Saturday 11 October 2008

Fun of feeding gluten to a baby

I know I've not been around much life is hectic but good and I hope to have more cooking time soon. We are eating fairly well but nothing that interesting to blog about currently and my camera has died though himself's little snappy camera turns out to have a nice macro mode.. who knew !

Anyway the main thing I have been upto is the fun of feeding a seven month old. He has developed a major interest in trying new foods and has decided all food should be eaten by hand ie his hands by the handful even porridge. He loves finger foods and doesn't seem to have read the book that says he should still be eating slightly textured purée as far as he is concerned a fish finger is great food for a seven month old as are cheese sandwiches at nursery !

As you may have guessed from those I am allowing him gluten. The current recommendations seem to be that around 6 months is the best time to introduce it to give someone the best chance of not developing celiac and as i didn't have any problems till I got glandular fever I think my problems were triggered then.

However there is a down side I hadn't really though of and didn't come across with Small because we didn't give him gluten till he was a year. Seven month old babies, particularly ones who want to feed themselves are very messy ! I really can't cope with being covered with gluten filled mush so he is now only going to have it when fed by someone else like dad or at nursery and I don't get him back till he is cleaned up !

adendum - We've just been out for a Chinese meal and he spurned the prawn crackers and dived on the chicken satay.. I'm sure the book says he shouldn't be happily chewing a piece of chicken breast at seven months but I think he read the book and decided to it was rubbish!

4 comments:

  1. I can completely relate! Both of my kiddies eat gluten (I am the only gluten free one in our house) and feeding my son when he was an infant was tricky! Even now, it is tough when they want Mommy to eat a piece of gluten covered chicken finger before they do or want a smooch whilst covered in cookie crumbs. Hang in there and be armed with a lot of wipes!! :)

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  2. As a previous Coeliac sufferer I felt that I should include you in my Tagging!

    I have tagged you! read Here to read what to do next.

    My dads girlfriend used to make me amazing chocolate hazelnut cakes they were so delicious I must dig out and share the recipe with you

    x x

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  3. I wouldn't worry about your son trying finger foods. There is a new theory now (isn't there always!) about 'baby led weaning' & I waited for my son to show an interest in food which was around 7 months & he started on finger food, never pureed or mashed anything & it has made him a less fussy eater. The theory is to let the baby decide & it was much easier than when I weaned my elder 2!

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  4. I'm not really worried I've always gone more on what the baby seems ready for than what the 'experts' tell me. After all the have changed thier minds many times over the years.

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