Introducing Meats

Hi J.: I use to just heat a small amount of water in a pan, and set the jar in it a few minutes before feeding. Stir it a few times to warm it all, and be sure and check it to your lip,as it may get to hot.I agree, that babies seem to like the taste of mixed meat with veggies. The meat alone taste terrible!! Don't you ever try any of that stuff? lol.My kids use to gag on the meat alone!!The best of luck to you

Hi J.,

I am a working mom, too, so I was so thankful for the convenience of some of the pre-packaged baby foods that are available. Neither of my boys would eat the baby foods with meat, though. I don't know if it was the flavor or what, but they completely turned up their noses - and they were both really good eaters. So, I started feeding them from the table - whatever we were eating for the meal, I would cut up into really small portions & feed it to them as well. They LOVED it!! They especially loved it when I would mix the meat together with their veggies & mashed potatoes. Soon after that, I stopped using the jarred baby foods all together because it was easier & better tasting for them to eat the fresh foods from our table.

I'm sure you will find the right combination of foods/flavors that your daughter will love. :)

Jen

I found my son refused to eat any kind of meat baby food in jars. So, I had to make his own. I just boiled some chicken really well and then after it cooled, I put it through a processor with the broth it produced. Then I poured it in an ice cube tray so I could pop out a cube when I needed it. He seemed to really like it. I never could get him to eat beef until he was older. But strangely enough he LOVED tofu! His favorite was silken tofu and peaches. I would have to stop him from over eating that stuff. It makes a great finger food too. Just an idea if she doesn't take to chicken. Try tofu! :) Much luck.

Hi J.,

Lucky you with a new baby girl! Well, personally, cold pureed chicken sounds gross, would you eat it? I wonder why you can't warm it up in the microwave. Maybe the manufacturer is afraid you'll heat it up too hot or something. I suppose you could put the jar in a bowl of hot water to warm it up.

V.

Boil real chicken, who knows what's in those jars. Or micro it for a couple sec. and be sure to stir out all hot spots. If you dice up real chic. they do just fine, it doesn't have to be mush.

Hi J.,
My girls like the jar food warm too so what I do is I warm a pot of water (no need to boil it) - but I only put a little of water about 3 inches high. Once the water is pretty warm, I remove it from the stove and in a plastic container, I pour the baby food. Then I put the plastic container in the water to warm it up. You only need to keep it in there for about 30 seconds; it varies by food. Try that - that should help warm up the food without using the microwave. =0)

Dear J., try boiling a shallow pan or dish of water and letting the jar sit in the water to warm up(after removing it from heat)this is what i did for my kids. nobody likes cold food,eccept maybe pizza lol good luck. A.

Hello J.,

I don't like to microwave anything so I just use hot tap water to warm the food in the jar. I put the jar in a pan or bowl of hot water and it warms it up in about 3 to 4 minutes. Then I scoop out what I think my grand daughter will eat and put the jar back in the hot water to keep it warm. Make sure you wash the spoon or use two spoons so you don't get germs in the jar from your babies mouth.
I see where others have used plastic in the microwave and that is a health hazard if they are not aware. It causes a chemical to come out of the plastic that is causing problems with childrens hormones. It was on the news and in the paper recently. Use a glass bowl if you are going to microwave. Good luck!

When my children were young, and my "baby" is 25, we had divided warming dishes. You could put meat on one side and veggies on the other, plug it in and turn it on. I used to for cereal as well. It was wonderful and I used it for all four of my sons. This was in the day before we had disposable diapers and all the amazing tools and toys you have available now.

If they don't make something like that anymore you could always put the portion of whatever food you want to warm in a small pyrex dish and place it in a large bowl of hot water. That way it wouldn't get too hot which is one of the main reasons they tell you not to use a microwave with food and formula.

I always cooked real food for us and took some for my kids, blended it with milk/formula in a blender and they loved it. I'd even freeze extras in ice cube trays, put in in zip lock type bags, warm it in their little dish. As a stay at home mom I had the time, felt it was better for them and it was a lot cheaper.

Hi J., I am a mother of a 2 year old boy. When he was little we had trouble getting him to eat the chicken cause it was so dry and didn't have a lot of flavor. My son also liked his foods at room temp. We started mixing one veggie in with his chicken and he would eat it that way. I hope this helps! Good luck!

I think the jars say not to microwave so the company doesn't get sued by someone who has no common sense and feeds a baby scalding food. I always used a microwave to warm up the unused food, just put it in for a few seconds then test the temperature carefully. Maybe she will like it if it's not cold. Or use the old fashioned way of heating bottles - submerge the jar in hot water. It may be worth a try!

Hi J.,
My son doesn't like cold meat either (neither do I, come to think of it!), so I spoon about half of the jar into a microwave safe tupperware container and nuke it for about 20 seconds or so. After I stir it and make sure that the temperature is correct, we're off to the races! He totally hated meat when he first tried it, and to combat that we would alternate bites of cereal (with or without fruit) with bites of meat...what a great little trick! It worked, and now he is trying all kinds of foods! Have fun with it and good luck!
A.

Hello J.,

Do you have plasic bowls for her? If not, go to your local grocery store, walmart, target, where ever you shop and buy her her own bowls and spoons. They'll be in the baby food (feeding) aisle. My daughter has colorful gerber bowls, they can go in the microwave, I do it all the time. Poor the baby food in the bowl and put it in the microwave for a few seconds, it doesn't take long. Stir it, of course, and check for hot spots before you feed her.
Also, with my kids, I've always mixed the new food (fruits, veggies, meats) with rice cereal. I've poored the cereal in the bowl, added a small amount of food, and then water to texture. Sometimes it helps, especially if your daughter is a texture girl! Plus, it will be familiar, the taste and texture of rice cereal, which she already likes.
Good luck!
A.

My friend signed me up for this site I think it is great too. It has been awhile since I have had a little one but what I use to do was heat water in a cup then put the jar of food into the cup. I didn't believe in the microwave as it changes the make up of the food. Hope that works for you.
D. D.

Are you sure it doesn't mean not to microwave the container? I'm sure you could heat the food in another dish, or even on the stove. And honestly, I always heated the baby food as well, cause nobody wants cold chicken mush,lol. just my two cents. good luck.

Most jars have a metal lid, so they can't be microwaved with the lid on. It is fine with the lid off or you can microwave the food in another bowl.
I'm a mom of 3 and do it all the time:)

you can microwave it that should be ok... what i found was most babies i have dealt with never cared for the plain meat. what i did was get the meat mixed with something else... like chicken and rice or vegitable beef.. what stage food are you feeding her? also just keep offering it ok... good luck!

try butting the bottle in a pan of hot water to warm up. stir it occasionaly so that it heats up. You can microwave it just put it in a small bowl it will only take a few moments so don't but it in there for 30 sec. and make sure you taste it before you give it to the baby (remember you can stand things hotter then they can so more room temp to you, will be fine for them). And remember Your food tastes bad when it's cold too. J.

OK, this will sound maybe gross. My kids are older now, but I practically table fed them after the cereals stage. If you buy rotisserie chickens (or actually bake it yourself) you can tear off little bits of well cooked meat, chew it up yourself and give it to her (like a bird). You can also put that chewed up chicken into mash potatoes. I even would buy or make chicken pot pie and mash that all up. Anything you eat, the baby can eat. The more you introduce off the table the better. Now that my son is 9,my friends all remark how my son will eat anything, seafood, artichokes, sushi and its all because I mashed up whatever we ate and made him try it. Don't get me wrong, there was always a packet of formula and a jar of baby food in the bag just in case. But don't be afraid to get creative, they were feeding kids off the table for thousands of years before baby food was jarred and introduced for convenience. My great grandma taught me all this so I can't take credit but good luck!

Little ones often do not take to meat as easily as they do veggies and fruits. I think they object to the texture as much as the taste. So try mixing small amounts of meat into something she likes, and just increase the amount until its at least half and half. That will insure she is getting the nutrition she needs and she'll get used to the taste and texture and be ready for finger foods and mixed baby foods soon.

#1: don't worry about giving baby so much meat so early...her body doesn't need it. Eating is just to experiment for the future. #2 if you are going to though, i say make it yourself. I just boil in a small pot 1-2 chicken thighs with cut up carrots and potatoes, when it's done, i throw it in a blender, pouring some of the cooking liquid in and blend. blend to the right consistency (this age you should leave some lumps to help them start mashing with their gums) and you have about 4-5 fresh meals ready to go. If you stick to your above situation, i always take the food out of the jar and put it in a bowl, add some oatmeal to boost the consistency/vitamins, etc. then nuke it for about 15-20 seconds. My baby loves eating. I have 4 children, my youngest is 10 months and since i started making my own baby food, it's so fresh that even i can eat it and i would never go back. good luck

NO,no, don't feed meat to her. Give her other proteins and what until she is over 1, her little system is not ready to digest that kind of protein. There are doctors who also suggest waiting until they are over 2, she'll be fine. There are many proteins that you can give her that are complete that will support her needs, rice and black beans etc. She is way too young for meat, she is still learning to digest the other...

You can heat up the food in hot watter. Either but the jar in a bottle/food warmer (that is how I warm up my frozen baby food) or you can fill a coffee cuyp or the sink with hot water and warm it that way but it isn't as effective for food in a jar.

My son doesn't really like cold food either! The reason it says not to microwave the jar is because the microwave will heat unevenly and IF YOU DO NOT MIX IT there could be spots that are hot enough to burn her mouth, and others not warm enough. If you will stir the food after you heat it (and make sure to remove the metal lid before heating) there is no problem with heating the food. 15 seconds should be sufficient, then mix the food and touch a spoonful to your lip, just to be sure it is the correct temperature.

Hey J.. I am a stay-at-home mother of 4. When my kids were little I went through the same thing. If your baby only eats half the chair at one time, when it comes to the second time, put the remainder of the food in a bowl and stick it in the microwave for a few seconds. I can guarantee it will work. Good luck!

Simple solution dear place it in a pot of boiling water for 20 seconds water should be same height as the left over meat in jar, give it a stir and place in her feeding dish and check temperature thats all oh yeah add it to her vegetable that she likes and she should take the meats fine, theres no problem about mixing the meat and vegetable before feedings

Actually you should not feed your child directly from the jar unless you plan to use all the food in the jar at once. As you put the spoon into their mouths, they leave behind saliva and germs, so putting it directly into the jar leaves those germs in the jar. It's the same idea behind not licking the spoon and then using the same spoon to serve yourself some more (you leave germs in the serving bowl for others) or not drinking directly from the milk jug.
If you put the food into a sectioned plate/bowl before microwaving, you can warm it up easily. If you don't want to use a microwave at all, you can also take the jar and place it in a small bowl of hot water. Wait for awhile and test to see if it is warm enough. If not, change the water (making sure it is really hot) and mix the food to allow the middle of the food to get warmed as well.

OK...heat a bowl of water in the microwave, drop the closed jar into the water and allow to heat!

However, have you consulted the Dr. about meats at this early age?