Mashed potatoes for the baby are introduced gradually, in the form of complementary foods on average from 6 months. Meat is an important source of calcium, phosphorus, protein, and many useful trace elements and amino acids for a baby that is growing rapidly. Starting from 4 months, the baby’s stomach learns to process dairy products, and the baby learns the taste of many vegetables and fruits. Meat is a heavier food, so this food is introduced much later. Pediatricians recommend that children be taught to meat no earlier than 6-8 months, but some important factors must be taken into account.
In the article, we will consider in more detail how to make mashed meat for a child, with what portion to start complementary foods, which is desirable to acquire meat. Detailed puree recipes will help young mothers prepare high-quality complementary foods for their babies.
Optimum age for meat feeding
In this regard, the opinions of pediatricians were divided. Some believe that meat puree for a child can be prepared from 4 months old, adding vegetable broth to it. The rest are sure that this is still heavy food for kids of this age, the best time to learn meat is 8–9 months. Specialists have developed a national program for Russians, aimed at a rational distribution of the trace elements necessary for children by months. They decided that a special need for protein, potassium, iron, phosphorus and magnesium occurs precisely in 8-9 months. Only with the receipt of these substances the child’s body will develop harmoniously.
Factors affecting the start time of complementary foods
It is necessary to coordinate the beginning of complementary foods for a child with mashed meat with the pediatrician of the clinic. He leads the baby from birth, knows all his weaknesses, developmental features. Depending on the growth and weight indicators, the doctor may indicate the exact time of acquaintance with meat dishes.
Of great importance in determining the start time of feeding is the type of feeding. If the baby receives breast milk in the required amount, gains weight well, then complementary foods begin at a later date. When the mother does not have milk or very little, the child does not have enough useful trace elements that are present during breastfeeding, he needs additional nutrition ahead of schedule.
Fruit juices, vegetable purees, as well as meat, are recommended for children receiving artificial feeding much earlier.
Basic tips for introducing meat to the diet
Mashed potatoes for a child are prepared after the baby’s stomach is used to processing vegetable and fruit purees, having absorbed cereals and juices.
Nutrition in the form of mashed meat is given after the doctor's recommendations only to a healthy baby. You cannot accustom such heavy food in the summer heat if the child is unwell, after vaccination, or a few days before vaccination. If the child is naughty, and the mother does not know the reason for this behavior, then it is necessary to wait for meat puree to feed the child.
You also need to know the rules for introducing a new food product into the diet. At least two weeks are given to the body getting used to the novelty.
How to give mashed meat to a child
The first time mashed meat is given in the amount of 5-10 grams. This is not more than 1-2 teaspoons. It is advisable to dilute the mashed potato with a baby familiar to the child before use or add a few drops of breast milk to the container.
Over time, the volume of consumed meat product increases, and by the end of the first year of life should be 60 or 70 grams per day.
First you can boil and grind only one meat product, for example, a rabbit or a turkey. If you have trusted the manufacturer of baby food in canned food, be sure to check the purchase by reading the expiration date and composition of the products on the label. You need to make sure that there are no GMOs, concentrates and mixtures that cause an allergic reaction in the baby.
Rules for preparing complementary foods at home
The best option of mashed meat for children from 6 months of age will be cooked at home. Only in this case, the mother will be completely confident in the quality and freshness of the meat.
A child at this age can’t buy fatty meats; they use chicken, turkey or rabbit meat to make mashed potatoes. Later add lean veal, beef, and last of all pork.
The meat should be fresh, free of bones, layers of fat, stains or color unevenness. First, the meat must be washed thoroughly, remove thin films, cut the veins, remove the skin from the bird.
Prepared meat is cut into small pieces and poured with cold water in an enameled or glass pan. After boiling, the water is drained, and the pieces are washed again and poured with water. After the broth boils, it is necessary to cook the meat for 1.5 - 2 hours. Some use a double boiler or a slow cooker.
When the meat is boiled, it is pulled out of the broth and chopped using a meat grinder, it is advisable to repeat the grinding twice. If the farm has a blender, then grinding meat with it is much more convenient. If large pieces remain after processing, then you can additionally wipe the resulting meat dish through a fine sieve.
What is important to know!
How to cook mashed potatoes for a child, you already understood. However, you must know the rules of meat feeding baby.
- Do not add salt or some spices when cooking or grinding the product. Salt is added at later stages. In this regard, it is better to consult a pediatrician observing a child.
- For the preparation of each meat puree, only freshly prepared meat is taken.
- It is not allowed for a child to buy frozen foods that cannot be carefully examined and understood for their freshness.
- Store mashed potatoes in the refrigerator for no more than a day.
- Dilute minced meat with breast milk, milk porridges or mixtures, vegetable purees. Most often, meat products are mixed with potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower or carrots, which are boiled and grinded in a separate container.
Let's take a closer look at some of the most popular meat puree recipes for children from 6 months.
Rabbit with carrots
Rabbit meat is a dietary dish, considered very tender and suitable for the first feeding. It is lean and low in calories.
Required Products:
- 100 grams of peeled meat;
- 1 medium carrot;
- 4 tbsp. l cow or breast milk;
- butter - on the tip of a teaspoon;
- salt is even less.
The rabbit meat must be washed, remove the films and veins, cut into small pieces and put in a glass pan. Add bottled purified water so that it covers the meat, and put on fire. Such tender meat is cooked quickly, enough for half an hour or 35 minutes.
Peel the carrots, rinse thoroughly and boil in a separate bowl for at least 15 minutes. After this, the boiled products should naturally cool down, only then they can be beaten with a blender into fine mashed potatoes. At the end, add milk, a little oil and salt.
The consistency of mashed meat for a child according to the recipe should correspond to thick sour cream and be uniform, without lumps, so that the baby does not choke during meals. When feeding, it is necessary to place the child on a high chair in a sitting position. You need to give mashed potatoes with a teaspoon, gaining a little. The next spoon is offered after the child swallows the contents first. If the baby is crying and refuses to accept a new product, then do not rush, put the mashed potatoes in the refrigerator and try to give it later, heated in a water bath.
Turkey Puree
Next, consider how to make mashed meat for a child from turkey in a slow cooker. It is best to buy a baby to prepare a breast, since there are no veins or films. The meat should be a uniform pink color, without spots and dried edges. It will take only 100 grams of fillet. After washing under running water, the meat is cut into small pieces or strips on a plastic plate (it is better to clean, and microorganisms accumulate on it less, unlike a wooden one).
If you have a multicooker in the kitchen, then put the pieces on the wire rack, turn on the “steamed” mode and set the cooking time to 40 minutes.
The cooled cooked meat is ground with a blender. It should be noted that turkey is completely lean and dry meat, therefore mashed potatoes are diluted with boiled water, vegetable broth or breast milk. It is recommended that you even add a few drops of vegetable oil. Such a hearty meat dish is given to the child only at lunchtime. You can crush the prepared portion for morning and lunch feeding. In the evening, it is not recommended to give mashed potatoes so that the body has enough time before nightly sleep to process the product.
Veal meat puree with broccoli
For cooking, take 100 grams of meat and cabbage. First, the veal needs to be washed, cut off all the veins and films. If you bought not a lean fillet, but another part of the carcass, then be sure to cut off all the greasy places. Boil the meat in either a glass or enamel pan until cooked.
Broccoli under running water is first washed, then disassembled into individual inflorescences. It is boiled quickly, within 10 minutes the cabbage will be ready!
After cooling, the meat and broccoli are broken in a blender to a homogeneous mass. Gradually pour one tablespoon of milk until a puree mixture is obtained. At the end, you can add vegetable (a few drops) or butter (on the tip of the knife). If the pediatrician allows the child to add salt to the prepared dishes, then a tiny pinch is put.
Cooking meat soup
In this recipe, meat puree is combined with buckwheat (you can also take oatmeal), carrots, onions and cauliflower. The meat is taken chicken or turkey. First, prepare the lean fillet - wash it under running water, remove the films and veins unnecessary for the baby, cook for 1 - 1.5 hours in purified water. At this time, wash one small carrot, several inflorescences of cauliflower (choose so that it is whole, without black spots) and ¼ part of a small onion. All vegetables are sent to the pan and poured with water. After boiling add a tablespoon of buckwheat and cook until tender. You can put salt in the vegetable broth on the tip of the knife.
When the meat is cooked, it is separately grinded in a meat grinder or blender. Then gradually add the thickening of the soup and again whisk everything. At the end, you can add a couple drops of vegetable oil. This hearty meat puree is the best for children who are just starting to get used to meat products.
Conclusion
The article gives important recommendations to young parents when to start meat feeding for children, how much the baby should receive for the first time, how it should be increased to one year old.
How to make mashed meat for a child is described in detail in recipes. The main thing is to follow the recommendations and feed the baby gradually. After changing the product, be sure to control the baby's behavior, the reaction of his intestines. Do not give heavy food at night, it is better to do this at lunchtime. Thus, it is easier to follow the body's response to innovation.
Before starting to include meat products in a child’s diet, be sure to consult a pediatrician!