How To Build a Balanced Baby Meal

Do you feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of perfect baby meals on instagram?

What makes a balanced and nutritious meal for a baby anyway?

We know so many parents feel stressed about feeding their baby. We also know parents are busy and spending time thinking about what to offer and how to make it nutritious just adds more to the mental load of parenting.

So we have created this guide for you...

How to build a balanced meal for your bub! Simply pick at least 1 item from each group below. We want to have a:

Protein

+

Iron Rich Food

+

Fat

+

Carbohydrate

+

Vegetables or a Fruit

Here are some ideas for each group!

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Protein and Iron Rich Foods

Protein is one of the bodies building blocks and is important to include in your little ones diet. You will be pleased to know that most infant and children in Australia meet their protein needs with ease. Many protein foods are also iron rich foods.

Iron is of particular importance during the 7-12-month period and offering an iron source at each meal is ideal!

The reason we want to focus so much on iron rich foods, is because your bubs stores (that they build up before birth) are depleted around the 6 month mark. Iron is an important dietary mineral that is involved in a whole range of bodily functions including transporting oxygen around the body, brain development, immune function and overall growth and development.

Ideas:

• Red meat
• Chicken
• Canned tuna/salmon
• Sardines
• Tofu
• Lentils
• Black beans
• Oats
• Weetbix
• Egg
• Nut Butters
• Any seeds (hemp, flax, chia, linseed, sunflower/pepitas ground)
• Hummus/tahini

Fats

Fats are important to make meals energy dense! We want full fat products for babies. Fat is also important to help some vitamins to be absorbed by the body, as well as immune and brain function and preventing constipation.

Ideas:

• Olive oil
• Coconut
• Avocado
• Yoghurt (also high protein)
• Cheese (also high protein)
• Nut butters (also protein and iron rich)
• Seeds (also protein and iron rich)
• Oily fish (also protein and iron rich)
• Fatty cuts of meat (also protein and iron rich)

Carbohydrates

Another important energy source for babies! Carbohydrates are found in lots of foods so it is an easy one to add in. Many fruit and vegetables also have carbs so you get two for one here! 

Ideas:

• Root vegetables- potato, pumpkin, sweet potato
• Rice including thin rice cakes, rice cereal
• Toast
• Pasta
• Quinoa
• Lentils and chickpeas
• Oats
• Banana
• Cous cous
• Polenta
• Wheat based foods (muffins, pancake, cereals etc)

Vegetables and Fruit

There are so many different types of fruit and veggies all offering different nutrients but in a nutshell-they offer important vitamins and minerals, fibre, fluid, antioxidants and energy.

Ideas:

• Broccoli
• Zucchini
• Sweet potato
• Pumpkin
• Cauliflower
• Green Beans
• Spinach
• Aspapragus
• Eggplants
• Tomato
• Capsicum
• Carrot
• Peas
• Potato

• Apple
• Pear
• Berries
• Mango
• Orange
• Grapes
• Melon
• Pineapple
• Kiwi
• Fig
• Apricot
• Nectarines
• Plum
• Prune

HOW DOES THIS FORMULA WORK?

1. Pick at least 1 food from your first 3 sections (protein/iron, fats and carbs)

2. Then at least 1-2 veggies or a fruit. 

Now some of these categories overlap!

For example:

if you add in a nut butter or lamb mince you have a food that is a protein, iron rich and has fat.

This means one food has ticked THREE boxes.

You could then add add a carbohydrate like pumpkin (again TWO boxes ticked as it is also a vegetable) then another veggie like zucchini or a fruit.

So, you can make a balanced meal with just 2-3 ingredients. You don't need to slave away for hours with a million different and complex or expensive ingredients. 

We suggest having 3 ingredients in a meal whether that is a puree or finger foods.

If you are finding packing making meals for your bub particularly stressful reach out for some 1:1 support. One of our amazing paediatric dietitians will be able to support you with this! 

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