My baby boy just hit 5 months and we finally hitting the exciting new milestone of starting him on solid foods. Pureed solid foods that is. As most new parents know, every milestone is exciting. Watching this little being slowly turn into a self reliant little person is absolutely incredible and exciting. As parents, the task can be daunting. Being in charge and responsible for this little person’s development and safety can add a lot of anxiety and uncertainty on our part. This uncertainty also exists on the journey of introducing our Littles to new foods.
These days, it’s hard to know what is even in the food we eat. There are so many ingredients with words we can’t even pronounce, and then there are the “natural flavors’’ and “spices”. Coming from someone whose in-laws are riddled with different allergies and intolerances, I have become hyper sensitive to how little most people even know about what they consume. In some ways, this sensitivity has given me a lot more insight into nutrition and food safety. Working in the food industry, I now feel a lot safer guiding people with various allergies to menu items that I can be sure won’t harm them. Being a lover of the culinary arts, I have found the challenges of substituting ingredients in recipes quite exciting. That said, knowing what I do, I can’t help feel a little hesitant about what I introduce to my son.
In the beginning, it seemed a little easier. Babies’ first foods are supposed to be simple plain foods like grains, fruits and vegetables that are pureed. Babies can only eat a tablespoon’s worth of food or so, 2 to 3 times a day in the beginning. After letting them try their first food, parents are supposed to wait anywhere from 3 days to a week before introducing a new food to allow the baby to adjust and make sure there no allergens detected. At first, I was nervous thinking – what if he has an allergic reaction to something? What does that even mean? Is his throat going to close up? Is he going to go into shock? I know, as a first time mother, these are the possible scenarios running through my head having heard stories of others’ allergic reactions. However, with babies being introduced to new foods, we are more commonly looking for a less drastic reaction, such as a rash. This is how little I knew of the situation, and after a lot of reading I finally felt my stress levels ease into the idea of introducing him to new foods.
Now I just had to decide which foods to start with. Babies have very sensitive palates, and we also want to set them up to eat right from the get-go. From everything I’ve read, starting off with healthy nutrient rich foods such as grains like quinoa or oatmeal, and vegetables such as peas, carrots, or green beans is a good way to introduce them to healthy foods that aren’t too intense in flavor. If you want to start with a fruit, try avocado, but save the sweeter stuff for later. If you start with sweet, you could set them up to have a pickier palate that leans more towards sweet foods. Veggies can be sweet enough in and of themselves. I started my son off with avocado being that it is a healthy fruit full of unsaturated fat that is easily digestible (and good for rapidly growing brains).
Another tip was to start them off with iron rich foods. Babies undergo a drastic drop in iron through their toddler years. There are two different types of iron: heme and non-heme. Heme is found in meats, while non-heme is found in plant based foods such as grains, beans, and leafy vegetables. As we don’t eat animals in this family, I have started him off with pureed peas and creamy oatmeal, and I will most likely incorporate some spinach or kale into this food in the near future. Another tip to help their bodies absorb the iron they need is to compliment iron rich foods with those rich in vitamin C. At this age, they can’t eat acidic fruits such as oranges, so to get that vitamin C content it is better to start them on pureed broccoli, kale, or strawberries.
The third food I started having him try is sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are nutrient rich and have a lot of beta carotene, which is great for healthy skin, eyesight, and immune support. I think it is always interesting to research the health benefits of different foods. It is good to try and get a well balanced meal plan that has strong developmental benefits. Of course, having him start with solid foods, but also having a continuous breast milk regimen and maintaining the consumption of prenatal vitamins ensures that he gets all the nutrients he ultimately needs for good development and growth.
Now to touch on my other concern: what is in our food? Rather than wade through the ingredients and worry about all the unknowns, I took it upon myself to make my baby food from scratch. This way I can buy my organic produce and have simple clean ingredients without any preservatives or additives. I invested in a vitamix blender, which I know is on the pricier side, but in the long run will be well worth the extra coin. I also made sure to get the dry ingredient attachment to help make my own cereals, and for various other recipes that I do for my everyday meals, not just baby. I would also recommend that if you do invest in a vitamix, that you also purchase the blade scraper (if you are like me and don’t like to waste any of your homemade food) and the tamper to really help get those ingredients blended or ground.
Now, this isn’t always the most feasible solution. I know that some mothers work and there isn’t a lot of time in the day. I will say that due to the good blender, it has really only taken me ten minutes maximum to make all his food. I would also purchase good baby containers that are stackable and freezable so that you can make enough up to 3 months (recommended freeze duration of baby food). I used OXO Tot blocks, which I have loved so far. I then just blend the ingredient with some water or breast milk to the consistency I prefer, and transfer them into the blocks. I already have backups of sweet potatoes and peas in my freezer. I also have a dry ingredient blender and have made my own oatmeal cereal that I enriched with some chia seeds and flax (that I also blitzed up to a powder. Did you know that chia seeds don’t release much of their antioxidants and fiber content into your body unless crushed, powdered or broken? So remember to grind them up first! It is also more cost effective to make your own baby food. From just one sweet potato you will get a week’s worth of baby food (at least while they’re young). If making your baby food is not feasible, I would say try to go as organic as possible. Try to find foods that don’t have unknown or unpronounceable ingredients. Starting your baby off with a healthy and safe diet is key in their development.
So to sum it up, testing out foods on your baby doesn’t have to be scary or hard. Start them off with simple ingredients – vegetables or fruit and water or breastmilk to thin it out if making your own food. Each week, introduce them to something new while maintaining some of the foods they have already tried. Try to keep foods less sweet, less acidic, and nutrient rich. Babies should still primarily eat breast milk or formula and have a bit of food 2 to 3 times a day. If they develop a rash, consult your pediatrician. Also, I highly recommend the Lictin Baby Food Set. All of these items were life changing for feeding my baby, whether from home or on the go. If baby doesn’t seem interested in a food you made, don’t give up. Let them try it again at a later date. Sometimes babies just need time to acclimate to these new flavors. And ultimately, have fun with it! Your baby will have an easier time adjusting if he associates new food with a positive and fun atmosphere.