Best First Solid Foods to Introduce to Your Baby

Introducing solid foods to babies should be carefully done as it is critical for their health. It can upset infants’ stomach or even put their lives at risk when done wrongly. That is why it is important to know the safe and healthy food options for your child. Not all baby foods are good for your little one. There are many which are considered junk foods. For instance, pre-packed baby cereals that contains preservatives and additives.

There are organic premade baby foods which are considered healthy and safe for babies. But the best first foods to offer your child are the ones that you made. Here are the reasons why:

• Homemade baby food lets you know exactly what goes into your baby’s mouth. Unlike pre-packed infant meals which you are unsure of the full content.

• There is no limit to the flavors that you can introduce. You get to choose specific fruits, vegetables, cereals, and other foods for purees. This allows you to try as many flavors as you can introduce to your child. Readymade baby foods only have few flavors to choose from.

• Making your own baby food helps your child used to eating the same food that you eat, just in puree form. This lets you achieve the main purpose of introducing solid foods, which is to get your baby used to different food tastes. Pre-made baby puree are cooked at extremely high temperature for longer storage. This process takes out the flavors as well as the nutrient contents.

Perhaps you are thinking that making baby food takes a lot of time and that opting to readymade infant meals is more convenient. But it is actually not. In fact, making homemade baby puree is easy and can be as convenient as premade baby food. You can batch cook and store to simplify your days.

The easiest way to make baby foods is to puree fresh fruits or steamed vegetables using a blender. Then you can safely store them in airtight containers or Ziploc bags. Freshly prepared baby foods can be stored in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Baby foods with meat or fish should be consumed within 24 hours from the time they are cooked. Be sure to refrigerate baby foods within 2 hours after they are prepared to prevent bacteria from growing. Label the containers with the content, date, time, and to avoid confusion.

Thaw frozen baby food and wait until it is warm enough before feeding to your child. You may reheat vegetables or with meat purees to make them taste better. Add breastmilk, formula milk, or distilled water to adjust the thickness of the baby food. For the first month of introducing solid foods to your baby, the puree should be watery and easy to swallow.

Make sure that your baby is old enough before feeding him/her any food. Many pediatricians recommend waiting until 6 months before starting with solid food. This is to take advantage of the full health benefits of breastfeeding which includes prevention of pregnancy. But there is no hard and fast rule on when to start introducing solid foods to babies. Some infants are ready as early as 4 months.

There are guidelines to help you know when your baby is ready for spoon-feeding. These are:

• The baby can sit with minimal support

• Has good head control

• No more tongue-thrust reflex which pushes out anything that is put in the baby’s mouth

• Shows interest in food such as staring at the food or opening mouth when offered with food.

Introducing solid food to babies is for them to be familiar of the different tastes of foods. It does not necessarily provide nutritional benefits to infants as milk is the primary source of nutrition for the first year of life. Do not pressure yourself or force your baby to eat. Just enjoy the experience. You’ll surely miss it when your adorable baby grows up.