Raising a Paleo Baby

8:25 AM

Yesterday I was talking to a friend of mine about how hungry Aria has been recently, I started packing her lunches for daycare to make sure she eats enough. She asked what I pack for her, my response was what I had sent her with the day before.. a quarter of a baked sweet potato topped with ground beef (small bits) and a diced up quarter avocado. She was stunned.



We first started 'solids' around 6-7 months old. We are Paleo 80/20, but we are always gluten free (as I can not eat it at all) and eat clean, with our meal framework based on proteins and veggies and filled in with complex carbs and healthy fats. Aria has had an issue with dairy and soy, so while breastfeeding I cut those out of my diet as well, and they have not been reintroduced to her as of yet.

As our adventure into solids continued, it was basically rice cereals with pureed versions of what we were eating. I made her baby food for the first 3-4 months. The baby bullet and I were best friends.

Now at 12 months, she eats whatever we eat for the most part, I'm still cautious with anything hard, crunchy, round or things with a tougher texture, but she is my little chicken-eater.

I will present her with all sorts of things on her tray.. avocado, banana, chicken, sweet potato, olive bits, strawberry pieces... etc, and she will ALWAYS eat her chicken first. I love it.

We omit most sweet and sweetened items from her diet, she'll have almond milk strawberry yogurt on occasion, along with Happy Family Creamies (dairy free). We'll offer her diluted juice once in awhile for variety and she turns it down... literally.. dripping it everywhere with a smile on her little face. She obviously did not inherit my sweet tooth.

A typical day for her: 

(I omitted the couple bottles she'll have throughout the day.)


  • 7am - Breakfast - rice cereal with pureed prunes, banana bits or avocado, canadian bacon bits without skin. 
  • 10am - Mid morning - Happy Baby sweet potato or banana puffs, cucumber bits, few pieces of chicken
  • 12pm - Lunch - chunk of chicken (1" square piece), diced avocado, diced blueberries
  • 3pm - Afternoon snack - rest of avocado half, rice, green bean bits
  • 5:30pm - Dinner - pieces of ground beef, chicken or salmon (an Aria-sized fist worth of whatever protein we have for dinner), any remaining sweet potato or pieces of our carb source, avocado or olives for fats. 

If you are looking for a general guideline, about 60% of a baby/toddler's diet should consist of carbohydrates, 30% healthy fats at 10% protein. 

Good carb sources: 

  • sweet potatoes
  • squash (acorn, spaghetti squash, pumpkin)
  • rice (not strict paleo)
  • plantains

Healthy fats: 

  • avocados
  • olives
  • coconut milk & coconut oil (can be mixed into other foods)
  • nut butters (once old enough)
  • egg yolks (fat & protein!)

Protein:

  • chicken
  • ground beef
  • egg yolks

Butternut squash, sweet potato, strawberries, Aidells apple-chicken, & coconut cream


What healthy habits have you established with your little one?



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