Starting solids

Breastfeeding has given your baby the best start in life. You’ve learned to trust yourself and your baby to know what’s right for the two of you. If your baby is at least six months old and is sitting up, then the time may be right to start solid foods.

An active six-month-old may enjoy feeding himself right from the beginning. A child this age does not need his food strained or pureed. If your family eats healthy, whole foods you already have everything you need to begin starting solids with your baby right in your own kitchen.

Ripe mashed banana is a good first food to try, and cooked mashed sweet potato or ripe avocado are also good, nutritious choices. Baby cereals are the traditional first choice for baby foods, but most processed cereals offer very little food value. You can make your own first baby cereal by grinding raw brown rice in a food processor before cooking it for your baby. Other whole grains can be introduced one at a time in the same way, as well as plain cooked and cooled oatmeal.

Foods with protein and iron are next on the menu, and babies over six months can try finely chopped meat, chunks of tofu, or cooked, cooled, and mashed beans.

As your baby gets older and more proficient at self-feeding, whole frozen blueberries or peas are a big hit with teething babies for their taste, and the cold relief on sore gums.

As a breastfeeding mother you already know to trust your baby’s cues. If your child is not interested in eating at first, don’t worry. Continue to breastfeed your baby before mealtimes so that he is not too hungry or cranky to try something new. Introduce foods one at a time and wait a week or so before trying another. Babies this age love to be included at the family table even if their actual consumption is small.

Be sure to notice if a certain food does not agree with your baby. Fussiness, gassiness, and rashes on baby’s cheeks or bottom are signs that a particular food should be discontinued for a while. Common allergens should be avoided altogether for at least the first year, such as egg white, milk, and peanuts, as well as any foods that cause allergic reactions for other family members. Babies with a family history of allergies are often reluctant eaters at first and this may be nature’s way of giving their digestive systems extra time to mature.

Trust your baby to know when he is full and know you are teaching your baby not to overeat, building on the protection against obesity that he enjoys from breastfeeding.

What a long way your baby has come in six short months! He’s changed from a helpless newborn to an opinionated little person who is pounding his highchair tray with his very own spoon. Welcome your baby into the loving family ritual of mealtimes with a smile and the sweet taste of healthy whole foods, and you’ll guide him to a lifetime of healthy eating.

You will need one large juicing carrot.

Peel and cut the large end of the carrot in to a four to five inch cylinder. Make sure to trim around the edges so there are no sharp edges. With an apple corer, cut a hole in the carrot through the middle. This gives little fingers something to grip. Keep teether in the fridge to soothe sore gums when needed. Babies love the taste and there is no worry about chemical residues or puncture as with plastic teethers. This also works well with a thickly cut, peeled apple slice, cored.