8 month old lunch and dinner ideas?

[Braylonsmummy]

hi ladies, just wondering if people could tell em what there 8 month olds are eating for lunch and dinner, and PLEASE dont say whatever you eat as i dont eat a whole lot! and am desparate for some ideas, tips i literally dont have a clue, he's on jars at the minute and would really like to get him off them, hes ok with finger foods but i just dont no where to start, i wouldnt no wether i need to mash things or blend things etc, so any help would be apreciated thanks ladies Xxxx

 

[babyjoy10]

Hi, I find the Anna Karmel, baby and toddle meal planner a god send, its full of healthy easy to make recipes that can be frozen

 

[Dizzy321]

My LO likes scrambled eggs and buttered toast
little sandwiches with soft cheese
cucumber sticks
strawberrys
cheese sticks
I have made little meals and froze them I have at the mo:spag bol & sunday lunch
homemade pizza he loves (pitta bread with tomato puree, cheese & ham, grilled)
cheese on toast
crumpets with butter
fromage frais
apple slices

sorry thats just a few lol

 

[flump1]

Hi, im in the same situation at the moment, id really like to get LO of jars as they are so expensive and not much variety really but i dont have a freezer which makes it even harder to do! He's good with finger foods but things like meats id still puree (if i had a food processor! lol) my Lo likes scrambled eggs and toast, another idea maybe fish pie, or just get some cod and mash it with some cooked veg like carrots broccolli...sorry im not much help either i will be watching for other peoples ideas!

 

[bumpbear]

My little one is almost 6 months old. I have the Anabel Karmel recipe book which covers everything from purées to meals through baby's first year. It also has recommended meal plans with dishes that are healthy and contains all the nutrients baby needs from a balanced diet. It incorporates all the food groups including meat, fish and poultry. All the meals are easy to prepare and freezable also. I weaned little one at 5 months and she loves all the different purée combinations I've prepared using the book. I can tell that I will probably follow it religiously even when she's on to proper meals as some of them look really yummy! It also will save me having to think about what to make too much as I can just follow the weekly meal plan - easy peasy!

 

[oox_tasha_xoo]

My LO is nearly 8 months and heres a few things she likes to eat
Sandwiches with cheese spread
Soft crackers
Crumpets
Skinless sausages
Fish fingers cut up
Potato waffles
Spaghetti bolognese
Fish pie
Homemade pizza
Pasta (i tend to buy the baby pasta rather than ours)
Cauliflower cheese

Hope i helped

 

[Hanskiz]

Toast - with various toppings (scrambled egg, beans, hummus, cream cheese, melted cheese, fruit puree, peanut butter)
Rice cakes (as above)
Bread sticks
Pasta - with sauce.
Steamed veggie fingers - carrots and green beans are good.
Dried fruit.
Apple rings, banana chunks - any fruit really!
Pizza
Cous cous with roasted veg
Chicken strips
Noodles

Most things really - but these are some that have proved popular!

 

[trixie79]

never thought of waffles or fish fingers....making a mental note!!!

my LO has toast, peas, grapes mushy, strawberrys,cheese,carrots sweetcorn, fruit cut up, but im still mostly on jars for his main meal....i too would love to get him more used to normal food....i gave him spagetti yesterday and he played with it and ate a little....so im slowly giving him the food that we eat!

 

[seoj]

My LO loves...

- Potatoes, especially sweet potatoes
- Bananas and most any fruit
- Any kind of cheese
- cheesy eggs (yes, I mix eggs/cheese and she loves it!)- but I don't think eggs are recommend till 1yr- due to the potential allergens- but I didn't know this and LO has been just fine with them and her doc said OK to introduce by 9mos.
- bagels with cream cheese... yes, she likes cheese.
- Macaroni and Cheese- shocking I know? I make it homemade though so it's all natural.
- Pita bread, Tortilla's
- Turkey (I get some natural turkey thin sliced from deli), shredded pork, chicken etc...
- Steamed veggies
- Avocado
- Also like cous cous and hummus
- and pretty much anything else we eat that works for her when out to meals

I honestly tend to give her lots of options- just some dairy, fruit, meat, grains at each meal or along those lines. We started BLW around 9mos and she's done much better than when we tried purees. She never really took to them and it became too frustrating for us both.

Best of luck!

 

[flippityflop]

I'm a jar user as well and also want to get off them. I made him the annabel karmel bolognaise and he didn't like it! But the finger foods and meals I have made up he does like are:

Bread/sandwiches with cheese spread, hummous
Jacket potato beans and cheese
Cheese triangles
Cucumber
Boiled potato
Boiled sweet potato
Carrot sticks
Organix carrot crisp things
Any type of fresh fruit

I have the Annabel Karmel book and am going to make a more concerted effort to make some meals.

 

[Lulu1982]

Some of Ava's raves are

Roasted sweet potato wedges
Asparagus
Cucumber
Avocado
Steamed chicken or turkey wedges
Any fruit ... Melon. Banana, papaya, mango are popular
Cheese
Omelette
Stew,in the slow cooker ... Chicken carrot and parsnip, lamb sweet potato and swede, beef potato and carrot etc.
Spag bol
Broccoli and cauliflower cheese
Meatballs
Toast
Crispbreads with cheese spread or a tiny bit of marmite

Got carried away ... She loves her food!

 

[the why bird]

My daughter has finger foods for lunch and where possible the same dinner as us (sometimes made milder) but if we're having something not baby friendly or eating late she has a jar.

She likes:
Slices of melon
Mango
Banana
Cucumber
Pitta bread, toast, crumpets, potato cakes
pancakes (no syrup, obviously)
any kind of meat as long as it is soft enough
fromage frais and yoghurts
falafel (made at home so not too spicy)
gypsy toast
pasta
strips of cheese (even the mature stuff, surprisingly)
porridge, with or without pureed fruit added
cooked fingers of carrot, potato, sweet potato, apple or pear
cottage pie
yorkshire puddings

So far the only thing I've found that she won't eat is pineapple, even if it appears in the jarred foods. She has better eating habits than me!

 

[geordiemoo]

We do finger food lunch then proper dinner. Lunches are usually a sandwich with banana/dairylea/cream cheese or houmous/tzatziki with toast/pittas, she also has some bits of cucumber and cherry tomatoes cut in half, plus a fromage frais. Then tea is what we are having and she eats really well like that but we do some freezing/easy stuff for nights when we are having something different or going out. She has

Pasta with homemade tomato sauce
Bolognese
Jacket potato with cheese/cottage cheese
Macaroni cheese
Fish pie
Fajita
Chicken goujons with roasted sweet potato
Sausages with potato wedges
Soup
Creamy chicken and leek casserole
Frittata

Cheese sauce is really easy to do last minute so macaroni cheese is a good easy one for us. Plus jacket potatoes can be bunged in the microwave. We've been really lucky as she'll give anything a go!

 

[Braylonsmummy]

Thanks for all the replies ladies its been great help, I have a couple more questions, what sauces do u use for the pasta or do you make them yourself ad can you freeze them, also what sorta stuff do u put on a jacket potatoe, thanks xx

 

[Hanskiz]

Pasta sauce is whatever we're having... usually tomato based and home made. She likes bolognaise and basic tomato and basil. Occasionally has pesto and cheese. Also cream cheese based sauce (with onion, mushroom, peas and bacon).

A good, nutritious and easy sauce for pasta is tomato, sweet potato and lentil.

We don't bother with pureeing as have been doing BLW.

 

[Braylonsmummy]

thanks for the advice hun x

 

[flippityflop]

Can I ask how you give your LO meat? My LO doesn't really chew, he just gums and sucks stuff and it doesn't work with meat/chicken etc.

 

[StranjeGirl]

I feel totally behind ladies! DD is still mostly eating purees. She doesn't seem to care too much for things mashed even. She just now starting to like chunks of frozen banana and also steamed broccoli. However, she was eating the broccoli and she was biting off chunks and dh and I freaked out and took it away from her. Don't you guys worry about choking?? DD is just now getting her two bottom teeth in. She can't chew really. Won't she choke if she bites a chunk off??

 

[harveydog]

For the freezer I'd cook some veg and mash it up to the consistency your LO likes then add chicken and gravy or butter, then freeze

My LO still loves his roast dinners mashed up!

Ditch the jars and get cooking some yummy meals

With meat I chop it up into little pieces so if they don't chew properly they won't choke

 

[Braylonsmummy]

loving all this advice ladies, finding everything so helpfull, stranjegirld i wouldnt worry about choking at her age, babies have a natural gag reflex to where they gag to push food back to the front of there mouth which avoids them choking, im sure she will be just fine just let her explore!

does anyone have any great freezable idead that you could perhaps make up in bulk? xx