Baby does not have to be "left out" of Holiday meals just because she is an infant. The Holidays are a wonderful time for baby to explore foods and share in the family celebration. Pull baby's high chair up to the dinner table and watch her joy and wonder as she takes part in the Holiday meal tradition. With some creativity, your baby can have a Holiday dinner similar to what the big kids and adults are eating! Bring your food mill along and grind up some Holiday Foods for your little one!

Below you will find our ideas for how to serve up a Holiday Dinner for your baby or toddler. Please ensure that the combinations and foods suggested are age appropriate for your child! These "recipes" have been found at our Tips Recipes page since we began our baby food website and we look forward to "taking them out" every Holiday.

"Holiday Dinners for Little Ones" For Beginners (younger than 7months old) Squashy Sweet Potatoes Take a small scoop of that baked acorn or butternut squash and mash in some sweet potatoes

Baby Apple Pie If you will be offering your baby cereal at Thanksgiving, make him a Baby Apple Pie - mix some applesauce together with oatmeal or rice cereal

Pumpkin Pie Baby Pumpkin Pie is easy, simply blend pumpkin puree together with oatmeal or rice cereal

For the Intermediates (7months to 10 months old) Spicy Squash Add some cinnamon and/or nutmeg to baby's squash

Green Beans and Potatoes Green beans and mashed potatoes are a staple of many Holiday meals, for your baby, make a blend of white potatoes and green beans

Baby's Turkey Dinner Serve your baby a yummy Holiday Turkey Dinner mélange. Take some turkey, applesauce, sweet potato and squash; blend it all together for a yummy meal. If your baby is eating finger foods, simply cut the turkey into small pieces and arrange in baby's dish with the squash, sweet potato and applesauce.

Tofu Dinner If you will be offering your baby tofu at the Holiday Dinner table, you can make your baby's tofu meal fitting and festive too. Blend or dice the tofu into manageable bites and blend with squash or sweet potato for a yummy meal. You can also arrange the tofu bites in baby's dish with squash, white potato and another veggie like carrots or green beans.

Sweet Potato Pie Mix sweet potato, yogurt, cereal and a dash of cinnamon, top with powdered Cheerios or Oatie O's and mix well. For additional fun and enjoyment, let your baby do the blending of her own Sweet Potato Pie!

Apple Pie Combine cereal, yogurt and applesauce together adding a dash of cinnamon, top with powdered Cheerios or Oatie O's and mix well. For additional fun and enjoyment, let your baby do the blending of her own Apple Pie!

Pumpkin Pie Combine pumpkin puree together with cereal, yogurt and add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg, top with powdered Cheerios or Oatie O's and mix well. For additional fun and enjoyment, let your baby do the blending of her own Sweet Potato Pie!

For the Experienced Palate (11months old +) Use all the recipes above only serve as "finger" meals if baby is eating chunky foods.

Arrange dices of turkey, dollops of sweet potato and squash and add some white potato along with green beans.

Offer your baby some "real" apple pie at this age (if you don't mind the sugar that is!)

Is it ok to Offer My Baby Cranberry Sauce or Cranberries? Cranberries tend to be acidic and as such, are not recommended as a "starter' food for babies. As cranberries are not related to strawberries or other "berries" such as blackberries or raspberries, they do not follow the "no berries until 12 months old" rule. You may wish to introduce cranberries between 9 and 12 months old so as to avoid any possible reactions due to the acidity. Reactions may occur in the form of rashes around the mouth or bottom. Always keep in mind that a bite of a food may not prompt a reaction however a "full" serving may. Read our article for more information>> Cranberries for Baby Food

Can My Baby Eat the Family Pumpkin Pie? Pumpkin Pie typically contains whole eggs and evaporated milk. Many pediatricians will say that for the non-allergic baby of 8 months or older, baked goods with whole eggs are fine. The same advice is true for milk products. Milk in a baked good recipe is fine for the non-allergic infant of 8 months or older. (Please remember that milk is NOT appropriate as a replacement for breast milk or formula until a baby has reached the age of 12 months or until your baby's pediatrician indicates this is appropriate!) If you would like your baby to have a Thanksgiving treat and wish to serve him a wee bit of pumpkin pie, consider the above and as always, consult with your pediatrician!

Is Gravy Ok to Offer my Baby? Our inclination is to not offer babies gravy during the Holidays. Homemade Gravy is made of starches and the fatty drippings from the Thanksgiving Turkey pan. Jarred or canned gravy contains a variety of un-pronounceable ingredients that may not be good for your baby.

Keeping in mind the above, if you wish to offer your baby a small drizzle of gravy during Holiday Dinner then feel free to do so. If you bay is prone to digestive upsets, we would recommend using a very small amount or none at all.

As always, you should consult with your pediatrician about offering your baby foods that may not appropriate for baby's stage!