How to build a Christmas lunch for bub!

So, you're going to be out of the house a lot over the holiday period AND you have a baby that has started solids....how does this work?

Firstly, remember that feeding your baby doesn't need to be perfect! It is okay to skip a meal here or there over the holiday period and offer an additional milk feed instead.

OR you might just offer some fruit, steamed veggies or a pouch because that it was easy and available.....this is also okay! It is only for a few days and it is what we do most of the time that matters.

We also have a post you can check out here....on what NOT to feed bub. It isn't a long list (thankfully) but is a great place to start to know what might not be safe for babies and toddlers.

So, lets talk about what we can offer from the dinner table and how you might modify foods so they are the right texture based on age!

If bub is older than 6 months we can offer appropriate finger foods from the Christmas dinner table:

• Finger length pieces (so as long as your finger and as wide as 2 fingers) of turkey or chicken. Larger is better!
• Finger length pieces of sweet potato, carrot or pumpkin- just check that they can squish between your fingers so that you know that are soft enough for little gums
• Green beans and soft brussel sprouts
• Peas- just squash with thumb or fork first
• Potatoes- if roasted remove any hard or crunchy pieces or mash with a fork first
• Fruit- squash blueberries, strawberries are okay whole if BIG and very ripe otherwise thinly slice, mango pip, banana spears, kiwi can be whole or half or thin slices, pineapple core or if older than 9-10 months soft pieces, cherries- pitted and minced or if older than 9-10 months quartered.

TIPS:

• With any meat like turkey or chicken- remove the skin
• Avoid salty stuffing
• Brined meats like ham are very salt so try to avoid
• Gravy is also very salty so minimise amount offered or leave off meat

What about purees?

• If you bub is having purees then you can take the above listed fruit, veggies and meat options and chop them up finely with a knife before mashing. Add a little liquid if needed to help it mash and soften.
• You can also add water and microwave to soften further to help with mashing if needed.

What about desserts?

If you have a baby under the age of 1- they aren't likely to understand that they are missing out on Christmas dessert! We suggest avoiding the added sugar for as long as possible! We also understand that if there are older siblings around it can be harder after the age of 1 to do this- and toddlers can feel like they are missing out. A little bit in this context is okay and a decision for each family to make!