Apples for baby!

DoubleB

As its apple season I have tonnes of apples from my garden to be used both cooking & eating. Ive been making jams & cakes but had the idea that I would stew/ cook some for my 11 wk baby for when she moves on to solids. Has anyone any ideas on cooking/ freezing apple recipes for baby and please specify if cooking or eating apples! Also while I'm in the subject when did you introduce solids? I have an above average in weight & length for her 11 wks baby and have been told by lots of 'commentators' that she will need solids soon!!!

lmullen

When I was introducing purees I used to stew eating apples with a little sprinkle of cinnamon. Also stew them with some raisins or sultanas. Just blend them up and freeze. I used silicon ice cube trays for the first foods.

I didn't start solids till my little one was 5 and a half months so don't really have any advice on when to start you little one.

Oral Slang

DoubleB, start solids as close to 6 months as you can, much better for a babies gut & digestive system. I started pretty much on the dot of 6 months. Everyone says the same - oh your baby needs solids by 12/16/20 weeks etc, but they get the most nutrition from their milk & food is only secondary to that. Most of their nutrients should be coming from milk until they're 1, so food should just be there for them to get used to tastes, textures etc.

Some info here - this site is usually about breastfed babies, but if you read it, the same things apply to formula fed babies. http://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/delay-solids/

pwurple

My apples are all gone! I went mad baking, and didn't stew any. Silly me.

Anyway, I would just peel and chop them, into a small pan with a bit of water and heat until soft. Taste, and if they are bitter, add a bit of sugar until it tastes right. You might not need any at all if they are eating apples. Then freeze into ice-cube trays. When you start to wean then you are all ready to go.

Once frozen, pop the apple-cubes into a ziplock bag in the freezer and LABEL. I forgot to label some bits, and I've no idea what they are later.

You can add the apple to porridge, or yoghurts etc. Or just give her a bit of it in a bowl. Mine loved apple... still does.

Ms2011

I stew the apples with a cinnamon stick (remove once the apples are done), then add custard & mashed up rusk, portion them out & freeze them in batches.

Mink

If you use a steamer that can work too. I used to get eating apples (& pears) and peel them, chop them and then steam them until real soft.
Puree, put in ice cube trays etc etc as Pwurple says exactly.

I started my son on solids at 16 weeks and I really wish I'd left it longer. I wouldn't start earlier than 5/5.5 months as I just found his tummy wasn't handling it great and he really didn't seem that interested until he was 5.5 months.

It's very easy to get excited to try this next phase, but 4 months is just too young, unless you are specifically advised to by your doc to help with reflux etc.

Annabel Karmel's book is brilliant to guide you through it

Xdancer

I used to steam them and then mix and match with other steamed fruit. Plum and apple was one of my little one's favourites.

As for solids, I wouldn't even think about it until at least 5 months regardless of the size of the baby (which has nothing to do with it) and even then it is just for 'fun' as they get all their nutrients from milk until 12 months.

Sligo1

Wow some really nice recipes here!

Op I started my fella on the tiniest bit of solids at 4 months as advised by 2 PHNs. I think general consensus is to wait till 6 months if baby is breast fed but formula fed babies may start sooner. If you have a look at the baby cereals in the supermarket a lot of them say 4+ months or 4-6 months aswell. I really think its up to you and what you think is best for your LO at the time. My fella did really well starting his solids and had no problems with the digestion of them. He would get sooo excited when he saw the spoon! But I did take it very slowly with him.

Neyite

Apple
Apple and cinnamon
Apple and mixed spice (cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, nutmeg etc)
Apple and raisin
Apple and blackberry
Apple and strawberry
Apple and pear
Apple and peach
Apple and plum

I'd mix in apple with any other fruit, especially the more acidic ones like berries to make it easier to digest on the tums.

I just used to make a monster pot of apple and portion off the apple, then add in cinnamon to another portion, raisins to another. Then for the ones with the added fruit, I would steam them in a small pot then add to the apple portions.

Sligo1

Neyite wrote: »

Apple
Apple and cinnamon
Apple and mixed spice (cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, nutmeg etc)
Apple and raisin
Apple and blackberry
Apple and strawberry
Apple and pear
Apple and peach
Apple and plum

I'd mix in apple with any other fruit, especially the more acidic ones like berries to make it easier to digest on the tums.

I just used to make a monster pot of apple and portion off the apple, then add in cinnamon to another portion, raisins to another. Then for the ones with the added fruit, I would steam them in a small pot then add to the apple portions.

Neyite I thought it was advised to leave strawberries until 1 year old? I think it has something to do with allergies? I've been staying away from berries aswell... Does anyone know if we can use berries if LO is under a year? If we can I'm gonna go buy some today! Will make breakfast so much more interesting!

Lisha

I would wait til a minimum of 20wks before solids . My advice is to nod and smile and ignore those advising any earlier .

Anyhoo, stew apple, mixed with pears or raisin . Freeze in silicon trays, and thaw and heat as needed
Mix stewed apple with porridge, ready break, or cereal.
Use as a desert with yoghurt rarely custard.
I would also use with pork dinners sometimes mix into puréed carrots

Anabel Kramel books are great

pwurple

Sligo1 wrote: »

Neyite I thought it was advised to leave strawberries until 1 year old? I think it has something to do with allergies? I've been staying away from berries aswell... Does anyone know if we can use berries if LO is under a year? If we can I'm gonna go buy some today! Will make breakfast so much more interesting!

I think berries are ok as long as you boil them for over a minute. Some Hep A scare around at the moment for them, but boiling kills it.

On allergies, it's very hard to avoid ALL allergens until 1. Mine was allergic to eggs and cashew nuts. Cashews are a very cheap nut, they are in piles of things. Pesto for example. For eggs, loads of baked products have them. and they are a very handy protein from about 9 months. You'd have a very restricted diet if you were to avoid any allergen.

Neyite

Sligo1 wrote: »

Neyite I thought it was advised to leave strawberries until 1 year old? I think it has something to do with allergies? I've been staying away from berries aswell... Does anyone know if we can use berries if LO is under a year? If we can I'm gonna go buy some today! Will make breakfast so much more interesting!

I steamed them and mixed with apple - thought it might be gentler on the tummy rather than for allergies. I probably didn't introduce them until other fruits had gone down well, which they did. But then I steamed all the fruit I gave baby.

But I never really worried about allergies or avoided foods on that basis. The bigger ones like nuts I did wait until a year. But for the rest, people can be allergic to anything (or nothing) and the only way to find out, is to try something and see.

Sligo1

pwurple wrote: »

I think berries are ok as long as you boil them for over a minute. Some Hep A scare around at the moment for them, but boiling kills it.

On allergies, it's very hard to avoid ALL allergens until 1. Mine was allergic to eggs and cashew nuts. Cashews are a very cheap nut, they are in piles of things. Pesto for example. For eggs, loads of baked products have them. and they are a very handy protein from about 9 months. You'd have a very restricted diet if you were to avoid any allergen.

Yea I've been giving mine eggs and dairy cheese etc. I just thought strawberries were specifically to be avoided. Delighted going to use some berries tomorrow! :-)

lmullen

Sligo1 wrote: »

Neyite I thought it was advised to leave strawberries until 1 year old? I think it has something to do with allergies? I've been staying away from berries aswell... Does anyone know if we can use berries if LO is under a year? If we can I'm gonna go buy some today! Will make breakfast so much more interesting!

My little one had already had loads of strawberries and other berries when the phn told me I should avoid till one - I just said oh well too late same went for eggs! She loves here strawberries!!

Sligo1

I think perhaps maybe I listen to my PHN a bit too much. I don't think she's even had kids. I just worry about doing something wrong. Hopefully I'll be more relaxed with my second :-).

dublinlady

Sligo1 wrote: »

I think perhaps maybe I listen to my PHN a bit too much. I don't think she's even had kids. I just worry about doing something wrong. Hopefully I'll be more relaxed with my second :-).

I find with my second my attitude has changed from - when can I start solids on my first - to - how long can I avoid solids on my second! Purely because its just another thing to do!!! With my first I was soooo excited about it and started at 20 weeks after sitting on my hands for 2 weeks trying to stop myself!! Second is 17 weeks now and I'm dreading if!!

But I used to steam all my different fruit or veg individually - would but one bag of carrots, or bag of apples a day and steam them and then purée on own and then into oxo 1oz baby food things ( basically silicone ice trays) and then pop in zip lock bag as pwurple said. Then when it came to a meal after I'd introduced all if the foods on their own, I'd mix and match one cube apple with one carrot or one carrot with one sweet potatoe and butternut squash etc. so easy to keep variety as you could just mix and match!
You'd only have to do it for a few days every few weeks as you'd get loads!

Oral Slang

I gave berries from 6 months, as soon as she started eating solids. Delayed eggs for a few months as my older brother had an allergy as a child - think I introduced them at maybe 8 or 9 months, with no allergies thank god. Only started whole nuts recently, but gave peanut butter from before 1. If there's a history of allergies to specific things, then maybe delay introducing, but otherwise I wouldn't worry.

IvyTheTerrible

It really depends on the baby what time you start. My little man did not put on a lot of weight in his first 4 months so I was advised to start solids at 4.5 months, and it really made all the difference.