Around the age of 10 months, many parents notice that their baby starts to be fussy about food. It could be because they are now able to show their likes and dislikes clearly. It is also a time when textures and appearances seem to matter to them. I give Kate lots of foods with bright colours which appeal to her.
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| Carrot and millet porridge |
I also try and vary her food in taste and texture so that she doesn’t get bored and it also helps us to figure out her preferences.
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| Macaroni with minced beef in light carrot sauce |
Foods to add to their repertoire:
Vegetables:
- Brussel sprouts
- Lentils
- Onion
- Sweet bell peppers
- Turnip (steamed)
- Cucumber
- Apricot
- Raspberry
- Melon
I draw up a 2-week menu for Kate so it is easier for my helper to decide what to feed her at every meal. She doesn’t need to stick to the exact days, but it’s just to give her more options. Without it, my helper was literally feeding her macaroni soup at every lunch.
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| 10-12 months: Menu 1 |
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| 10-12 months: Menu 2 |
She is also very big on finger foods these days. I usually start feeding her from a spoon but she will shake her head halfway through her meal. I will then put a few pieces on her tray table and she will feed herself that same food! Maybe it makes her feel more independent.
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| Orange sweet potato |
Sweet potatoes have one of the highest sources of beta-carotene, which is an anti-oxidant. It helps to improve our immunity and is also good for the eyes. Drizzle a little bit of extra virgin olive oil over it to improve the beta-carotene absorption. And remember I mentioned in “6 easy peasy ways to make baby smarter” that olive oil can help your child to learn faster and focus better.
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| Yum, yum. All done. |
It’s good for baby to have finger food as it allows them ample opportunity to practise their fine-motor skills.
More finger food for baby to try:
- Fruit cut into small pieces
- Vegetables cut into small pieces
- Dried fruit soaked for an hour to soften, then cut into small pieces
- Pieces of bread
- Small pieces of pasta
Sane tip: I find that it’s much easier feeding her when she eats with all of us. She will usually not mind whatever I’m feeing her and she can sit in her highchair for a good 30-45 minutes. When she eats alone during lunch (the kids are not back from school till 2pm) she will usually tolerate sitting for about 15 minutes and she will shake her head and ask to be let down from her highchair.
Save tip: I try to align her menu with the rest of the kids so we can save time and money in preparing her food. For example, when the other kids are having spaghetti bolognese, she will have the same, except that we remove her portion before we add the salt and we stir in some carrot puree to neutralise the sourness of the tomato sauce.