how much protein??

[for my baby?]

Hi,  My baby just turned 9 months.  We have started giving him chicken.  How much protein should we be feeding him each day?  And when do you suggest introducing red meat and how (how to cook)  Thanks so much for your input!

[Gina lover]

You can start with red meat about now but because it has a strong taste, try not to give too much all at once. The average baby needs about 50gr protein per day at 9 mths so either give it all in one meal or split it up over meals.
A couple of really good books which have lots of recipes and info about what bubs need by age group are The Contented Baby Weaning GUide and The Food Bible, both by Gina Ford. You don't have to be following her routines to make use of the books so they are great for mums of all parenting approaches.
Lentils are a good source of protein also in case you haven't tried them.

[Gina lover]

Meant to add that wrt cooking red meat, I buy organic minced beef and organic lamb and cook it up like a casserole in a huge batch with lots of vegies, then zap in the blender and freeze so I have a big supply.

[for my baby?]

Hi Gina lover,  Thank you for the great info.  Now, I have a stupid question...I have been measuring everything in TBS....how many TBS is 50 grams of meat or chicken approximately?  Also, we don't have an oven...can you steam minced beef and lamb?  Finally, where do you get organic meat?  (We are on the East Coast)  Other comments/input are more than welcome, thanks!

[99]

As PP, I also used to freeze but was less worried about measuring.  Would buy a good steak for example and cook it in a pot and add about the same amount of vegetables you'd assume a large steak on a plate would take, ie half a carrot, half a zuchini, a potato or half a sweet potato (whatever you choose) and then puree the lot and freeze into daily portions (small containers).  As baby got bigger the portions got bigger.  I also used to use baby rice to thicken up when warming if needed, ie the Heinz one.

[Gina lover]

No worries at all. Re the tbs measurement, I have 2 sets of measuring spoons and one says 1 tbs = 15 ml (gr) and the other says = 20 ml (gr)! I usually just ensure that if I divide the recipe into the number of portions that means there is 50gr in each little pot. I batch cook and put the food into little plastic pots then freeze.

I rarely use the oven, even if the recipe says to casserole it - I just do everything in a big pot and let it simmer until all the veg are tender. So it is boiled in water or stock rather than steamed.

wrt the organic meat - sorry, I am now back in Oz so can't help you on that, maybe google for it?
Hope this helps but would recommend getting the books - they are fantastic and as your bub gets older you can cook the same recipes for the whole family's dinner.