Believe it or not, but from the moment you put a spoon into your baby's mouth for the first time, you're not only introducing solids, but you're also introducing expectations that may shape the way your child views food for the rest of his life. He watches you to learn what food is all about: Whether you are opening a package of prepared baby food from the grocery store shelf, or are preparing it lovingly by hand from fresh produce; whether you rush him through his meals or allow him to explore each bite's flavor and texture; whether you demand he eat as much as possible or let his appetite lead the way; whether you focus primarily on sweet foods first or on a variety of flavors from strong and bitter to mellow and savory; whether you eat disconnected from one another in front of the television or together at the table as a family. Your baby might be an adorable, pudgy little package of rolls, drools and smiles, but he's also a little sponge soaking up everything - the good, and the bad - that you put before him.
This milestone is such an exciting and important one for your child. Up until this point, his experience with his sense of taste has been limited to breastmilk or formula, his own hands and feet, and toys of various flavorless materials. A brand new world is opening its gate before him, so guide him right.
Timing Is Everything.
This milestone is such an exciting and important one for your child. Up until this point, his experience with his sense of taste has been limited to breastmilk or formula, his own hands and feet, and toys of various flavorless materials. A brand new world is opening its gate before him, so guide him right.
Timing Is Everything.
When your baby is ready for solids is subjective. Generally, your baby should be ready between four to six months, when the iron he's been storing since he lived in your womb is depleting and his digestive system is strengthening. Typically, he should be able to hold his head up and steady, and sit comfortably with the assistance of a chair. He may also show interest in your food and watching you eat, and may even try to grab food off your plate if you've left it within reach.
Introducing solid foods before this time frame can cause digestive problems as well as put your child at a higher risk for allergies and obesity. Conversely, waiting too long to introduce foods can make your child too comfortable with his liquid diet and he may be more likely to refuse this unfamiliar texture and flavor. However, your doctor may suggest waiting a bit longer if you have a family history of food allergies. Always consult your pediatrician with any concerns you may have before starting your child on solids.
To maximize your likelihood of success, introduce solids for the first time when your baby is neither hungry nor full. If your baby is hungry, he may not tolerate your attempts and want his familiar meal; if he is full, he may not open his mouth for the spoon at all. Remember no matter what that this is an unfamiliar experience, so don't stress and just have fun with it - feeding solids right now is much less about nutrition than it is about practice.
Once a food has been introduced, it should be given exclusively (or coupled with foods that have already passed this "test") for at least two days so that if your child has a reaction, you have a better chance of pinpointing which food is the culprit. If you have a family history of food allergies, you may want to stretch the introductory period further.
Most important when it comes to timing: Slow and steady. If your baby is too fussy and is outright rejecting your attempts that day, it is not a big deal. There is always tomorrow. Don't force your child to eat by continuing to spoon food into his crying maw, and don't act disappointed that he won't eat. Simply say something encouraging, give him a big kiss on the cheek and clean up.
What's On the Menu?
Introducing solid foods before this time frame can cause digestive problems as well as put your child at a higher risk for allergies and obesity. Conversely, waiting too long to introduce foods can make your child too comfortable with his liquid diet and he may be more likely to refuse this unfamiliar texture and flavor. However, your doctor may suggest waiting a bit longer if you have a family history of food allergies. Always consult your pediatrician with any concerns you may have before starting your child on solids.
To maximize your likelihood of success, introduce solids for the first time when your baby is neither hungry nor full. If your baby is hungry, he may not tolerate your attempts and want his familiar meal; if he is full, he may not open his mouth for the spoon at all. Remember no matter what that this is an unfamiliar experience, so don't stress and just have fun with it - feeding solids right now is much less about nutrition than it is about practice.
Once a food has been introduced, it should be given exclusively (or coupled with foods that have already passed this "test") for at least two days so that if your child has a reaction, you have a better chance of pinpointing which food is the culprit. If you have a family history of food allergies, you may want to stretch the introductory period further.
Most important when it comes to timing: Slow and steady. If your baby is too fussy and is outright rejecting your attempts that day, it is not a big deal. There is always tomorrow. Don't force your child to eat by continuing to spoon food into his crying maw, and don't act disappointed that he won't eat. Simply say something encouraging, give him a big kiss on the cheek and clean up.
What's On the Menu?
Infant rice cereal is often suggested as a perfect first food. It's cheap, it's essentially flavorless, it's easy to prepare and it poses almost no risk of an allergic reaction. However, it can also back up delicate digestive systems and, well, it's boring. I think it's great to use for a few days just to transition your baby from one texture to another, but after a few days, you can move on to better things, like vegetables.
It is said that babies naturally prefer sweet things. I can't say for sure, as I don't remember being a baby and my personal preferences to this day are for the salty and savory. To be on the safe side, though, I personally prefer starting my kids with a variety of vegetables. It seems to me that going from a banana to a pea would be a much more disappointing experience than going from a pea to a banana.
Try to avoid the baby food aisle, at least for now. Commercially-prepared baby foods may seem nice as they are convenient and contain simple ingredients. Was the produce free of bruises, pits or marks? Was it fresh? Are they pureeing the seeds, skins and other less-appetizing parts of the vegetables? How did they prepare it? How many nutrients were lost in the process of turning an apple into a product that sits in a plastic tub or glass jar and lasts literally for years? What about meat!? What parts of the animal are in there, exactly?
Walk through the produce aisle. Feel your vegetables, smell them. See if they were organically or locally produced. Seed it yourself, peel it yourself, prepare it yourself, and feed it fresh or freeze it for the future - a future a month from now instead of a year. Buy yourself a bundle of fresh asparagus and prepare it yourself, and then compare it to asparagus from a can - you wouldn't want to eat the latter, but that's the equivalent of what you're feeding your baby when you give them commercially-prepared foods: Over-cooked, awkwardly-flavored and generally unappetizing produce with no nutrition left from who knows where and when.
In the blogs to follow that are labelled "First Foods," I will walk you through my son August's journey into solids so that you can get ideas on food selection, preparation, and other helpful hints as you and your child journey through solids on your own path. I would suggest that you also keep a small journal documenting which foods your child has eaten and whether or not he has had any reaction to them. If you wish, you can also mark down his particular reaction. For example, my daughter's first solid beyond rice cereal was peas, and her reaction was one of horror, to say the least. But her next food, summer squash, was greeted with delight!
What food you start with is up to you. In Africa, babies tend to be introduced to meat before anything else. In America, it is cereal. In India, they don't think twice about spicing it up for little taste buds. There are no real rules, but some guidelines I personally follow for infants are:
It is said that babies naturally prefer sweet things. I can't say for sure, as I don't remember being a baby and my personal preferences to this day are for the salty and savory. To be on the safe side, though, I personally prefer starting my kids with a variety of vegetables. It seems to me that going from a banana to a pea would be a much more disappointing experience than going from a pea to a banana.
Try to avoid the baby food aisle, at least for now. Commercially-prepared baby foods may seem nice as they are convenient and contain simple ingredients. Was the produce free of bruises, pits or marks? Was it fresh? Are they pureeing the seeds, skins and other less-appetizing parts of the vegetables? How did they prepare it? How many nutrients were lost in the process of turning an apple into a product that sits in a plastic tub or glass jar and lasts literally for years? What about meat!? What parts of the animal are in there, exactly?
Walk through the produce aisle. Feel your vegetables, smell them. See if they were organically or locally produced. Seed it yourself, peel it yourself, prepare it yourself, and feed it fresh or freeze it for the future - a future a month from now instead of a year. Buy yourself a bundle of fresh asparagus and prepare it yourself, and then compare it to asparagus from a can - you wouldn't want to eat the latter, but that's the equivalent of what you're feeding your baby when you give them commercially-prepared foods: Over-cooked, awkwardly-flavored and generally unappetizing produce with no nutrition left from who knows where and when.
In the blogs to follow that are labelled "First Foods," I will walk you through my son August's journey into solids so that you can get ideas on food selection, preparation, and other helpful hints as you and your child journey through solids on your own path. I would suggest that you also keep a small journal documenting which foods your child has eaten and whether or not he has had any reaction to them. If you wish, you can also mark down his particular reaction. For example, my daughter's first solid beyond rice cereal was peas, and her reaction was one of horror, to say the least. But her next food, summer squash, was greeted with delight!
What food you start with is up to you. In Africa, babies tend to be introduced to meat before anything else. In America, it is cereal. In India, they don't think twice about spicing it up for little taste buds. There are no real rules, but some guidelines I personally follow for infants are:
- No added fats, spices, sweeteners or salt when preparing baby food. This gives your child an opportunity to taste and learn to appreciate the flavor of fresh, simple foods.
- Prepare your baby's meals at home, preferably with techniques that discourage nutrient loss. Use any water that may have been used in cooking to thin out a puree that is too thick.
- For the first few months, peel fruits and vegetables, and remove seeds if they are present.
- Avoid the more highly allergenic foods until a little later, between 10 and 12 months.
Above all else... HAVE FUN.
Don't fret! Make meal times enjoyable, stop when baby lets you know he's done, don't act like any food you offer is disgusting, and enjoy these little mealtimes before your baby turns into a toddler and demands a slice of bread and crackers for dinner instead of that wonderful chicken you've been roasting...
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