dash of baby’s usual milk) to desired texture, depending on your little one’s weaning stage. Add more milk to make the mixture thinner or just a little milk to make the texture nice and thick.

More baby’s dinner recipes

Let me know if you or your little one tries the recipe and please feel free to send in your own recipe ideas too…

5 Holiday Purees for Baby to Eat at the Holiday Feast

Include your little one at the dinner table with holiday purees for baby

By Emily Pidgeon

Time spent together with friends and family during the holidays is what we are excited about the most all year. The delicious meals are what we look forward to the second most. For parents toting around infants, being able to offer yuletide-themed, homemade baby food gets everyone in the spirit of the season and includes family members of every age.

Contents

  • Main course options
  • Bring on the dessert
  • Let your baby try it all

From sweet, roasted squash to velvety smooth, gravy-topped turkey purees, our list of festive favorites will have your little ones smacking their lips for more. If you’re looking to whip up some holiday-inspired baby food recipes, then we have five great options to embody the holiday cheer in all of us. Let’s see what scrumptious dishes we’ve got cooking for your precious babe in toyland.

Main course options

Turkey puree

One of the most quintessential protein options, roasted turkey, sits atop the throne as the most beloved part of any holiday feast. While pre-roasted turkey would be the most flavorful option, boiling a turkey breast in stock — or even plain water if that’s what is on hand — makes for an inexpensive way to include your baby during their first holiday feast.

Parents should feel free to spice up this recipe to include any seasonal herbs they believe their little one’s palate will enjoy. This puree pairs beautifully with a softened cranberry sauce, buttery potatoes, or separate green bean mash.

Butternut squash and chicken puree

For a more all-in-one type of dish — or to cut down on the amount of work needed for many separate offerings — parents are encouraged to lean on this braised butternut squash and chicken puree. You’ll bring together vegetables and proteins, in addition to brown rice (grain) and lentils (legumes).

This may not be a specific baby puree recipe, but parents are encouraged to make use of its technique to cut down on the amount of time spent in the kitchen prepping homemade baby food. You should omit or substitute any spice you feel baby would or wouldn’t like.

Baby’s first Christmas dinner

If your family celebrates Christmas, you may be thinking about giving your infant the experience of a holiday meal for various reasons. Any variation of convenience, flavor exploration, or simply cutting down on the time spent in the highchair are all reasons to blend them up a festive meal. This dinner recipe is an especially good option for overly stimulated kiddos, or fussy babies who enjoy being mobile far more than sitting still at a noisier-than-usual table.

Bring on the dessert

Cranberry applesauce

Though not strictly for babies, this easy-to-make and tasty treat is popular among kids of all ages — even adults too! Tart cranberries are blended with diced apples, freshly squeezed orange juice, spicy cinnamon sticks, and maple syrup. This creates a delicious and naturally sweetened holiday applesauce that is sure to please everyone gathered around your table this season.

Tangerines, clementines, or mandarins would take this dish to the next level, adding a more exotic flavor profile that complements the apples and cranberries extremely well.

Pear dessert

No holiday is complete without dessert, and this list of festive holiday baby food recipes is no different. Little ones have tastebuds and begin experiencing the sense of taste while still in the womb at just 9 weeks. Sweets have been a favorite holiday staple since anyone can remember, so including your baby in the dessert course during the season just makes sense.

It’s a more all-inclusive experience when parents dish up this decadent pear dessert after the turkey has been served. And this humble recipe requires only one simple ingredient to make. It doesn’t get much easier than that, does it? Of course, if you want to add some pizazz, grab cinnamon, ginger, or another holiday spice to kick up the flavor.

Let your baby try it all

We all have our favorite go-tos at the holiday dinner table. But we also will try that new dish your aunt brought to see what it tastes like. Do the same for your baby. Skip the same old, same old, and let your little one experience the entire buffet that holiday meals offer.

From pureed gobbler to a complete turkey dinner in one bite, our list of merry holiday recipes is sure to inspire parents on the hunt for new flavors for their precious peanuts this season. The best part? Introducing your little one to these new holiday tastes helps your babe develop a more diverse palate with exposure to a more flavorful spice rack.

The holiday season is a cherished time among families for good reason. So, ditch the jars of pre-made mash and substitute a few tasty, homemade seasonal dishes this year. We want the whole family to feel included while deepening the bond between the generations for years to come, and there’s no better setting than the holidays for that to happen.

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For the festive table: Christmas |

For breakfast: Quick breakfast / Healthy breakfast / Healthy breakfast / Hearty breakfast / Dessert for breakfast

For lunch: Lunch at work / Quick lunch / Healthy lunch / Festive lunch / Dessert for lunch

Dinner: Quick Dinner / Light Dinner / Romantic Dinner / Family Dinner / Quick Dinner / Dessert Dinner0003

Special diet: Gluten-free recipes / Vegetarian food / For pregnant and lactating / For diet / Lenten food / Raw food diet / Christmas / wedding / buffet / halluin / anniversary / kebabs