Re: 7 oz!!!
LLLI | First foods for babies
Quote:
First foods for babies
How to start solids:
Nurse your baby before offering other foods. Human milk remains the single most important food in your baby's diet until his first birthday. Additionally, he is more likely to show interest in new foods if he is not ravenously hungry. At this age, other foods are more for experimentation, play and fun. Remember to offer to nurse again after the solid "meal".
Some babies like to sit in a high chair while others prefer to sit in somebody's lap. Babies are messy, so you may want to put an old shower curtain under his chair for easier cleanup.
Many babies prefer finger foods to spoons. First foods are for fun and experimentation. Neatness doesn't count!
Never leave a baby or young child alone with food in case they begin to choke. Never give your baby small, hard foods like peanuts or popcorn. Foods that are circular in shape such as carrots or grapes should be sliced and then halved or quartered.
Start with tiny amounts of food – about a quarter of a teaspoon once a day. Gradually increase the amount of food and the frequency of feeding to satisfy your baby's hunger and interest.
Use only single ingredients and wait about a week between introducing each new food. Then, if something upsets your baby, you will know exactly what it was.
To minimize the risk of allergies, it's a good idea to wait until your baby is at least a year old before introducing citrus fruits (including oranges, lemons, and grapefruit) kiwi, strawberries, peanuts and peanut butter, eggs, soy products (including soy milk and tofu), and cow's milk (including cheeses, yogurt, and ice cream). If there is a family history of food allergy, consult your doctor or allergist for advice on when to start your baby on these more-allergenic foods; it may differ from recommendations for babies without allergic history.
Babies under a year should not be given honey or corn syrup as they carry the risk of botulism.
Good first foods for babies
Save money and give your baby the freshest food by making your own baby food. Here are some suggestions.
Fruits
Most babies love fruits. Make sure they are ripe, and wash well before peeling. Here are some favorites:
Bananas cut into slices which have then been halved or quartered
Unsweetened applesauce, or tiny apple chunks that have been softened by cooking in the microwave
Plums, peaches, pears, and apricots, gently cooked if necessary
Avocado diced into small, bite size pieces
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables should be washed, peeled and cooked until tender. Frozen veggies are convenient to have on hand. Avoid the canned varieties to which salt has been added. Your baby may enjoy:
Baked or boiled sweet potatoes, in tiny chunks
Mashed white potatoes
Baby carrots, green beans, peas and squash
Meat and fish
Babies often prefer well-cooked chicken, which is soft and easy to eat when shredded. Be careful to remove even the tiny bones when serving fish.
Beans and legumes
Remove the skins from beans as they tend to be harder to digest. If you use canned beans for convenience, make sure they are unseasoned.
Grains and cereals
Commercial, iron-fortified cereals are often the first foods served to babies who are not breastfeeding because they need the extra iron, but breastfed babies are rarely anemic as the iron in human milk is well-utilized. If there is concern about the baby's iron levels, a simple test can be done in the doctor's office.
Whole grain cereals, breads and crackers are the most nutritious. Wait until later in the year before offering wheat products. If you use cereals, make sure that they only have one ingredient and use either water or your own milk for mixing. Many mothers prefer to let their older babies chew on a hard bagel or an end of bread instead of sugary teething biscuits.
|
Quote:
Cereal is not at all necessary, particularly the baby cereals. Regular (whole grain) oatmeal is more nutritious for your baby. Many doctors recommend iron-fortified rice cereal as baby's first food because it is less likely to cause an allergic reaction and because most babies sometime after the 6th month require an additional iron source other than mother's milk. If your baby starts solids around 6 months or later, there is much less chance of allergic reaction to foods. It's debatable whether healthy breastfed babies need the extra iron (you can get baby's iron levels checked if you're worried about this). In addition, infants need lots of protein and cereal has a low protein-calorie ratio (even lower when mixed with water or fruit). Many experts (including LLL) suggest giving meat or other foods naturally rich in iron instead of foods with added iron. For more information on iron, see Is Iron-Supplementation Necessary?
Trivia: Ever wonder why cereal mixed with breastmilk doesn't stay thick? Breastmilk contains amylase, which is an enzyme that digests carbohydrates. The longer the mixture sits, the thinner it will get!
For breastfed babies, some nutrition experts suggest skipping the carbohydrates (cereal) as a first food, since breastmilk is already high in carbohydrates, and concentrating on meat or other protein sources. Here is some great info from LLL on meats as one of baby's first foods: Introducing Complementary Foods. This article also discusses starting solids early for a baby whose working mom is having problems pumping enough milk. This study also discusses meat as a first food.
Moms are often told that vegetables should be introduced before fruits "so baby doesn't develop a sweet tooth." Keep in mind that breastmilk is quite sweet! Some experts suggest that fruit may be a good first food for a breastfed baby since the taste is closer to that of breastmilk - baby may be more likely to enjoy this new and novel experience if the taste isn't so unfamiliar. Also, since birth baby has been tasting different flavors as they are passed through into mom's milk - many feel that this ever-changing flavor of breastmilk is likely to make breastfed babies more likely to enjoy the varying tastes of solids and less likely to be picky eaters in the long run.
|
Quote:
LLL suggests this progression when introducing your baby (6 months or older) to solid foods:
Ripe banana, avocado, yam, or sweet potato (sweet like breastmilk)
Meats
Whole-grain breads and cereals (rather than baby cereals)
[wheat and corn are usually delayed until baby is 9-12 months old]
Fresh fruits
[citrus fruits are usually delayed until baby is 9-12 months old]
Vegetables
Dairy products after 9 months
[cow's milk is usually delayed until baby is 12-18 months old]
|
kellymom.com :: Newman :: Starting Solid Foods
kellymom.com :: Why Delay Solids?
kellymom.com :: When will baby be ready for solid foods?
i have more links and mroe info, but i've gotta run again....
|