Baby’s First Bites
How can you deny that cute little guy who is watching you eat bite after bite and not even offer one to him? He tracks your travel from bowl to mouth with longing eyes. This is one of the signs that he is ready for more than milk. Be sure to check with your pediatrician before making the jump to regular food as they have many wonderful suggestions that may save an allergic reaction.
Can your baby??
- Control neck and head movements?
- Move his/her tongue back and forth?
- Move food from the front of the mouth to the back?
Has your baby?
- Increased to double his birth weight?
- Acted hungry even after eight or so feedings daily?
- Shown initiative to signal when full.
- Signs of teething?
- Interested in food?
If so you may have a green light for that next step.
But where to begin?
- The whole grocery store is full of choices of food. Do you have to start with the typical Gerber Rice baby food?
- Great choices to start off with are pureed sweet potatoes, peaches, pears, applesauce, green beans or peas.
- Be sure to give at least three days between trying another food to be sure that if they are to have a reaction you can target the culprit.
- Start small, one to two teaspoons building to three to four tablespoons. This first year of solid food choices are basically to introduce your baby to a variety of tastes and textures. Mother’s milk or a good formula remains the primary source of nourishment for the first year of baby’s life.
Cautions
- Do not use honey for the first year of your baby’s life as it contains spores that can cause infant botulism.
- Many suggest waiting on carrots and beets, spinach, squash, turnips and collard greens due to the high amounts of nitrates until eight to ten months of age. (This age varies depending upon source)
- Delay wheat and corn, citrus fruits and dairy products until nine to twelve months.
- Avoid foods that can be choked upon.
- Nuts, raw vegetables, popcorn, hotdogs, hard candy, whole grapes, whole cherries…
http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/HALF-Implementation-Guide/Age-Specific-Content/Pages/Infant-Food-and-Feeding.aspx#none
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