What now? 7-10 months

By 7 months your toddler has likely learned to use the tongue, began getting nourishment from the food that wasn’t stuck to the wall, floor and table and has gained a repertoire of mostly fruits and vegetables while ruling out any allergies.  I recently heard about a wicked bum rash resulting from spinach, it took 3 tries before the parents were able to identify that response since the child has already accumulated quite the palate. Keep up the vigilance! At 7 months the new to food are beginning to actually get nourishment from food.  We can begin to thicken textures and mix one or two complimentary foods together.  Now we will increase choices and add protein.   Here is a list (in order) of next things to try…

1. Peaches, nectarines, plums (in season)
2. Steamed, pureed Kale and collard greens or spinach
3. Peas

Proteins:

1. Egg yolks (if no family allergies)
2. Hemp Seeds
3. Lentils, well cooked and mashed.
4. Chicken
5. Turkey
6. Grass fed beef (avoid hamburger meat) or bison
7.  Tofu (once a week)

 Starches: 8.  Brown rice (or packaged organic, powdered baby versions) 9.  Oatmeal (or packaged organic, powdered baby versions) 10. Salba or white chia 11. Barley (or packaged organic, powdered baby versions) 12. Potatoes (watch carefully for allergies, you’d be surprised!) Once each of these foods is cleared for allergies as you did during months 6-7, you can create your own baby food mixtures and freeze them. Think about your ultimate goal of the perfect plate ratio: ½ vegetable, ¼ protein, ¼ starch. Of course, you will want to think about flavor combinations like grandma’s stew…Peas with chicken and rice, spinach with lentils and rice… At the end of this stage, we will be making the sprint toward the 1^st year goal of not having to make something special for the child. Presumably, the whole foods are coming from your plate, why not? We give up everything else in the service of boss baby. Here’s a recipe that is perfect breakfast or before bed food for every member of the family.  Start with the simple stuff, oats, water and mashed banana (which is sweet enough to control your urge to kill the healthy dish with spoons of sugar!). Once that is mastered, bump it up a bit with two new ingredients that you can find at any health food or bulk food store that will contribute to your health in countless ways: salba or white chia and hemp seeds.      Salba (or white chia) is an ancient grain that packs a healthy punch and excellent fibre.  Start out with a few grains and work your way up to a half a teaspoon for a child in this age range. (adults can enjoy on tablespoon per day) Hemp seeds are nature’s perfect little protein nuggets that contribute nut-like nutrients without the potential allergens.   Banana Oatmeal Recipe By     : Theresa Albert, DHN, RNCP Serving Size  : 6    Preparation Time :0:03  1 1/4  cups              oats  4      cups               water 1                                banana And, once this is accepted, bump up the protein, fibre and phytonutrients with these two ingredients…remember to clear one at a time for 3-4 days and check for allergies…  4  cup                 Salba or white chia 1/4  cup              Hemp Seeds for protein  Mix all in a pot, bring to a boil. simmer for 3-4 minutes.