Meat finger foods baby

How to Serve Meat to Baby (6+ Months)

Meat is a great first food for babies and it can be made into a baby food puree, mashed into a chunky puree, served on the bone, shredded, or served in strips as a finger food or for baby-led weaning. These 6 meat baby food ideas are simple, healthy, and quick to make using beef, chicken, turkey, lamb and pork. This guide is perfect for babies 6 months and up!

Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

Meat Baby Food

Serving your baby meat from the start might seem like an unconventional first choice, but meat is an extremely nutrient-dense food for babies 6 months and up.

This guide will give you 6 easy ways to incorporate meat 🍗 into your baby’s diet – served as a baby food puree, mashed with veggies, served on the bone, made into meatballs, served in strips, shredded or ground. You can serve meat to baby doing purees or baby-led weaning. These recipes are great for babies 6 months – 2 years of age!

First time making homemade baby food? Then, I would suggest that you start by reading my very in-depth Guide on how to Make Homemade Baby Food – which goes over all the important information such as the best cooking tools to have on hand, safe storage, how to know when baby is ready for solids, how to introduce purees, the best first foods for baby, and more! If you are doing Baby-Led Weaning, then be sure to check out my Complete Guide to Baby-Led Weaning – which covers what exactly is baby-led weaning, to every parent’s concern of baby-led weaning and choking, this guide goes over it all. I will also share how to know when baby is ready for BLW, the top 10 best first foods, a helpful sample blw feeding schedule, helpful tools to have on hand, and much much more!

Want more information? Then make sure to check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes!

Meat for Baby Video

Watch this video to find out how to feed meat to your baby!

Reasons to Love These Meat Recipes for Baby

can be served as a baby food puree
also great for baby-led weaning or the finger food stage
nutrient-dense
easy to have one meal for the entire family
excellent sources of protein, zinc, vitamin B12, selenium and niacin
good sources of iron, vitamin B6, and phosphorous
puree and ground meat are freezer-friendly

Benefits of Meat for Baby

Different meats will have different nutrient profiles, but in general, meat is an excellent source of protein, which is essential for proper growth and development of all organ systems and for maintaining and repairing tissues. It is considered a complete protein, meaning it has all of the amino acids that are needed to make protein.

Meat tends to be a good source of iron, needed for making red blood cells and for neurodevelopment, and zinc, needed for growth and development and supporting the immune system. Animal sources, including meat, are high in B12, which is essential for brain development and healthy red blood cells.

Best Meat to Serve Baby

There are a variety of meats your baby can eat right from the start! And with so many options on how to serve them, your baby will never get bored. Try serving your baby a new meat dish every week for maximum exposure.

Beef: served on the bone (ribs), made into meatballs, ground, in strips, shredded or pureed
Chicken: served on the bone (drumsticks), made into meatballs, ground, in strips, shredded or pureed
Turkey: served on the bone (drumsticks), made into meatballs, ground, in strips, shredded or pureed
Lamb: served on the bone (lamb chops), made into meatballs or ground
Pork: served in strips, shredded, made into meatballs, ground or pureed

You will want to stay away from any processed meats such as bacon, hot dogs, store-bought sausage, ham, deli meat, etc, ideally as long as possible, but at least until 1 year of age, since processed meats tend to be full of preservatives and have been linked to cancer. You will also want to season the meat at home with homemade spices or spice blends and avoid any store-bought marinades, rubs, or sauces as they tend to be too high in sodium and sugar. Make sure all meat is fully cooked to prevent any food-borne illnesses that can be caused by undercooked meat. That means no rare or medium-rare steak for your baby.

Meat Sources: you certainly can buy organic, pasture-raised, and grass-fed meat, which is lower in saturated fat and higher in Omega 3’s and antioxidants than conventional, if you prefer and your budget allows. But conventional meats are also completely safe and healthy for babies.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can you introduce meat to baby?

Whether you start baby on purees or are doing baby-led weaning, meat is an amazing first food for baby! When a baby can start on solids is determined by their own rate of development, which generally comes between 4-6 months of age for purees and at or after 6 months for baby-led weaning. Some of the developmental milestones your baby needs to reach in order to start solids include: if your baby has solid control of their head and neck, if your baby has doubled their birth weight, and if your baby is reaching for or opening their mouth when you eat (see my guide here). Before you start baby on purees, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready.

Is meat a choking hazard for babies?

Yes, meat is one of the more common choking hazards for babies. You want to make sure the meat you are serving to your baby is soft, tender, and appropriately sized for your baby’s age. When in doubt, go for a bigger 2-3′ strip (2 adult finger size) of meat for your baby, or a puree. For safe ways to prepare meat for your baby, see my recommended recipes below. And always be near baby or toddler when they are eating meat of any kind.

How do babies chew meat without teeth?

The question of how babies can chew foods without teeth, especially meat, makes all of us scratch our heads! But in reality, we all chew food with our back molars, not our front teeth, which baby doesn’t get until 18-22 months of age. Good thing babies have super tough and strong gums, which they use to mash, gnaw and chew foods. Baby’s gums are better at chewing food than you would think, and your baby will be able to chew more foods the older they get, even without their molars.

Is meat a common allergen for baby?

No, meat is not a common allergen, however, as with any food, start with a small portion and be aware of any signs that might be an allergic reaction after introducing it

Does chicken cause constipation for babies?

No, meat is not known to cause constipation in babies, however it won’t really help with constipation either since it lacks fiber.

How to Cut Meat for Baby

A good rule of thumb to follow is the younger the baby, the bigger the piece of meat. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but the bigger the piece of meat, allows baby to hold onto it while chewing and sucking on it without posing as high of a choking hazard. For babies 6-9 months, you will want to cut the meat into 2-3′ strips that are roughly the size of 2 adult fingers. You can slice the meat thinner for babies 9-12 months or shred it into small pieces.

Storage Instructions

For Meat Puree: you can store meat puree in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze individual portions in a freezer tray for up to 2 months. To defrost, gently heat on the stove or in the microwave until warm.
For Ground Meat: you can store cooked ground meat in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze individual portions in a freezer tray for up to 2 months. To defrost, gently heat on the stove or in the microwave until warm.
Meatballs: you can store cooked meatballs in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze them for up to 2 months. To defrost, gently heat on the stove or in the microwave until warm.
Meat on the Bone, Strips, and Shredded: can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Feeding Tips

Watch for signs that your baby is ready to start solid foods, usually around 6 months of age. Look for sitting with minimal assistance, good control of their head and trunk, bringing hands and toys to their mouth, and appearing interested in what you are eating.
Throwing spoons is a common phase that all babies go through at one point or another. One of the best ways to handle spoon throwing is to ignore it and keep feeding baby as usual (with an extra spoon you already have at the table). If baby ends up also throwing back up spoons #2 AND #3, simply encourage your baby to eat with their hands until they appear to be finished with the meal.
Have a spare spoon (or three!) – even very young babies often want to be involved in feeding themselves as much as possible. Giving baby an extra spoon to hold can be helpful in giving her a sense of control and also promotes hand-eye coordination. Allow baby to use spoons as a teether during the meal. There are many great options out there but a few we particularly love include the Olababy 3 Piece Set, the NumNum Pre-Spoon GOOtensils, and the ChooMee FlexiDip Baby Starter Spoons.

Helpful Tools

These tools will make doing feeding baby so much easier. For more of my favorite kitchen tools make sure to check out my shop.

steamer basket
medium saucepan
storage containers for fridge
highchair
suction bowl or baby bowl
baby spoon
open lid cup
bib with catch pocket

Meat Puree for Baby

Serving a meat puree to your baby is a great way to expose your baby to the taste and nutritional benefits meat has to offer. While you can serve baby just the meat puree, it does have a very intense flavor that some babies may not care for. If this is the case, I would recommend you add a spoonful of chicken, beef, or turkey puree into another fruit or veggie puree your baby likes. Some great combinations are beef with sweet potato puree, chicken and mango puree, or chicken and broccoli puree. Since meat is not a common allergen, you can serve a meat combination puree as soon as your baby has tried the other fruit or vegetable. You can also serve baby a chunky mashed meat and veggie puree (recipe below) for a simple stage two puree.

Meat for Baby-Led Weaning

It’s very easy to serve meat to babies for baby-led weaning starting at 6 months or as a finger foods starting at 9 months. You will want to start by serving baby the bigger pieces of meats (ribs or drumsticks, 2-3 inch adult finger size strips, or longer meatballs) and work your way down to the smaller pieces as your baby develops their pincer grasp, usually around 9 months of age.

Palmar vs. Pincer Grasp

Palmar grasp and pincer grasp can be confusing, so let’s go over the basics.

Palmar Grasp

The palmar grasp is when your baby takes an entire 2-3′ piece of food and places most of the food into the palm of their hand with their fingers curling around the food. This leaves a small portion to stick out of the top of their hand, which is what they will chew on. The palmar grasp usually develops around 6 months of age, making it the first way your baby will move food from their plate to their mouths.

Pincer Grasp

A pincer grasp is when a baby uses their index finger and thumb to pick up smaller pieces of food. A baby will typically develop a pincer grasp around 9 months of age but can vary as all children develop at different rates.

HOW TO SERVE MEAT TO BABY

There are several different ways to prepare meat for baby. Here are 6 of my favorite ways:

Meat Puree (4-6+ Months)
Mashed Meat with Veggies (6+ Months)
Meat on Bone (6+ Months)
Meatball or Patty (6-7+ Months)
Ground (8-9+ Months)
Shredded or 2-3 inch Strips of Meat (Strips – 6+ Months, Shredded – 9+ Months)

Meat Puree for Baby

You can serve baby pureed chicken, beef, or turkey puree. The key to making delicious pureed meat is to keep the meat tender during the cooking process. I like to simmer the meat in a low or no-sodium broth until just cooked before letting it cool and then blending until smooth. You can add veggies such as onions, carrots, celery, and red peppers to the broth for extra flavor. Once made, the meat puree will last 4 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.

Meat to Use: you can use chicken, beef, turkey or lamb to make a baby puree.

Meat on the Bone

While serving meat on the bone to your baby may seem a little intense, it’s actually the perfect food for small hands to grasp and be able to self-feed as the bones make for the perfect handle. Make sure to remove any skin, fat, or small bones before serving.

Meat to Use: You can serve baby chicken or turkey drumsticks, ribs, or lamb chops.

Meatballs for Baby

You can serve meatballs for babies starting around 6-7 months of age. I love to make homemade meatballs for baby so that I can form them into long finger shapes, which are easier for babies to grasp and eat. You can also slice the longer meatballs into strips or chop them into smaller ‘pea’ size pieces. If using store-bought meatballs, look for a brand that doesn’t have a ton of added ingredients and has lower sodium. If serving a round meatball to your baby, you can cut it into quartered strips or small pieces.

Meat to Use: you can use beef, chicken, turkey or lamb to make meatballs for baby.

Ground Meat for Baby

Serving cooked ground meat is a great way for your baby to eat meat, as it is soft and tender than other cuts of meat, which makes it easier for your baby to chew and swallow. I also love that you can add in seasonings such as dried oregano, basil, paprika, garlic powder, mild chili powder, etc, to your meat while cooking to give it an exciting seasoned taste. You can serve ground meat to babies 9 months and up that are working on their pincer grasp or load some of the cooked ground meat onto a baby fork or self-feeding spoon to feed them or hand the utensil over to your baby to feed themselves.

Meat to Use: Feel free to use ground turkey, chicken, beef or lamb.

Pulled or Strips of Meat

The first food my daughter ever had was a huge piece of steak she grabbed off of my husband’s plate! Pulled (shredded) or strips of chicken, beef, pork, lamb, or turkey are one of the easiest ways to serve meat to babies. Take a 2-3′ strip, which is roughly the size of two adult fingers, of meat that you are going to have for dinner and serve it to your baby. You can also shred the meat into smaller pieces for slightly older babies (9+ months). Just make sure you remove any skin, fat, hard pieces, or small bones before serving.

Mashed Meat with Veggies

This method works great for babies on Stage Two or Stage Three baby food purees or just starting on finger foods. To make this, you will mash a small piece of chicken, beef, or turkey along with a spoonful of cooked veggies such as carrots, sweet potatoes, or broccoli until they are combined yet still slightly chunky. Then you can feed baby this chunky puree, or you can load a self-feeding spoon and have them feed themselves.

Tips

Soft and Tender: With whatever meat you are serving, make sure it is soft and tender to make it easier for your baby to chew. You don’t want to serve baby tough overcooked meat, skin, small bones, or pieces of fat as those are all choking hazards.
Serve a Variety: make sure you serve your baby various meats in a few different variations to diversify their textures and tastes, which helps with picky eating. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and offer baby chicken liver, veal, mutton, goat, buffalo, or organ meats such as heart, kidney, and liver.
Choose Dark Meat: offer baby dark turkey or chicken meat whenever possible as it has almost double the amount of iron in it.
Serve Fully Cooked Meat: Ensure you are serving your baby fully cooked meat as “rare” and “medium rare” are a no for baby.

1/2 pound ground chicken or turkey
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1 tsp dried oregano or basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Prep: If baking, preheat the oven to 400° F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and coat with a little cooking spray.
Mix: In a medium mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients. Mix together with your hands or a spatula until just incorporated.
Form: Roll the mixture into 3" long rolls – roughly 10 in total. Place on the baking sheet.
Bake: Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until done all the way through. Let cool and serve to baby.

Age: 6-7+ months

Yield: 10 longer meatballs

Storage: will store in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 2 months. To reheat, gently heat the meatballs in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove top until just warm.

Nordic Ware Baking Sheet

Stackable Glass Bowl Set

EZPZ

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How To Safely Serve Meat to Babies as a Finger Food

Bonus Material: Free workshop (move from purées to finger foods without fear!)

There are certain foods that tend to cause parents a lot of anxiety when it comes to baby led weaning, and one of them is definitely meat. I get it, it’s a difficult texture. And if you’re opting to go the baby led weaning route by offering finger foods, that can be really scary.

But whether you’re choosing to start solids with puréed baby food, baby led weaning, or a combo of both, meat contains a lot of important nutrients for babies – most specifically iron. Knowing how to prepare meat for babies safely is key, which is why I’m giving you all the details you need.

Plus, I’m a huge supporter of starting where you’re comfortable and ready to begin! So, jump on my next workshop “Baby Led Weaning but make it purées!” to learn all about how to move from purées to finger foods – without the fear! Gradually progress in textures, and work your way up to serving meat as a finger food when both you and your baby are ready.

For the purpose of this blog post, we’re going to say that meat includes: beef, lamb, pork, game meat, and poultry. Something you may not know is that it’s actually recommended as one of your baby’s first foods by both Health Canada and the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is because meat is high in iron, which is very important for babies to be getting right around 6-7 months via food.

Believe it or not, babies and toddlers do not need meat for protein per say…they can get that easily through other foods like dairy, legumes, and even grains. Rather, it’s the iron and B12 that’s particularly important to be getting that meat provides so well.

WHEN TO INTRODUCE MEAT TO BABIES

You can serve your baby meat as early as 6 months of age, or when they’re ready to start on solid foods. You could even give them some meat for their very first food if you wanted to! Once your baby is showing all the readiness signs for starting solids, it’s safe to offer meat.

And again, starting where you’re comfortable, and continually progressing your baby onto more advanced textures is key. That’s why I created my free workshop to teach you how to gradually move along from easier to more advanced textures, without the fear!

Additionally, the type of iron in meat is heme-iron, which is actually the most easily absorbed in your body. So, while it’s not the only source of iron for your baby, if you’re a meat eating family at home, it’s definitely one of the easiest and most iron-rich sources you can provide.

You can read all about the importance of iron and why we want to offer high iron foods twice a day to babies, here.

WHAT TYPE OF MEAT CAN I SERVE AS FINGER FOODS?

Any type of unprocessed meat is a-okay! It doesn’t matter if it’s organic, grass fed, or conventional meat (although grass fed and organic will have a better fat profile, but not a big deal if you can’t afford it).

One of the only things to aim for is meat that’s not pre-seasoned/marinated, as it’s almost guaranteed to contain a high amount of salt. I’d rather see you add seasonings/marinades at home where you can control the amount you put in.

Avoid all processed meats, such as bacon, ham, hot dogs, and sausages (unless homemade), as it’s very high in sodium and nitrites/nitrates, which increases the risk of cancer, and honestly, is so not needed in a baby’s diet. Understandably, it can sneak its way in, especially after one year of age, and hey – nothing will happen to them from a few indulgences. But generally speaking, try and avoid them when you can.

MY BABY DOESN’T HAVE ANY TEETH! HOW WILL THEY CHEW IT?

There are a couple of myths to bust about meat. First off, it’s not a choking hazard just because it’s not puréed. Babies don’t need teeth to chew meat (or other finger foods!) and can chew meat most easily when it meets the following two criteria:

#1: Keep it moist!

Try and maintain as much juice and fat on the meat as possible during cooking. It will not only keep it moist, but the fat is also beneficial for your growing baby. I like to keep skin on drumsticks, breasts, or chicken thighs when cooking them so that the fat from the skin keeps the meat moist. I would then remove the skin before serving it to your baby.

When possible, brown any meat on all sides first at a high temperature in a cast iron pan, or grill, and then cook it to completion on low heat. Whether that be in the oven, in a slow cooker, or braised/stewed over the stove. This will break down the collagen in the meat and tenderize it.

You definitely need to make sure to serve fully cooked meat, especially for babies, but keep in mind this doesn’t mean cooking it so much that it becomes dry and hard. Aim to cook chicken and pork to 145°F (use a meat thermometer) and have a holding time of 8.5 minutes before cutting into it, which will ensure any bacteria is killed off.

Higher than that, such as 165°F, will be okay for pieces of meat with more fat content that can withstand those temperatures, such as chicken thighs or drumsticks. However, it will likely produce tougher, drier meat for those pieces with less fat content, such as chicken breasts. Steak can be cooked a little bit under this (it’s okay to have a touch of pink inside if the steak hasn’t been poked with a fork, and the outside is well cooked).

Other ways to make meat more moist and easy to chew for your baby/toddler is to add sauces like tomato sauce, plain yogurt (we use that as a sour cream replacement all the time), salsa, pesto, and guacamole to keep it moist. You can use it as something to dip into, or mix the meat right into it. Topping the meat with the broth or juices it was cooked in is what we always do as well (for adults and kids!)…it’s just so much more enjoyable when it’s moist!

#2: Keep it tender!

You want to make sure that the meat can be easily mashed between your thumb and forefinger (see video below).

via GIPHY

A big part of keeping meat tender is not overcooking it, but you can also choose more tender pieces, like a pork or beef loin. You can further tenderize any piece of meat, including chicken, by putting it between two sheets of plastic wrap, or parchment paper, and pounding it while it’s still raw.

Other tenderizing techniques include marinating it in things like vinegar or yogurt, but ultimately choosing more tender pieces of meat and chicken (like drumsticks, thighs, and legs…which are all higher in iron by the way!) are going to be the easiest way to make this happen.

Another tip is in how you cut the meat before serving it to your baby. Some may say this is taking it too far, but I find it helps them when you cut perpendicular (or across) the direction of the grain (where the muscle tissues run). That way, you get lots of shorter pieces of meat fibres that will make it easier for it to fall apart in their mouth, making it easier to chew.

Check out this 7 month old baby enjoying some pulled chicken!

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A post shared by Edwena 🙋🏻‍♀️| Dietitian & Mom (@mylittleeater)

WAYS TO SERVE MEAT FOR BABIES

If you’re purée feeding, you can easily purée cooked meat with a little broth, water, or breastmilk, either on it’s own or mixed in with vegetables like sweet potato, carrots, tomatoes, etc. Feel free to add any seasonings and switch up the flavors for lots of taste exposure!

As a finger food, you’ll want to form it/cut it in finger length sizes so it’s easy for your baby to hold, and generally speaking, at least 1-2” wide. Here are lots of options for how to serve various types of cooked meat, plus meal ideas:

Ground meat in sauce:

The easiest place to start with babies is by offering ground meat. It’s crumbly and soft and moist, especially if you choose one with a higher fat content. You can just take any ground beef, turkey, or chicken, and offer it either in its own juices (keep some of that fatty juice to keep it moist) or in a sauce like tomato or pasta sauce. Your baby can eat it with their fingers, or with a spoon.

Ground meat in a patty/finger shape:

I find what’s easiest with ground meat is to actually form it into a patty and cut it into finger shapes, or even a large meatball. I also LOVE mini-meatloaves for babies and toddlers (bake meatloaf in a muffin tin) for easy to hold and moist meat.

A great trick to keep it extra moist is to add in some coconut milk or regular milk to your meatball recipe!! It makes it mushy even after it’s cooked (think IKEA Swedish meatball texture). If you are adding any sort of breadcrumb to the meatball, soak your breadcrumbs in milk first before using them (called a panade), or just add in small amounts of milk to your meat mixture on its own! Works wonders I tell ya.

Check out one of my favorite ground beef recipes here – Apple Sage Baby Burgers for baby led weaning, and the whole family!

Pulled meat in a slow cooker/pressure cooker:

You’ll love how this turns out, and it’s perfect for babies because it just falls apart, is easy to chew, and stays really moist. You can pile up shredded slow cooked meat on the high chair tray to make it easy for your baby to grab onto it with their fingers. Of course, you can also mix it into a sauce, or a purée like mashed avocado, salsa, or yogurt.

Braised meat:

If you want super flavorful, tender meat, this is a great way to go – especially if you have more time on your hands to dedicate to this. Here’s a great link to show you how to do this.

Meat in a stew/soup:

You can make any soup or stew and just strain the meat, veggies, grains etc. from the broth and serve the soft pieces of meat to your baby! It’ll be soft from the long cooking time, and moist from the broth it’s been sitting in.

Meat on a bone:

People always freak out when they hear this one, but it’s a great option because meat on a bone (like a drumstick or lamb chop) has an integrated handle that your baby or toddler can hold onto and take bites out of! Keep in mind…it’s large bones we’re talking about that they can’t take bites off of or break into pieces. Not small ones that can break and choke them.

We bake chicken drumsticks often with a few types of roasted veggies all on one pan, so it’s cool to know that babies can just eat it the exact same way you do! As long as you know how to safely serve it (which I show you how to do in my Baby Led Feeding online course) you’ll find this to be a low hassle way of offering meat!

Grilled meat:

Grilling meat is trickier to keep moist and tender, but can definitely be done. Grill chicken breast in a covered state, like covered with a silicone mat, a lid on your pan, or with an aluminum foil tent over it. This will keep all the steam and moisture on the meat versus evaporating into the air, and will ensure you don’t overcook it. Offer a dip, again to keep it moist and easier to chew.

For more tips on barbecuing meat for your baby, check out this post here.

Pan fried meat:

Pan frying meat (like steak!) can work as a great food for your baby to gnaw and chew on, in larger pieces, when they don’t have teeth. If you ever have a tougher meat for dinner, like steak, this is great for them to just suck on and gnaw on.

Believe it or not, by sucking the juices out of it, and gnawing on it, they can actually extract a decent amount of iron from it, so it’s a great nutritious option even if they don’t ingest much (or any).

If they have teeth and can chew better (around 12 months +), you can cut more tender pieces of steak into small 1-2” pieces for easier chewing and to reduce the risk of choking.

Baked:

Baking is easy and can work if you douse the meat in lots of fat (again, I like to keep the skin on my chicken to keep the fat sizzling on it while cooking). You can also cover it with foil to keep the juices in, and the steam on the meat, so it stays nice and juicy!

How awesome is pâté? I love it for babies and toddlers! It’s a nutritional powerhouse, with every pâté containing at least some liver, and so it delivers a jam packed amount of iron, b12, zinc, and so on. It’s easy to spread on pieces of toast or crackers, and doesn’t require any chewing!

I’ve got an awesome recipe for a liver pâté in my 60 Day Baby Led Feeding Meal Plan, check that out here.

I will say that because liver is SO nutrient dense, there is a possibility of overdosing on Vitamin A if it’s eaten more than once a week. Try not to offer it more than that, but otherwise… a beautiful way to serve meat!

I hope this gives you TONS of ideas on how to serve meat to your babies/toddlers and really helps you see that this is not a food group you need to avoid or be scared of!

Again, you can start solids gradually with your baby, beginning where both you and your baby are comfortable, and then progress from there. My free workshop will help you with this, and will have you feeling ready for the next steps!

I’ve also got lots of recipes for not only meat based meals, but all sorts of baby and toddler appropriate recipes in my 60 Day Baby Led Feeding Meal Plan. And if you’re wondering how to serve finger foods to babies, the Baby Led Feeding course walks you through every single type of food and how to serve it (with videos) and really leaves you feeling super confident in knowing what to do. I’ve even got videos of babies eating everything so you can see how they do it in action!

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Meat dishes for children

Children's meat dishes should be in the diet, but if your child does not show much interest in them, do not worry. Until a certain age, children rarely really like meat. There is a completely objective reason for this: the children's body does not feel the need for a heavy protein of animal origin. Well, then subjective reasons begin: either the taste is not clear, or laziness to chew (this is a real job!).

Therefore, when talking about children's meat dishes, most often they mean cutlets, meatballs, dumplings and other minced meat dishes. Offer your child pasta with meat stew, lasagna, meatballs - dishes familiar from children's books and cartoons. However, stews such as rabbit, veal, beef, lean lamb and pork are also suitable for children. Of course, there are also young gourmets who will not refuse a medium rare steak, but this is rather an exception to the rule. By the way, have you noticed that rare children refuse barbecue?

When preparing meat dishes for children, try to reduce fat content, do not forget to adjust the amount of spices and spiciness, and exclude (at your discretion) "non-children's" ingredients. However, the dish must certainly remain tasty so that the rest of the family also ate it with pleasure.
It often makes sense to replace oil frying with oven roasting or, if available, grilling. Do not forget about the existence of double boilers. Such a change in the method of preparation will be useful not only for children.

See more recipes for children:
Poultry dishes
Children's soups
Pasta dishes

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recipes for children, meat dishes

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COMMENTS

Meat snacks for a birthday. Snacks for a child's birthday

A children's party is very different from an adult's. If an abundance of hearty food on the table is enough for adults, then kids will not be pleased with this. For an enchanting children's holiday, you need to take into account all the points:

decorate the room;
do not put on the table fatty, spicy, fried foods and salads dressed with mayonnaise;
prepare contests with mini prizes for all the kids;
organize a disco with children's songs.

Festive snacks for children should be original and healthy. Try to find out from the parents of the invited children if they are allergic to anything.

We bring to your attention universal snack recipes for children. They are suitable for any holiday and will appeal to little gourmets.

Skewers for children

Skewers are a great way to let your imagination run wild. You can prepare two types of snacks - sweet and salty. For the children's table, do not take products of specific tastes - unusual cheeses, olives, olives, mushrooms.

Watermelon

Ingredients:

tomato - 3 pcs.;
cucumber - 5 pcs.;
hard cheese - 100 gr.;
olives - 6 pcs.

Cooking

Cut the tomato into medium-thick slices. Cut the cucumber into thick rings, and then cut semicircles from the rings, under the shape of a tomato. Cut the cheese into thin slices.

Lay a strip of cheese on top of the tomato (on the skin side), attach the cucumber to the cheese and fasten with a skewer. It turns out a watermelon slice. Cut out small circles from the olives and place on the tomato like the bones of a watermelon.

Mushrooms

Ingredients:

cherry tomatoes - 8 pcs.;
quail eggs - 8 pcs.;
parsley - a couple of branches;
sour cream - 1 spoon.

Cooking

Cut off the top and core of the tomato (these will be the caps). Boil the eggs. String eggs on skewers first, and then cover with a tomato, attach a parsley leaf under the egg, make dots of sour cream on the hats.

Cold snacks for children

Raffaello

Ingredients:

Cooking

Grate curds and boiled egg yolks. Stir, chop greens, garlic and add to the mixture, salt, add sour cream. Grate frozen crab sticks. Make balls from the resulting mixture and roll in crab sticks. Put the cheese candies in waffle baskets (you can buy them at the store). Place the baskets on a dish decorated with green leaves.

These original snacks for children will make a great impression even on adults, they do not require any financial investment and effort in preparation.

- to taste

Ground black pepper - to taste

Black peppercorns - 12 pcs.

Vegetable oil - to taste

When all 4 are combined, crack a raw egg into a bowl and beat with a fork.

You can start forming hedgehogs. To do this, moisten your hands with vegetable oil, take a piece of minced meat and make a round cutlet out of it. It needs to be crushed into a cake on a plank.

Put the egg in the center and carefully seal the edges, hiding the egg inside the minced meat.

Lightly roll it in a raw egg.

Place on a board and carefully mold a muzzle with a spout on the hedgehog. Take peppercorns and make eyes and a nose for a hedgehog. Take raw spaghetti and break a little - 1 - 2 cm. Stick zrazy over the entire surface, making needles to a hedgehog.

Do the same with the rest of the eggs and minced meat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with vegetable oil. Put the finished meat zrazy on a sheet. Place in an oven preheated to 180° for approximately 30-40 minutes.

After cooking, you can serve. Children's

STEP-by-STEP RECIPES FOR VERY DELICIOUS BIRTHDAY SNACKS

Description:

Birthday is always a holiday, that's why here you can enjoy all sorts of culinary delights. The table should also be set in a special way. There should be several salads - this is the traditional Olivier salad, with crab sticks, chicken with pineapples. It is desirable that the hostess has her own possibly unusual recipe.
And what a festive table without cutting: fragrant meat and sausage products, fish and fresh vegetables. These dishes are decorated with greens, peas.
The birthday boy will also enjoy such culinary masterpieces as eggplant rolls, stuffed mackerel, julienne, etc. There are a lot of similar recipes on the Internet, but you need to try them in advance.

1. Snack "Sushi Cake"

Ingredients:

Salted chum salmon (or other red fish) - 200 grams;
Crab meat - 200 grams;
Rice (for sushi) - 2 cups;
Eggs - 2 pieces;
Cucumber or avocado - 1 piece;
Natural yogurt 2% (instead of mayonnaise) - 3-4 tablespoons;
White sesame - 2-3 tablespoons;
Wasabi - 1-2 teaspoons.

Preparation method:

1. First, cook the rice in the same way as for sushi (boil, mix with vinegar, sugar and salt).
2. Then prepare 2-3 thin egg pancakes from the eggs, cut them into strips, cut the crab meat in the same way, cut the cucumber into thin slices.
3. Mix yogurt and wasabi.
4. Mix the cooked rice with sesame seeds.
5. Lay out the "Sushi Cake" snack in layers: cover the form with cling film moistened with a little water and vinegar.
6. Lay out the fish, then a third of the rice, smooth, then egg noodles, then crab meat, another third of rice, brush with wasabi yogurt, cucumber, the rest of the rice, level, compact, cover with a film.
7. We will put oppression on the cake, leave it for an hour, then remove the oppression, turn the cake upside down on a dish with a fish layer.
8. Decorate the cake as desired, cut it with a sharp knife moistened with cold water.

Bon appetit!

2. Squids stuffed with scrambled eggs and mushrooms

Ingredients:

Pre-peeled squids - 4 carcasses;
Medium eggs - 5 pieces;
Mushrooms - 300 grams;
Dill small bunch;
Semi-hard cheese - 150 grams;
Vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon;
Salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Preparation method:

1. First, cut the mushrooms into slices, finely chop the dill, grate the cheese.
2. Then heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Crack the eggs into the pan with the mushrooms, add salt and pepper.
5. Cook, stirring the eggs with a spatula, until the mixture sets, about 3 minutes.
6. Add chopped herbs and cheese, mix.
7. Stuff squid carcasses with egg-mushroom mixture.
8. Stab with toothpicks.
9. Lubricate the squid with vegetable oil, put it in a mold and send it to an oven preheated to 200 degrees.
10. Bake for about 20 minutes.
11. Cool, cut into slices and serve as an appetizer.

Bon appetit!

3. Cucumber rolls

Ingredients:

Fresh cucumber (large) - 1 piece;
Shrimps - 100 grams;
Egg - 1 piece;
Curd cheese - 2-3 tablespoons;
Cream - 2-3 tablespoons;
Bunch of parsley;
Lettuce;
Salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation method:

1. To begin with, boil the shrimp in salted water, bring them to a boil and immediately remove them from the water.
2. Then, when the shrimps have cooled down, peel them from the shells and finely chop them.
3. Let's boil hard-boiled eggs.
4. Peel the eggs and cut them into cubes.
5. Chop the parsley.
6. Add cream, shrimp, egg, herbs, salt and pepper to the curd cheese to taste and mix everything thoroughly.
7. Cut the cucumber into thin strips using a vegetable peeler.
8. Roll each strip into a roll and fill with cooked minced meat.
9. Cut off the rolls with a skewer or toothpick.
10. Place lettuce leaves and cucumber rolls on a plate.
11. This appetizer is best served chilled.

Bon appetit!

4. Cucumber and smoked chicken appetizer

Description:

Do you want a simple appetizer recipe without any heat treatment at all? I fell in love with it from the first time - both for the excellent taste and for the speed of preparation.