Tips for Baby Feeding Magic

Thanks to Plum Organics for sponsoring my post about tips for baby feeding magic. What if you let baby choose what’s for dinner? Check out their cute “Quest for Yum!” video and see what happens! 

Jemma has always had a mind of her own when it comes to meals. You could call her … particular.
Last week she loved apples and oatmeal.
This week, it’s grapes and meatballs.
What’s a mama to do?

Over our 7 months of trying different foods, I’ve developed a bit of a food mantra to make meal time more YUM than yuck :)

1. Start Fresh. Have you ever smelled jarred baby foods? Even worse, tasted it? If I were a little one ready to embark on a life long journey with food I would want to start with the best. No pureed casseroles for me! I’d want the season’s freshest fruits, veggies, organic meats, and soft spices. So, that’s where we started. Jemma turned 6 months last April and she was loving food by summertime. Perfect timing for fresh produce! In the beginning I pureed foods, but we quickly switched to a baby-led weaning approach and steamed or baked versions of our favorites produce were introduced to Jemma.
2. Stay Simple. Baby-led weaning is the simple way. Jemma eats what we eat … or a similar version. That’s it. For example, when we have Italian food I’ll make whole wheat penne pasta with a sauce and add meatballs. Jemma loves picking up pasta pieces (penne and rotini seem to be the easiest shapes for her tiny pinchers), licking off the sauce, and quickly following with a Cheerio size piece of meatball. YUM! By eating what we eat I don’t have to always plan two meals – what a win-win! Of course, if my particular girlie is not feeling the family meal I always have a back-up plan – leftovers or a nifty container of an pre-made organic option, much like Plum Organics offers. Prunes and peaches are her favorite Plum treats!
3. Stick With It. Jemma doesn’t enjoy every thing I offer to her. For some reason she doesn’t yet understand that mama knows best??? Always. Period. I’ve found that the key is to keep trying! On more than one occasional she’ll try something on Wednesday and hate it. Then, I pass it her way again on Sunday and she is pounding on her highchair tray for more, more, MORE :) Persistence pays off with those little taste buds.

Bottom line — if I’ll eat it, I’m willing to let Jemma give it a try. This adorable video totally hones in on the yum/yuck factor of finding quality food for your wee one. Enjoy!

And, a quick hello from the Queen of Yum herself …

Exploring the pantry … so many choices!