My First Foods: Giving Baby a Healthy Start
By: Tina Ruggiero
There’s nothing like the taste of fresh, homemade baby food. And there’s no doubt it is more nutritious than the commercially prepared varieties. Why? The ingredients used to make ready-made baby foods are heated to very high temperatures to sterilize them and to extend their shelf life. While this makes the food safe for baby and convenient for you, it also destroys most of the natural flavors, aromas and some key nutrients in the process. Additionally, some manufacturers add water and thickening agents (flours and chemically modified starches) to food made for children older than 6 months, so the meal is not as nutritiously rich as it could be.
You’ll also find that making your own baby food can be less expensive than buying prepared jars of food, and that blending and freezing batches of purées will save you precious time in the long run. Really, the process is quite simple: With just a fork or spoon, it’s easy to make a purée of most foods. Naturally soft foods, like bananas, can be mashed in seconds, and by making large batches of baby food and freezing them in ice-cube trays or small containers, you’ll have your own supply on hand to thaw as needed.
All babies are unique, but it’s usually around six months of age that they’re ready to start solids. At this age:
• most of the iron supply a baby is born with has been used up; breast milk is not an adequate source of iron and it must be supplemented;
• enzymes needed to digest solid food are now present;
• infants can now swallow semi-solids without choking, and
• up-and-down chewing ability begins around this age.
When your baby is ready to try solid food, start by giving her baby cereal. Homemade brown rice cereal is a good choice, because it’s a single-grain infant cereal, easily digested, and least likely to cause intolerance or allergic reaction.
Before you give your baby his very first bite, test it on yourself to make sure it’s tepid. Then fill a small, plastic-coated weaning spoon with a little bit of cereal and gently put it on your baby’s tongue. The first few times the cereal may wind up on her little face or bib, which is okay; your baby is learning how to eat. Try one more spoonful, and continue, unless she refuses, until the cereal is gone. This may seem like a tiny amount, but these initial feedings are mostly to get your baby used to new textures and tastes. The majority of baby’s nourishment will still be obtained from breast milk or formula.
When rice cereal becomes well tolerated for three or four days, introduce another single-grain cereal such as barley or oatmeal. Use the same rule every time you introduce a new food: Serve it for three to four days and watch carefully for any signs of intolerance or allergy before trying another.
Once your baby is comfortable with cereals, try introducing other new foods. Start with fruits such as bananas and avocadoes or vegetables like cooked sweet potatoes or peas, using the same method of introducing fruits and vegetables as you did with cereals. Start with one tablespoon for three to four days, and if there’s no sign of intolerance or allergy, add another tablespoon. Gradually increase the amount to 2 to 4 tablespoons twice daily, depending on your baby’s age, stage and appetite.
Of course, there are hundreds of natural, delicious meals you can make for your baby and toddler, but more than 200 of the most wholesome recipes (including 60 purees) can be found in my new book, The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet. Available on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Best-Homemade-Baby-Planet-Recipes/dp/1592334237/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288810037&sr=1-1 , the book guides moms, dads, grandparents and other caregivers through the simple yet enjoyable process of preparing homemade food suitable for little ones 6 months of age through 23 months of age.
Each recipe comes with a complete nutrition analysis, preparation and feeding tips, and valuable information about child nutrition, allergies, intolerances and oral health. The book also features an at-a-glance reference that clearly outlines what foods you can introduce to your baby during each month of her new life.
I must confess, my favorite section is located in the back of the book! It’s a recipe evaluation chart where you can rate (on a scale of one to five stars) how much your baby liked a recipe; jot down when you made the dish; add a notation about what you might add to the recipe or do differently the next time, and check off whether or not you’d make the recipe again.
I included this section, so parents would have a handy reference, but it also makes the book a wonderful keepsake and something worth passing along to your grown-up baby when she has her very first child!
About the Author:
Tina Ruggiero is a Registered Dietitian with a Masters Degree in nutrition and 17 years of experience as a practitioner, consultant, spokesperson and journalist. Her interest in children and preventive health provided inspiration for her new best-seller, The Best Homemade Baby Food On The Planet (http://amzn.to/hi5rhn). The book’s intent is to provide parents everywhere with the tools they need to position their children for a lifetime of good health and wellbeing. You can follow Tina on Twitter (@Tina_Ruggiero), friend her on Facebook, read her blog (www.voiceofreason.net), or sign up for The Gourmet Baby, her free e-newsletter (http://bit.ly/i3jHKx).
