Meal Time Preparation with a Hungry Baby, See more on children's nutrition at www.superkidsnutrition.com

Melissa Halas-Liang, MA, RD, CDE, CNSD

Sometimes dinner is not quite ready and your baby is hungry! Here are some quick meal ideas to hold your baby over while you whip up his/her meal.

· Try olives. Rinse them off if they were soaked in a salt marinade, chop or slice into smaller
pieces and serve them to your child as an appetizer. Keep some on hand in a recycled baby
food jar. A canned brand and choice I recommend which has 20% lower sodium than most
brands and tastes fresh are the California Jumbo Pitted Ripe Olives by Santa Barbara Olive
Co.
· Frozen petite peas are easy to prepare and a great finger food for your baby. Microwave them
briefly with a little water, serve some immediately and save some in a clean glass baby jar for
the next day.
· Baby chick peas or beans for an older toddler can keep them occupied in their high chair and
provide lots of important vitamins and minerals.
· Edamame is fun to eat by popping the peas out of their skin. This can serve as a fun distraction
by creating a game while dinner finishes cooking in the oven.
· While you are cooking your child's dinner, let him know you are cooking it with love for him. He
can watch what you are doing and smell the aroma of the food. Then, when he sees this process
another day, he will know it is for him and may even point at the pan indicating he is looking
forward to his meal.