A PWS Friendly Birthday Cake

We’re celebrating a very special birthday in our house this week, our darling Jude is ONE!

I’m often sent cake recipes and asked my thoughts on whether I think this or that is appropriate for a PWS birthday and for the longest time I’ve wanted to come up with my own. So here is the first one.

This cake is wheat free and has no added sugars, it is not sweet at all yet still packed full of flavour from the berries, yoghurt and lemon. This recipe is actually based off my Berry Yoghurt Muffins which is in my ‘Finger Foods for kids with Prader-Willi syndrome’ e-guide and it was a client who made the muffins for her daughter’ birthday which gave me the idea to make it into a cake for Jude’s first birthday and I was so happy with how it turned out. Jude loved it too!

If you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, you can find me at @catefoxdietitian

PWS FRIENDLY BIRTHDAY CAKE

cook time 40mins

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup almond meal

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

⅓ cup coconut oil, melted

2 large eggs

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tsp vanilla extract

zest from 1 lemon

juice from ½ lemon

1 cup berries

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180C and grease a cake tin. For Jude’s cake, I used two 10x4.5cm (4x2”) round cake tins which gave me a little of the batter left over to make into muffins. Alternatively, you would have enough batter to make 3 cakes.

  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine almond meal, baking powder, baking soda and lemon rind.

  3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, add melted coconut oil, yoghurt, vanilla and lemon juice and stir until combined.

  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix and with a wooden spoon mix until well combined.

  5. Gently fold the berries into the batter. I used frozen berries above. If you choose to use frozen berries make sure they are still frozen when mixing, this way the colour will not run.

  6. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tins and bake for 40mins.

  7. Remove from oven and let cool completely before turning cakes onto a wire cooling rack.

  8. Stack the cakes on top of each other and cover with your choice of icing (frosting). For the cake pictured above, I used fresh cream placing a layer of cream between the two cakes and covering the outside of the cakes with a thin covering of cream. Alternatively, you could you a cream cheese frosting. Note: if using fresh cream don’t add this until you are ready to serve.

 

Introducing Solids

 
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Confused about starting solids? You’re not alone. With so much conflicting advice on when to start, what foods to offer and in what order plus trying to decide between doing baby led weaning or traditional purees, its enough to send even the most seasoned parent into a head spin.

If you’re onto your second or subsequent baby, or you’re at least out of that newborn bubble, you’ll have realised that every baby is oh so different and develops at very different speeds. Even between siblings, one baby reaches certain milestones before another and that goes for starting solids too. Its important that you tune into your own baby, not worry about what the other babies in your mother’s group are doing and follow your baby’s cues and your own intuition. That being said, some of us need a little more direction with tackling this exciting, yet sometimes overwhelming stage. If that’s you, then I’ve written this post to highlight what the guidelines says, what the evidence suggests and to (hopefully) point you in the right direction with a little more confidence.

So what are the current guidelines on when to start offering solid foods?

The NH&MRC Infant Feeding Guidelines (2012) recommend that solid foods are introduced around 6 months of age in order to meet your baby’s increasing nutritional and developmental needs. It is around 6 months of age that stores of iron and zinc are declining, that appetite is increasing, the extrusion reflex is disappearing, their digestive system has matured to be able to digest starches and the baby is now increasingly aware of their environment and is curious of new textures and flavours.

So what foods do you offer first?

If you ask your own mum or grandmother what your baby’s first foods should be you might hear the many restrictions that were once considered normal practice. Luckily though, these days parents have greater freedom in what foods are considered acceptable first foods and there are less rules on how to introduce foods to our bubs. The only “rule” so to speak is that as long as foods rich in iron are included in those first foods, foods can be introduced in any order and at a rate that suits the baby.

So what exactly does that mean, I hear you asking?!

Breastmilk, and or formula should still be the baby’s main nutritional source. However, once you decide that your baby is ready for solids those first few tastes could include single fruit or vegetable purees. Babies are use to thin, sweet tasting breastmilk or formula so starting with smooth purees of pumpkin, sweet potato or pear might be a good place to start. Only offering fruit or sweetening vegetables or other purees with fruit is not recommended. Other first tastes could include:

- avocado

- cooked apple

- carrot

- zucchini

- broccoli

Once first tastes have been established and your baby is tolerating small amounts of pureed foods you can start to get creative with different flavour combinations that contain iron rich foods such as meats, fish, poultry, legumes or tofu and gradually start to add varying textures. If you’re reading this and thinking ‘but I want to do baby led weaning’ then you can read about that here.

It is important that textures increase and are varied to ensure correct oral muscular development. Purees should progress from smooth to mashed foods, then to minced and finally chopped foods. Your baby will learn quickly how to navigate and manage mashed and minced foods and it is essential the introduction of these textures aren’t delayed until after 10 months of age to prevent feeding difficulties later on.

Regardless of which feeding method you start with, either traditional purees or baby-led weaning, by around 8 months most babies can manage soft finger foods in long finger shaped strips to allow the baby to grab onto them and start to self feed. Some babies can tolerate finger foods from 6-7 months of age so be guided by your baby and do what feels right. Allowing your baby to feed themselves helps with growing independence and helps to develop fine motor skills. Finger foods can start to become smaller pieces by around 9 months of age when the baby is developing their pincer grip.

By 12 months of age, your baby should be tolerating family foods offered in age appropriate forms such as small, chopped up pieces.

The only other advice for foods that should be included in the first 12 months of your baby’s life include offering your baby foods that are high allergen risk foods such as eggs, nuts (nut butters to avoid choking), shellfish, wheat, dairy and soy. Evidence suggests that by delaying introducing these foods, you might increase the risk of your child developing a food allergy. The evidence also points towards regular consumption of high allergen risk foods once introduced to increase protection against food allergies.

What not to feed your baby?

There’s a few foods that aren’t suitable for babies under 1y which include:

- honey due to the risk of botulism

- whole nuts or other hard, small foods due to the risk of choking. Nuts in the form of nut butters should be included

- animal or plant based milks as a main drink are not suitable due to the protein and electrolyte concentrations. A small amount of these milks for use in cooking is suitable

- fruit juice or drink offer no nutritional benefit

- caffeinated or sugar sweetened drinks can lead to iron deficiency or dental caries

Are you ready to learn all you need to know to get your baby started on solids and setting them up for a lifetime of positive eating behaviours? If so - join hundreds of parents, just like you, who have enrolled in my online Introducing Solids course . This is a self-paced, 100% online course you can start anytime, as soon as you and your baby are ready!

Baby Led Weaning

 
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Baby Led Weaning is a term that Jill Rapley (UK) used to describe a particular way of feeding babies. Typically, purees and spoon feeding is out and the first foods baby tries are offered in pieces that are the size and shape that the baby can handle easily. Simply put, BLW allows the baby to be in control of when they start transitioning on to solid foods.

So, how exactly? If you want to go down the BLW path, have your baby sit with you and the family at meal times, allowing your baby to join in on meals when they are ready. When your baby starts to show interest in foods, allow them to explore foods with their hands. At this point it doesn’t matter if your baby eats a little or any at all. You should offer foods that have been prepared in ways that are easy for your baby to pick up. Generally speaking, foods should be long, thin finger shaped pieces that the baby can hold onto. The baby feeds themselves from the start and its the baby who decides how much to eat.

Advocates for BLW will say this way of feeding has many benefits such as being enjoyable and a natural way of eating. It allows the baby to learn about food through smell, taste and texture by exploring food through sight and touch. People say this way of feeding has a developmental benefit and allows the baby to gain confidence and trust as babies are allowed to go at their own pace. BLW allows babies to learn to regulate their appetite and to join in on family meal times which are benefits that will develop into positive eating behaviours later in life.

Despite all the benefits, it can be a messy approach and so for some parents this way of feeding does not sit well with them or suit their family. Some parents are also concerned with choking, however if foods are prepared correctly and babies are supervised when eating, choking is avoided.

Personally, I did a combination of both spoon feeding and BLW for my 2 children and I think its really important to note that BLW doesn’t have to be done in the strictest ‘no spoons at all’ way that some people argue. When you’re about to start solids find a way that works for you, your family and most importantly your baby. Trust your gut and do what feels right.