You’ve slaved all day to prepare the ultimate holiday feast and the last thing you want to do is prepare baby food. But, before you panic and rush out to the store for some jarred food, take a good look at the dinner table. If you’ve prepared a traditional holiday dinner, you’re bound to have a few dishes baby can eat too.
At My Organic Formula, we’ve compiled a list of what holiday foods to feed baby and what foods you’ll want to save for another day:
4 – 6 months
For babies just beginning their solid food journey, you’ll want to stick with foods that can be pureed to a thin consistency.
Sweet potatoes – make sure the sweet potatoes don’t contain any nuts or added ingredient, such as marshmallows or bacon
Steamed carrots or green beans – stay away from lots of spices and added dairy products
6 – 9 months
Babies between the ages of 6 and 9 months are less likely to experience irritability when trying new foods, so the menu can get a little bigger. Some babies at this age may even have teeth to mash food more easily.
Sweet potatoes – as mentioned above, make sure they are free of nuts or any other add-ons
Steamed carrots or green beans – spices and dairy products should be kept to a minimum.
Turkey – puree fatty cuts of meat like thighs to a soupy consistency
Mashed potatoes – serve without any bacon or cheese and puree with breast milk or formula
Pumpkin pie – scoop out the soft pumpkin from the crust (no crust!) and mix with a little breast milk or formula
Rolls – dice or pull apart into ¼ inch size cubes
9 – 12 months
By now, babies between the ages of 9 and 12 months have gotten the hang of swallowing and some may even have enough teeth to properly chew.
Sweet potatoes – save the nuts for children 12 months of age or older
Carrots and green beans – cook until well done and dice into ¼ inch cubes
Turkey – for babies a year and older, turkey can be cut into small pieces (stick with thigh meat)
Mashes potatoes – keep the consistency smooth and don’t add any large pieces of bacon
Pumpkin pie – smash or cut up both the filling and curst (if the crust is soft enough) into tiny pieces
Rolls – keep pieces very small and make sure the rolls aren’t dry
What Holiday Food not to Feed Baby
When assessing what holiday foods not to feed your baby, stay away from any foods that may present a choking hazard to your baby, such as large pieces of bread or meat. You’ll also want to watch out for foods that are more likely to cause an allergic reaction like nuts. Here’s a list of holiday foods you’ll want to keep away from baby:
- Corn
- Stuffing
- Raw or undercooked veggies
- Rich casseroles
- Foods containing nuts or nut butters
