Baby food on vacation, how to get organized

Baby food when on vacation

At the seaside or in the mountains, when you are away from home it is not easy to organize the time of the day baby food of the child, if you have already started it weaning. Between vegetable broth to prepare, pasta to cook, parmesan, oil, meat or fish to add, it becomes difficult to manage the preparation.
How to do it then? First of all, it depends on the age of the child.
Here are some 'tips' suggested by Dr. Giuseppe Morino, head of the Clinical Dietetics Operating Unit at the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in the city.

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Weaning, 7 practical tips before starting

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Worried from the start of weaning? Here are some tips to get you started on the right foot and better deal with the inevitable crises. Consulting by Silvia Scaglioni, ...

In this article

• Only milk up to 6 months
• The first baby food from 6 months to 1 year 
• After 12 months 
• The snack: yogurt or fruit 
• Increase your water consumption

Read also: Weaning: how to prepare the first baby food, from theory to practice

Only milk up to 6 months

As long as the baby's feeding is exclusively milky, and therefore up to about 6 months of age, the problem practically does not arise: "If the baby is breastfed, the mother's milk is always of the optimal composition, at the right temperature and in the desired quantity, just offer it to the baby every whenever he requests it "underlines Dr. Morino; "if you use the artificial milk, just bring the formula with you and keep the usual meal times, without trying to adapt it to your holiday schedules: for greater convenience, it is better to give preference to ready-made liquid milk rather than the powdered type, which requires more equipment and previously boiled water. With the liquid formula you will only need a bar or restaurant to get the bottle warmed up in a bain marie. " 

Read also: Children, since when can they drink water?

The first baby food from 6 months to 1 year

It is the phase in which we pass from exclusively milky nutrition to first baby food. "And here, of course, the situation becomes a bit more complicated, as we need a preparation that respects very specific hygiene rules and that requires spaces to prepare the baby food", points out Dr. Morino. "On the other hand, at this age children are only taken to the beach in the early morning and late afternoon, so it is assumed that the main meals are not consumed on the beach, but in a holiday home, restaurant or a tourist village (where generally mothers can find everything they need to prepare baby food for their children) ". 

But if you don't have an adequate structure, to make things easier industrial products can be used: for the vegetable broth there are homogenized vegetables, in glass jars, to be diluted with water, or ready-made vegetable soups, in single-serving bags, simply to be heated; for meat or fish the ideal is to use baby food; to complete the meal, flour (rice, corn, cereals, semolina) is added, while a little oil and parmesan should not be difficult to find.

The ready-made meals are even more hasty, to be chosen according to the age of the child: everything is already inside, flour or pasta, meat or fish, oil, just heat the jar in a bain-marie or in the microwave and then give it directly from the jar or put it on a plate. They are very comfortable and safe from a hygienic point of view, as they do not require refrigeration. If the whole jar is not consumed, however, it must be placed immediately in the fridge and consumed within 24 hours, otherwise it must be thrown away.

Read also: Weaning: Why Does My Baby Not Want to Eat? What to do to convince him?

After 12 months

After completion of the year of age the child begins to switch from a completely pureed diet to one more similar to that of adults, with bigger and bigger pieces of food. "This does not mean that his meal can consist of tastings on mum and dad's plates, but it must be prepared especially for him" warns Dr. Morino: "the tastings from our plate are not only not enough to make a complete meal, but they accustom him to a decidedly tastier taste that could lead him to refuse his jelly". 

The food at the restaurant

If you are at the restaurant, you can get one prepared small pasta with simple tomato and the addition of parmesan and raw oil, plus an ad hoc meatball (not fried meatballs or adult meatballs), or a sole or cod cooked preferably by steaming; even at home, the preparations become simpler, as they no longer require the use of blenders.

Last tip: make sure that it is always on his plate present some vegetables, maybe colored, also steamed or with other simple cooking methods (no frying!), to immediately instill in the child the excellent habit of consuming vegetables at every meal.

Read also: Baby feeding after weaning

The snack: yogurt or fruit

In the early months of weaning the snack is preferably made up of breast milk or artificial milk. It can subsequently be replaced by the yogurt, which, however, must be kept in the fridge or cooler until use, or from a fruit homogenized with a little granulated biscuit, or, for older children, some fresh fruit to keep in a cooler bag. "However, keep in mind that the refrigerator does not provide 100% protection from the formation of certain bacteria (especially if it is opened continuously)", emphasizes Dr. Morino; "even less safe is a cooler bag or thermos, which can keep food fresh for 5-6 hours at most, no more".

Increase your water consumption

As long as the diet is exclusively milky, there is no need to add other liquids; as soon as weaning begins, however, in the summer more than ever it is necessary to supplement the baby's feeding with water.

No sugary drinks or herbal teas of any kind, on the other hand, which, in addition to being less thirst-quenching, accustom the little one to the sweet taste, which can favor overweight in the future.

Read also: Forbidden foods (at least) up to the child's three years

Questions and answers

When is it time to start weaning?  

If the baby is breastfed, he is ready for the first meal around 5-6 months; if the baby is bottle-fed, it can be started as early as the fourth month.

How do you know if your child is eating enough?  

If growth is going smoothly, then there is absolutely nothing to worry about. 

What to do if they don't like the food?  

At the beginning of weaning it may happen that the baby closes his mouth or seems disgusted, do not force him: you can try again after a week. 

TAG:

• holiday jelly
• weaning holiday