Baby led weaning... what's for lunch?

Your six to nine month old is starting to enjoy food! But she wants to feed herself, what to do?

Find soft foods to grab and enjoy. Steam up some sweet potato, carrot, broccoli and cauliflower. How about some dissolvable crackers like graham crackers or Ritz crackers (try the whole wheat). Cheerios or other cereals such as Chex, Shredded Spoonfuls or Mighty Bites are fun, avoid the sweetened varieties. Summer fruits are also good choices- apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums. Remember to buy organic when buying soft skinned fruits. Noodles are good choices and can be finger foods. Toss the noodles in a little pesto or olive oil for flavor.

What NOT to have for lunch? Avoid sweetened foods and salty foods. Highly processed foods don't belong in a baby's diet.

The following are "choke" foods, meaning due to their size and texture they can be dangerous to kids under 3.

Avoid or CLOSELY supervise grapes, olives, hot dogs, pickles, popcorn, nuts, chewy meats, spoonfuls of peanut butter (peanut butter should be mixed with applesauce, smashed banana or spread thinly on bread/crackers). Cut all round food lengthwise. Avoid hard candy.

And remember to include your baby in family meals as much as possible.

-Patricia