Baby's Food - When and What

What Should My Baby Eat In the First Year of Life?

                Our children are most precious in our lives so of course we want the best for them.  We desire their happiness and their health.  Infants require basic needs from their parents such as feeding, keeping them clean, and providing safety.  Getting the right nutrients during infancy can effect an entire life time.  Some infants have difficulty with eating, but for the sake of this particular post, we will stick with the average infants first year of experiencing foods.

                Babies will want to explore.  For the first one to four months, likely all your infant will want is breast milk, but watch out, once they start moving, they will seek more.  Be prepared, your infant will start putting everything in their mouths.  Don’t be alarmed, it is actually a key developmental milestone that is very important.  While making sure they are not placing toxic or choking hazard items into their mouths, allow them to explore with appropriate toys, teething rings, and foods such as celery (that won’t break apart).  Food is a big deal in the first year of a child’s life.  Below is a general guideline to help you know what your baby needs.

                For Newborns and Infants through about age four months, the ideal diet is breast milk.  Whenever possible use breastfeeding for the primary source of food.  A mother’s milk is packed full of vitamins and nutrients that your infant requires.  Not only does it provide nutrients that could sustain your infant during the first several months of life, but it is also full of disease fighting, immune substances that give your child protection from a long list of diseases.  If breast feeding is not an option, consult with your pediatrician for the most appropriate formula to fit your situation.

                Between the ages of 4-6 months is a good time to introduce rice cereal.  By this age they are starting to lose the tongue thrust reflex (which makes them spit out anything but a nipple), they should have good neck strength to hold their heads up well, be able to sit with support, and be able to turn their heads from side to side.  Start by adding a teaspoon of rice cereal to some breast milk or formula and increase the amount as your baby tolerates.   Initially, it should be thin enough that your baby can drink it through a bottle, but as you thicken the cereal, use a soft baby spoon and introduce it that way.  Don’t give up if your baby doesn’t want to take it right away, they are getting used to a spoon rather than sucking a nipple.  Just keep working on it.  Give your baby many opportunities to get this technique learned.  Hold off on other types of cereal until they are at least 6 month old.

                Once your baby is used to the cereal, you may introduce pureed foods around 6-8 months.  Green and/or leafy vegetables (such as spinach) cooked and pureed in a blender are good starters - or stage one baby foods are a pureed texture.  I suggest using the green vegetables first because they are good sources of iron.  Also, babies tend to lean to sugary foods more if they get that first, so avoid them as long as you can.  Otherwise it is more difficult to introduce vegetables later because they won’t like the lack of sweetness.  Give one food for several day (at least 3) so that your child has the opportunity to get used to it.  Again, don’t give up if they spit it out a time or two or even twenty.  Keep offering it, usually, they will eventually accept it.  Another reason introducing foods slowly is so that if there is a food allergy, it is easier to identify.

                After you have introduced several green vegetables, give the orange and yellow vegetables such as squash.  They are sweeter and still full of good vitamins and nutrients.  Wait to start fruits until your child is eating vegetables well.     

                Between 7-10 months old, you can start to introduce lumpy, chunky foods that are still soft.  Examples would include soft cooked vegetables, soft fruits like cut up bananas, well-cooked pastas, etc.  Don’t be surprised if your child starts trying to get food off your plate.  They are ready to explore.  By now they should have been introduced to many different foods so they likely will tolerate most what you have on your plate.  Take caution with foods that could be choking hazards.  Your baby will want to try most foods so take care with foods such as nuts, grapes, hotdogs, etc. that could cause choking.  If you chose to introduce these foods, break or cut them up in small pieces and keep an eye on them.  Some foods such as nuts could be difficult if your baby does not have enough teeth to chew with.  Stick with soft foods that they can mash up easily in their mouths.

                By 10-12 months your baby is probably showing some independence in feeding.  They should be able to eat anything you are eating as long as it is soft enough for them to handle.  Most casseroles should be good because they provide a variety of foods and generally they are well cook and the ingredients are soft and easy to manipulate in the mouth.  Nearing the one year mark, babies are less reliant on milk and are leaning more on foods for their nutrition.

Cow’s milk – Why wait until my baby is one year?

Cow’s milk can be difficult for a baby to digest.  Due to high protein and mineral levels, a baby’s kidneys may have difficulty breaking down cow’s milk to be used efficiently.  Also, the proteins in cow’s milk can be irritating to a baby’s digestive track causing blood in their bowel movements.  Cow’s milk is also lacking in sufficient iron, vitamin C, and other nutrient levels to compensate for your child’s needs.

When to start meat?

You can actually start meats when you start pureed vegetables.  Soft meats are good sources of protein.  Make sure they are well cooked and blended to a pureed consistency much like the vegetables you are giving.  You can also add some salt for flavor.  Babies have taste buds too and adding an appropriate amount of salt for flavor may help them eat it better.

Why not honey?

Honey is a healthy food but hold off giving it to babies until at least one year old or even two.  Honey contains spores that, although harmless to adults and children, can be harmful for infants and toddlers.  The FDA has tested other sweeteners and not found these spores, but honey has them so avoid until two.

What about Fish?

Fish is an excellent nutrient source for your child.  You can start giving your child fish as early as 4 months old as long as you make sure it is pureed. Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish may have high levels of mercury and it is recommended that you avoid giving them to your child.

Breastfeeding – how long?

Supplement eating with breast feeding as long as you want to.  It is healthy and bonding.  In much of the world mothers breast feed between 1-2 years.