Ages & Stages
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The most perfect food for your baby is breast milk, otherwise formula will give the nutrition your baby needs. We’ve included a homemade formula recipe that you can make fresh daily if you don’t want to use the powdered or liquid formula. You’ll see that your baby is ready to start the fun of solids when they start watching you eat; following your food as you move it from your plate to your mouth. Most babies are ready for solid foods around six months, but it’s really your decision when to start offering it up!
Here’s a checklist to see if your baby is ready for solids:
- Can your baby sit up and hold up their head unassisted?
- Tongue-thrust and gag reflex lessens; that’s when a baby pushes solid food out of their mouth or gags on food
- Teething has begun
Only introduce one solid food at a time and wait for 2-3 days to see if there are any allergic responses such as diarrhea, rash or vomiting. Start with a tablespoon or two of food and increase the amount as your baby wants more. Your baby will stop eating when they are full. Use breast milk or formula to thin out solids.
Here’s a list of suggestions for when to introduce certain food items:
4-6 Months
Cereals & Grains: Avoid for the first year
Fruits: Avocado, Apples, Ripe Bananas, Pears
Protein: Egg Yolk (no egg whites until 1 year old)
Dairy: Raw Milk, Cream (Not ultra pasteurized)
6-8 Months
Cereals & Grains: Avoid for the first year
Fruits: Avocado, Melon, Mangoes, Banana and Papaya can be mashed and given raw. High pectin fruits like Apricots, Apples, Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Cherries and Berries should be cooked to break down the pectin which can be irritating to the digestive tract at this age. Prunes can be stewed and pureed to ease constipation as well.
Vegetables: Pumpkin, Sweet Potatoes, Acorn Squash, Butternut Squash, Carrots, Beets, Green Beans, Peas, Zucchini (yellow and green). Steam and mash with a generous amount of fat such as butter or coconut oil to provide nutrients and aid digestion.
Protein: Pureed chicken, turkey, tofu or mashed egg yolks (no egg whites)
Dairy: Plain whole milk yogurt
8-10 Months
Herbs and Additional Seasonings: Herbs and Spices can be introduced to your baby now. Always check ingredients and don’t add anything with MSG or other chemicals to food.
Cereals & Grains: Although it’s believed to avoid grains the first year, soaked and thoroughly cooked brown rice is an option for a very mature baby.
Fruit: Blueberries, Figs, Dates, Cranberries, Cherries, Melon, Kiwi, Papaya, Grapes
Vegetables: Asparagus, Peppers, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Mushrooms, Leeks, Onions, White potatoes
Protein: Beans/Legumes, Beef, Egg Yolk, Pork, Chicken
Dairy: Hard Cheese (no soft cheeses like Brie), Cottage Cheese, Not Ultra-Pasteurized Cream
10-12 Months
Cereals & Grains: Although it’s believed to avoid grains the first year, soaked and thoroughly cooked brown rice is an option for a very mature baby.
Fruits: Citrus, Grapes, Dates, Cherries, Berries
Vegetables: Artichokes, Beets, Corn, Cucumbers, Spinach, Tomatoes
Protein: Whole eggs (at 12 months), Fish
Dairy: Whole Milk (at 12 months), Cheese (soft cheeses such as Brie after 12 months)
One year and older
Now the real fun begins! You can offer your toddler any type of food you’re eating. Remember to be an example and make excellent food choices for vibrant health.
Here’s a list of foods to AVOID during your baby’s first year:
Honey (may cause botulism in infants under 1yr old)
Peanut Butter
Tree Nuts
Citrus or Acidic Fruits
Raw Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries
Corn
Egg Whites
Whole Milk – as a drink
Cereals and Grains
Grapes
Shellfish/Crustaceans
One controversial topic is the introduction of cereal to your baby as a first solid food. One thing to remember is the amount of breast milk and/or formula decreases when solid foods are introduced. When you introduce solids, it’s the first step in weaning even if you’re planning to do extended breastfeeding with your child. Nutrients that may be insufficient are protein, zinc, iron and B-vitamins. Grains and nuts have the most potential digestive disturbances or allergies. babies do not produce the enzymes to handle cereals, especially gluten containing grains like wheat before the age of one year. Even then it’s traditional to soak the grains and nuts in water and a little buttermilk for up to 24 hours which begins to break down some of the harder to digest components. Brown rice is gluten free and can be introduced at 8 months when soaked, cooked with plenty of water for a long time and made into a thin porridge. You can even mix this with other foods.
To increase your babies palette, take some of the same food you prepare for the family (before seasoning) and puree for baby. This is when the mini food processor or Baby Food Mill. This Baby Food Mill comes in handy if you’re eating out as well, depending upon the food you order.
Nitrates: Certain vegetables such as green beans, carrots, spinach, lettuce, radishes, beets, turnips and collard greens, may contain excessive nitrates, which can be converted into nitrite (an undesirable substance) in the stomach. These naturally occurring nitrates can reduce the baby’s hemoglobin. When cooking vegetables that may contain these substances, do not use the water they were cooked in to purée due to the possible concentration of nitrates in the cooking water. These vegetables are safe for home preparation if fed to infants 6 months and older when prepared as described above. The American Pediatrics Association recommends avoiding these foods until a baby is 3 months old. Our recipes here are for babies at least 4 months old, although 6 months is an ideal time to start solids in our opinion.