Children need natural foods to grow up healthy.
By the time our children are young adults, ready to take on the world, much of their long term health will depend on what they ate as kids.

Early feeding is all about teaching young taste buds what good food is supposed to taste like. Babies are born with a natural liking for sweet things (breast milk is very sweet) but the rest of their taste preferences are learned.

When feeding baby, BE HAPPY!!

Offer food at regular times throughout the day
Before you begin, relax and put on your happy face. Everyone will feel more comfortable. Smile and say "Mmmmm" remember your baby gets their behavioral cues from you.
Baby learns by touching, squashing, spreading or even throwing, as well as eating. Accept this as normal, be prepared, and don't pay lots of attention to it or it might be repeated to get your reaction.
Babies can be picky with what they eat. This is normal too. If a food is refused, omit it for a week and try it again. Never force feed - its not much fun for anyone.
Aim for a balanced diet over a week, not at every meal.
If nobody has told you yet - your job from now on is simply to provide nutritious foods. What and how much is eaten is really up to the kids.

Parenting. Who would have guessed what it would be like. Absolutely no amount of research or well-meaning advice could ever really prepare you for this adventure in life. A new baby is a big scary challenge for anyone. But by now perhaps you are semi organised, your baby is alert, the milk feeds are quicker, and you are getting at least 4 hours continuous sleep - maybe.

Then someone mentions weaning.

Weaning causes all sorts of anxieties. And to fuel the fire, parenting titles seem to delight in turning the subject into rocket science and conflicting with each other in the process. Yes, there are some basic rules about when problem foods can be introduced safely, but that's about it. So relax and NEVER do anything you feel uncomfortable with - you know your baby best. All babies are different, so no one set of rules can apply to every baby. You should always discuss your particulars with a good child health professional and talk freely about your intuition and feelings. A competent professional will listen intently - you are with your baby constantly and will notice slight changes in their behaviour before anyone else.

 

Breast or formula milk provides all the nutrition your baby needs until 6 months old. Except in very rare cases, there is no nutritional or developmental reason to start solids earlier. It will not make your baby a superstar, and may in fact cause problems if their digestive system is not ready.

This is an exciting time for you and your baby. More colours, shapes, flavours and textures.

Do not alter your breast milk or formula feeds, these still come first. After a milk feed try one teaspoon of organic rice cereal mixed with breast/formula milk and mix to a thin consistency. Once your baby has learnt to swallow the cereal instead of spitting it out, and is eating 1-2 tablespoons, you can introduce single flavours of plain pureed fruits and vegetables. Initially offering single flavours establishes your baby's likes and dislikes. Allowing a break in between each new food introduction also allows identification of any allergy related reactions to particular foods.

It is better to start with sweet tasting root vegetables such as carrot, pumpkin, or swede. Mix in some rice cereal for a familiar taste. Eventually you can work up to providing a meal of green, yellow and orange vegetables. Introduce stewed pureed fruits such as apple, pear, apricots and peaches as a treat after their vegetables.

Moving on as your baby develops

From here we recommend using the single vegetables your baby was not so keen on for example maybe spinach was one, mix it with potato to round the flavour off a bit.  Sometimes vegetables like spinach can be just too strong.  Add pulses to help thicken the texture naturally not cornflour or arrowroot, babies don't need it.

Once your baby has tried a few vegetable medleys and pulse combinations, cautiously introduce meat protein foods like cooked red meats, chicken, fish, lamb. Slowly build up to three servings of fruit & vegetables, and one serving of protein food for lunch, per day. Gradually use a coarser texture of food after the 9-10 month mark as you proceed to promote chewing.

By around 9 months, your baby should be into a routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Chewing and swallowing are important for speech development.
Encourage drinking of plain cool water especially in hotter weather to improve hydration levels.
Anemia and iron deficiency has been identified as the most common nutrient deficiency in young children in Australia. Iron is essential for the development of the immune system and brain, learning skills and language development. Eating foods high in vitamin C with or after a meal of protein can assist in the absorption of iron.eg tomato, carrot, citrus fruits.

Don't offer tea to young children as tea contains tannins and other compounds that reduce the absorption of iron and other minerals.

And don't forget

Always try a new food variety in the morning. If a reaction occurs at least then you can seek help during daylight hours. Wait 3 to 4 days between each new food to help you pinpoint any food intolerance.

Avoid feeding highly processed foods, or any foods that are fatty, sugary or salty, to your baby. There is a whole lifetime to try junk food, and the last thing you want to do is train your baby's taste buds to like this stuff from the very start.

Once you get going, don't forget to offer a variety of natural foods with lots of natural colour. How would you like the same meal 3 times a day.

Disclaimer: The Motherly website provides general information on a range of topics. This information is for educational purposes only. We do not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or currency of this information or, most importantly, its applicability to individual circumstances. We strongly recommend you seek professional advice to properly assess your individual circumstances before acting or relying upon any information provided in this website.