Introducing food
We want to give our children great food experiences, and good life skills around food. This starts from the very beginning. In the first year of life milk is the basis of our infants diet. But as they grow their nutrition needs change.
Our own relationship with food will often dictate our thoughts around this. So how do we move from being milk based to adding in food? It can seem like a huge transition. But truly it's not. We can take baby steps. Your baby wont go from milk, to steak and 3 veg overnight!
Nutritionally, milk is meeting all your babies needs, so initially we just want to give them a taste. All babies' temperaments are different so they will all respond to something new in different ways. We are aiming for their first experience with food to be positive. We want to relax, and enjoy this new experience with our babies.
Remember, all babies are unique. At 4 months old most babies are not sitting up, but they are starting to gain head and neck control so sitting with some support is adequate. At this age we want the foods to be quite smooth, so introducing tasty vegetables and fruit is great. Offering a variety and offering this frequently is a great way to experiment for you and your baby.
Once a baby reaches 6 months old, milk no longer meets all of their needs. So if you haven't introduced solids yet, now is the time to do so. At this age they require a source of iron that is external to their milk, so iron fortified cereals are a great option. If your baby is already established on solids then you can start to introduce meat as the source of iron. Babies want to naturally know what food is and what it does. Let them learn, make a mess, squish the banana, then eat the squished banana. Watching us eat and offering your baby some of what you are eating (hopefully this is healthy) is a great way to experiment in a relaxed way. Everything off Mum or Dad’s plate tastes better anyway!
In the early days of solids, milk comes first then the food. As your baby gets older and they are eating a good variety as long as they are drinking milk your baby will guide you. Three meals a day is great. I like to aim for soft family foods by 8- 9 months. Our babies love eating what everyone else is and this makes our life easier. By 12 months babies can definitely be eating what we are eating. Even without teeth babies can have a chew on the lamb bone or have some slow cooked meat. In general we should be careful that salt and sugar are not added to our foods. There is plenty of flavour with herbs and our wonderful veggies.
It’s really important to remember that a one year old developmentally needs us to be in charge of what is good food. If they choose not to eat the good food, we don't need to offer an alternative! There is more food in a few hours, your baby will eat when they are hungry. Setting up great lifelong eating habits starts early. Lets not force our kids to eat when they are not hungry, if they are playing or throwing food they are trying to tell us they don't want to eat.
You’ve got this, go forth and make a food mess. Enjoy