And foods to try with the whole family in the first year of solids.

As mums, most of us pay so much attention to what we eat and drink during our pregnancies. But by the time it comes to starting solids we’re so exhausted from trying to keep up with the daily chaos of life with a baby that we just simply don’t have time to devote a huge amount of creativity to our food choices.

Starting solids with Molly (that’s our cute little 4am-waking munchkin) was a wild adventure. Molly, like her mother, is fiercely independent and right from the beginning she point blank refused to let us feed her. Instead, demanding to try and use the spoon herself or eat finger food.

Lanai and Molly

My husband and I said from the start that we wanted to give Molly no added sugar and low salt food options. I don't hate sugar. In fact, far from it. I love nothing more than devouring a giant piece of chocolate cake for dessert. But for our kids, I’m of the opinion that the less sugar and salt they get the better. That's why my daughter won't be getting sugar (or at least much of it) until she turns 3.

We’d read up on how important the first few years of nutrition were to a child and like every parent wanted to do the best for our child. New research has shown that the first 1000 days of a child’s nutrition are the most important, when it comes to laying the foundations for their future health.

But after just a few short weeks of cooking separate meals for Molly and my husband and myself. Life was getting pretty tough.

I was struggling with making finger food type options for Molly that were sugar-free and low salt along with feeding myself and my husband and keeping up with everything else that comes along with a baby.

I desperately wanted to keep up with our pledge for Molly’s nutrition but had no idea how I could keep on top of it all without figuring out how to clone myself.

Molly loving her super rice.

I also wanted to start eating together as a family.

I’ve always loved cooking and it was through cooking that I found my now adopted family (you can read more about me here).

I wanted to just cook one meal rather than two each night. Tasty, delicious food that was baby-friendly, no added-sugar and low salt and didn’t make my husband and I gag with how bland and boring it tasted.

http://ivillageau.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/files/IMG_4596.jpg Lanai and Molly.

Even my husband — who really just wishes I would cook him a big fatty juicy burger every now and then — has been fooled.

Here are my top four dishes to try in the first year of solids. You can find more recipes and instructional photos at my website www.goodbabykitchen.com.

The tasty fruit puree 

Apple-berry puree : 

Ingredients

Method

The "AHHH it’s Monday and I am so busy already” quick and easy dinner 

Super rice : 

Ingredients

Method

The finger food alternative to meatballs 

Meaty fingers in tomato sauce with pasta : 

Ingredients 

Method

The first birthday 

Egg-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free chocolate cupcakes :

Ingredients 

Method

You can find the recipe for my sugar-free, caffeine-free chocolate cream cheese frosting here.

Lanai is the National Political Reporter for News Corp Australia and runs her own website Good Baby Kitchen. If you want to try out more of her recipes you can visit  www.goodbabykitchen.com .

Do you have any tips for moving your baby on to solids?

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