Christmas food and your baby

Christmas is a fun time of year, especially when you have kids. There are get-togethers and end-of-year parties galore, and that’s before you even get to Christmas Day itself. That’s why it pays to go into the festive season with a plan of how you’re going to approach your children’s Christmas food intake. Here are some Christmas meal ideas and healthier treats to try.

Is it safe for babies to eat Christmas food

Once babies are eating solids – usually from about six months – they can enjoy most Christmas foods, within reason. “Christmas celebrations often go right through December,” says accredited practising dietician Alison McAleese, noting you need to keep an eye on sugar and salt intake. “The amount kids eat can add up quite quickly, particularly if they’re having salty or sugary foods several times a week.”

Baby’s Christmas Morning Foods

Here are some easy Christmas recipes for younger kids.

Reindeer pancakes

Pancakes are a great treat for Christmas Day, and packet mix pancakes are fine. Make one larger pancake for the head and one smaller pancake to arrange over the face for the nose area. Put a raspberry in the middle of the smaller pancake for the nose. For eyes, use two slices of banana with a blueberry on top of each. You can get fancy with ears and antlers, but that will depend on how much time you have on Christmas morning

Another option is sweet potato buttermilk pancakes, made using sweet potato mash. These take a little longer because you make the batter from scratch but you’ll be rewarded with light, fluffy pancakes

Santa’s smoothie

Make a smoothie in Santa colours – blend a frozen banana with plain yoghurt and pour it in the bottom of a cup, then blend frozen strawberries with plain yoghurt and pour over the banana layer. If your kids prefer plain banana smoothies, call it a snowman smoothie.

Baby-friendly party food

Keeping an eye on sugar and salt intake means being prepared with healthier children’s Christmas treats. 

Vegie bites

Slice sweet potato, pumpkin and potato into 2cm-thick rounds. Spray with olive oil and roast for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Sprinkle with cheese and grill for 2 minutes. Top with tomato relish or cranberry sauce to serve. Get creative with your flavour combos: try Sweet Potato with Goat Cheese and Cranberry Bites or Pumpkin, Feta and Beetroot Dip Rounds

Ham and cheese mini muffins

Whisk together eggs and milk in a jug. Add grated cheddar and a small amount of chopped ham. Pour into a mini muffin tin sprayed with olive oil spray, and cook at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until cooked. Make these the day ahead to save time

Fun Christmas treats

Christmas baking for kids doesn’t have to be hard. It just needs to be fun – keep these quick and easy ideas handy for parties.

Santa hat brownies

Make a packet mix brownie, then cut 4cm rounds from the brownie. Top with a little whipped cream and a hulled and trimmed strawberry, cut-side down. Dot a little cream on the tip of the strawberry to finish. To make this healthier, don’t use the brownie and just decorate the strawberries with cream or yoghurt.

Reindeer lollipops

Christmas cooking for kids gets everyone in the festive spirit. Put a marshmallow on the end of a paddle pop stick. Roll in melted chocolate. Insert broken pretzels for antlers and stick on Smarties for eyes and a nose.

Baby’s Christmas dinner foods

Babies can eat most of what you eat for Christmas dinner – ham, turkey and roast vegies are all fine. Just watch portion sizes when it comes to dinner for infants and limit salty ham. Here are some easy Christmas meal ideas.

Vegie-loaded soup

An easy soup is great to prepare for your little one before the chaos of Christmas Day kicks in – it can be made ahead and frozen. Just defrost it in the fridge on Christmas Eve so it’s ready to heat and serve when everyone sits down for lunch the next day. Use whatever vegies your baby loves – think roasted pumpkin or sweet potato, carrot, potatoes. Cook the vegetables with unsalted vegetable stock for about 20-30 minutes or until tender. To make it tastier, add a can of light coconut milk, too. Let it cool a little then blend until smooth. Serve warm.

Turkey and potato bites

Here’s a good way to use up leftover turkey. Finely chop it and mix with mashed potato and a little bit of grated tasty cheese. Add 2 whisked eggs and stir to combine. Roll into balls and then coat in breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Key Christmas foods to avoid for babies

While kids can try most of what’s on offer on Christmas Day, Alison has a few festive watch-outs.

• Choking hazards: “You need to be especially careful with babies and toddlers under 2,” Alison says. “Hard confectionery is definitely a watch out, and it’s important to cut hard fruit and vegetables into a safe shape
• Unrefrigerated food:  “Food safety is really important at celebrations and events and on Christmas Day,” says Allison. “Babies and young children are more susceptible to foodborne illness because of the size of their bodies and their immune systems so don’t let them eat anything that’s been left out for two hours or more.”
• Foods with alcohol: “Obviously alcohol isn’t safe for babies and toddlers so before giving them a taste of any Christmas foods that you suspect may contain alcohol, check the packet or ask whoever’s cooked the food,” Alison says.
• Baby food allergies: While allergies are relatively uncommon, you should always look for symptoms of an allergic reaction and call an ambulance if you have concerns
  

Healthy Christmas food options for your baby

There are lots of ‘better-for-you’ options when it comes to Christmas food ideas for kids. “ In summer, we’ve got such a great range of really fun and colorful fruit, so that can always be a really good option,” Alison says. “Vegetables or crackers and dip is another thing that you can have at home or bring to an event.”

Portion sizes for babies and toddlers

Portions can creep up at Christmas when there are lots of celebrations. “At parties consider sharing one thing between all the children in a family or even bringing something that you know is a healthy option,” Alison says. It’s a good idea to have an understanding of what and how to feed toddlers and babies before Christmas, and make a plan for festive-season eating.

Tips for a stress-free Christmas with your baby

Remember Christmas isn’t all about eating and presents – involve kids in the broader celebrations so they understand about sharing good times with family and friends.  “Little children could choose the music to play or make some of the decorations. They could help make gifts in the kitchen, too.” Alison says.  “That way they understand that it’s a special time of year rather than being all about unhealthy foods.”