Carrot, potato, apple or pear? What should be my baby's first solid food?! Anywhere between 4 and 6 months of age the baby should start eating solids. There are many different ways to introduce solid foods. It is absolutely your decision to decide what suits your baby the best. Breast or formula milk contains all nutrients necessary for baby's healthy body function. At around 6 months of age, iron and zinc "storage" levels deplete. They now need solid food to introduce those necessary nutrients.
Before starting my baby on solids I did so much research. I wanted to make sure that my baby is eating healthy food. Plenty of fruits and vegetables! I know that I don't have great eating habits and should definitely eat more green vegies. I haves to admit they are not my favourite. In my family, nobody was big on vegetables and "healthy lifestyle", so I guess that's where I got "bad" habits. I absolutely low carbs (bread, pasta)!! When it was time for my baby to start solids, I decided that I want better for her!
The first thing I was sure on was that all food is going to be organic and freshly prepared. I love cooking and cooking for my little one is definitely special! Also, I could not imagine buying her a jar of chicken and carrots puree that was sitting on the shelves for months. I know, I would not eat it, so I would not want my baby to eat that either. On rare occasions, I buy her some fruits purees, that's mainly when we are out and about. The main brand we go for is Ella's Kitchen because it has organic food with no added salts and sugars. Before the 12 months of age, babies should not consume salt and sugar. Using salts in your baby's food may impair their kidney function and cause kidney stone. At early age (less than 12 moths), baby's kidneys are still developing and using salts will require for those teeny tiny kidneys to work even harder. Using excess salt in babies my not show kidney problems immediately but later in the adulthood. Some scientific studies have shows that using salt in baby's food is linked with the kidney problems in the adulthood. Too much salt can cause many other problems such as brittle bones and dehydration. Also, many studies have shows that if the baby is introduced the solids before the 4 moths of age, it is more likely to develop stomach/bowel related disease (IBS, UC, etc.). I'm suffering from gastritis and IBS and I am fairly sure it is because of the diet I followed as a child. I started suffering from gastritis and IBS when I was only 12 years old. Before 4-6 months of age, baby's stomach and bowels are still "premature" to digest solid food. At that age, solid foods are often too strong for their tiny and sensitive stomach.
Sugars should also be avoided in your baby's food. Sugars are associated with diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, lethargy, poor dietary habits and hyperactivity. If you decide to use salt and sugars in baby's food, the baby will never know the real taste of vegetables.
You may think know, How can I cook food with no salt and sugar? It's going to be tasteless. Proper food choices and mixing different foods will give you nice and tasty baby meal. For example, broccoli puree will be fairly tasteless, but if you add carrot and parsnip (both sweet), the puree will instantly taste better.
If you have a lot of allergies in the family, you should be careful when introducing potential allergens (nuts, eggs, citrus fruit, wheat). Introduce the food slowly and in small amount, and monitor the reaction. Do not introduce it with another potential allergen. In case of the allergy you will now know what is causing the reaction.
There are many different ways of introducing solids. You can cook food, blend it and feed your baby with puree. You can decide to follow Baby Lead Weaning or you can mash babies food. There are many pros and cons for both Baby Lead Weaning and purees. It is up to you to decide what better suits you and your baby.
Baby lead weaning seems to "better" option when starting solids. Baby lead weaning is when the baby is given whole pieces of food and it eats by itself. The baby should be offered food at mealtime. Usually the baby eats the same food as the rest of the family, minus the seasoning/spices. Many people are hesitant when it comes to baby lead weaning because they automatically think that babies can't eat pieces of solid food. If you decide to follow baby lead weaning, you should definitely do a lot of research. There are many books, detailing everything about baby lead weaning. Baby lead weaning can be very time consuming and a very slow process. In the beginning your baby will be discovering and wont be eating much. Probably, there will be more food on the floor then on their plate, but that is all part of the process. Every day they will get better and eat more. Baby lead weaning must be carefully supervised. To prevent choking you should always be by the baby and watch while he eats. Always offer soft food in proper sizes, great foods to start with are carrot sticks, broccoli and cauliflower stems. These food are easy to hold and very soft once cooked. Babies will probably experience some gagging reflex but that is completely normal. They never had any food other than milk. The change in texture will cause them some gagging reflex, this may even occur while eating solids.
Baby lead weaning drives better motor development. Babies get to learn different textures by holding the food. The baby also learn different colours, tastes and flavours. The practice eye-hand and hand-mouth coordination. It also improves their chewing skills. Although at that age baby don't have teeth, but they have very strong gums which allow them to chew food. There is one very important rule when it comes to baby lead weaning and that is that baby must be at least 6 moths old or sitting without aid. This must be followed to prevent choking.
For my baby, I decided to combine baby lead weaning and purees (mashed food). At the start I was too scared to follow baby lead weaning, even though I really wanted to! My baby started solids when she was around 5 and a half moths old. She couldn't sit unaided so I knew baby lead weaning is off the table. I strongly decided not to blend her food into purees. I lightly mashed it with a fork, to ensure that it still has some texture. We started our journey with a courgette and she loved it. For the very start she is a foodie, chubby baby. After few weeks, I slowly introduced her to pieces of food. We started with broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Eventually she started eating everything. Now (7mo) she still eats combined purees and baby lead weaning. I find the combination of both easier because in the morning she has some sort of cereals which she cant eat by hand. I usually cook some porridge, millet, semolina + fruits. For lunch she would have some veggies and meat or fish. I try to rotate her food as much as possible, to provide a variety of food and ensure she gets enough of all necessary nutrients. She now definitely prefers food with more texture. Recently, her granny was minding her and had to prepare her food and since she was scared of choking, she decided to fully blend baby's food but my little one would even have a spoon.
When it comes to your baby's food decide what suits your baby and family the best. Choose fresh fruits and vegetables, if possible organic. Always follow your baby, she might not be the big eater at the start, but it will all change. Don't give up, I know it can be frustrating at times. There is usually a reason why baby is refusing solids, either teething or doesn't like the taste or something completely random. Whatever it is, it will pass!
Be patient and enjoy those first bites.