i am slowly transitioning to raw,would like my baby boy to be part of it.however i am on a very limited income,can not afford food processer,blender,juicer,and so on. also it's not exactly safe or possible for my kid to be munching on raw baby carrots, brocc, or most anything else. any advice??

i used a small hand mill for baby food that i got at a second hand store for about a dollar to grind everything up. i used apple or pear with most vegetables and lightly steamed kale, squash, carrots etc to make them soft enough to mash in the mill.
i chewed stuff up for him and put it right in his mouth from my mouth, like a baby bird. i did that with nuts and hard foods. the food starts to break down with your saliva too so it's double good to do it that way. i held him to feed him too. i ate at a different time so i wasn't too hungry to focus on feeding him. that connection was important i think.
i sprouted grains, ground them in the baby mill and dehydrated them in a very low oven (i left the door open if i couldn't make sure it was low enough on the lowest heat, and only dehydrated for a couple of hours to prevent spoilage, just enough to firm it up) to make bread, but only very occasionally.
you can get a blender at a secondhand store for next to nothing to make smoothies, just be gentle with the old thing.
soaking nuts and seeds overnight softens them up enough to make nut milk in the blender. the pulp can be added to your soups, salads or smoothies after you strain the liquid part for baby. you can blend that with fruit too to make it sweeter.
i found it easy to feed the little one nearly all raw because i breast fed forEver but now that he's in school it's super hard. what do i pack in his lunch? i mean what do i pack in his lunch that he'll actually eat? it's a challenge.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/25/2006 11:00PM by coco.

Suggestion:

-Rinse all produce well. Use a fork to mash up very ripe fruit. Use a sharp knife to mince vegetables, sprouts, or soaked nuts into a very fine mince or paste. They should do fine.

-David Z. Mason

Definitely look at thrift shops for a blender. The church-related ones usually let you plug them in to try before you buy them and sometimes test them before putting them out for sale. Even when I can afford to buy new things, I love buying second hand stuff. There's something about the big corporate stores with racks of chemically-smelling clothes and over-packaged kitchen tools that makes me depressed.
I'm sure I'm saving money on a raw, organic vegan diet. (I don't like to eat much fruit, which is expensive.) Young coconuts could be good for your child if the soft nut part is finely minced or mashed. I buy from a store which will refund my money if a coconut is rotten inside, so I don't feel bad about possibly wasting my money.
There's a little manual mill called the Happy Baby Food Grinder or something like that.

the suggestions are all great but here is the issue- he's not ready to crunch on uncooked broccoli,etc. but he will not eat baby mush. will not even eat mashed potatoes.is there a fruit or veg i can cut to be like a cracker and put some of the yummy rw peanut butter on top?? that might work.ideas anybody??

I hear you. Here's what I would do:

Take him to a great farmer's-style market with you. Have him (and you) pick out a WIDE variety of the fruits and vegetables and nuts that look appealing. Hand them to him and allow him to smell them and touch them...and guage his reaction.

-Then bring these items home....and one-by-one......cut them up in VERY fine pieces....or mince them....to a point where he can eat them comfortably. Make sure that he sees you eating and enjoying these things on a regular basis.

-His overall health will not come from trying to bend him into eating fresh raw plant foods at an early age. His true health will come from the internal knowledge of seeing how happy and successful his parent(s) were eating that way. He'll incorporate that knowledge...and have the power to make the same decisions toward health as he grows older. He'll learn grace and acceptance and passion from YOU - and thus have that power himself.

-What do you think?

-On the practical side: You can certainly cut pieces of raw pear.....or some vegetable like Jicima......and grind your own nut butters and put them on top. Your call. Enjoy.

-David Z. Mason

peach, plum, melon, banana, orange, etc are all soft enough to be gummed, the nut butter would be good on the banana or very ripe pear. not too ripe avo could be used in slices as well, it's firm and soft enough.
my boy would try whatever i was putting into my own mouth. let him see you eating all of what you offer him.

my little man is humoring me trying a little o whatever i eat if it smells good to him. he smells everything before even considering eating it (unless he finds it on the floor). yesterday he ate a grated carrot and raisin salad.not a lot but a few big bites. also very thin slices of a big golden deliciuos apple with or w/out nut butte. but he is totally against most of his normal fruits and veggies today( except mushrooms which he will not refuse). working our way into this healthy lifestyle is suddenly easier having everyones support on this site here. thanks.

there are some really good "egg" salad recipes using chopped mushrooms that you might both like, also mock fish which is made of ground nuts and includes kelp (very high in minerals). my little one would eat sheets and sheets of nori as well, he really like seaweed. he'd eat whole spirulina tablets too and then walk around with black teeth, ha ha!
focus on the nutrient dense foods that he likes if and when he's being particular. another trick is to just keep offering foods, even if he turns them down. once they become familiar they tend to be more readily accepted.

There was this thread on this raw Australian site about feeding babies. The mother was feeding her baby lots of carrot juice and he became underweight and the authorities took him away for awhile. The thread has a lot of good info on it and recommends some books, especially on page 2.

[www.raw-pleasure.com.au]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2007 12:41PM by tropical.

are the "egg"salad recepies on this site?i looked into recipe section but did not see them. i'd love to try them with my son. nori sounds good too...he always eats the seaweed when we go to the beach.

Fruit chucnks