Food ideas for babies

Is my baby ready to start solid food? How much should he be eating? Should I continue with the milk feeds? Read on for answers to your feeding questions.

It seems you’ve just got the hang of breastfeeding, and settled into a good routine, when the next challenge appears – introducing solids. It’s not as complicated as it might appear; your task is simply to introduce your baby slowly to a variety of safe, nutritious foods until, by the end of his first year, he is eating pretty much what the rest of the family is eating, with some minor adaptations. Remember, eating is not just about nutrition, it’s a key social activity for humans. So enjoy your feeding times with your baby: relax, chat and savour the moment. Eating is a developmental process, too. Your baby has to learn a surprisingly complex series of movements of the mouth, throat and tongue in order to chew and swallow his food. Over the course of a few months, he’ll gradually learn how to tackle lumpier food, processing those chunks with his toothless gums.

FEEDING MILESTONES 6 MONTHS

FOOD Baby cereal is a good starter food, as it mixes to a smooth consistency and is not likely to cause allergies. It should be mixed according to packet instructions. Many parents start their babies on pureed vegetables, particularly the mild-tasting orange ones like butternut. Quantities will be very small to start with, as little as 1 to 2 teaspoons at a meal, and will increase to 4 to 8 tablespoons a day gradually.

TEXTURE The food will be very smooth but not too runny, as it is difficult to control in the mouth. Mix it to a smooth consistency, so that if you turn the spoon upside down it just “plops” off the spoon. If it runs off the spoon, it is too runny, and if it stays on the spoon, it is too firm. Your baby will suck and lick the food off the spoon to start with, possibly pushing much of it out of his mouth, as he is not accustomed to taking food to the back of his mouth to swallow it. This is something your baby will learn quickly though.

MILK Milk is still your baby’s main food, and he’ll be drinking up to a litre a day.

7 TO 8 MONTHS

FOOD Your baby will have mastered the art of eating off a spoon, and solid food will start to become more important in his daily diet. There may be a few different foods on the menu, including cereal and pureed fruit and vegetables. You can give your baby a little well-cooked egg. It’s a good source of iron.

TEXTURE The food can have a slightly lumpier texture. It is important, developmentally, to introduce lumpier foods at this stage.

If your baby doesn’t experience coarser food, it may lead to feeding difficulties, and he may reject lumpy foods.

MILK Milk is still an important part of the diet, but the amount will decrease gradually as the volume of solid food increases. Your baby may be drinking about 750ml per day.

9 TO 12 MONTHS

FOOD Your baby will be eating most of the same foods as the rest of the family. He will be feeding himself (messily!) with a spoon, and will also enjoy eating with his fingers. He has three meals a day, with healthy snacks, like fruit, in between. Infant feeding expert Sister Wendy Pratt explains, “The amount of food really depends on the individual baby and how big he is, but as a rule of thumb we say they should be eating a tablespoon of each food group, at each meal, per year of age.” Make sure he’s eating from all three food groups – complex carbohydrates (brown bread, rice and wholewheat pasta), fruit and vegetables, and protein (meat, chicken, pulses and fish). Babies also need fat, which they can get from full cream milk, avocados, peanut butter and so on. Try for good fats and avoid fried foods and particularly trans fats (check labels).

TEXTURE Food can be blended, chopped or minced to the right consistency. It should no longer be necessary to puree food to smoothness. In fact, he should be eating fairly coarse food with little chunks in it, quite easily. Introduce finger foods, like chunks of ripe banana, at this age.

MILK With feeding well established, your baby will still be drinking approximately 600ml of milk. He will still get a milk feed first thing in the morning and at bedtime. Give the other milk feeds after he’s had his meal.

FROM 12 MONTHS

FOOD Solid food is the main source of nutrients now. Your baby can eat regular meals at this age, although these meals should be cooked without salt or sugar. TEXTURE From a year onwards, your baby will be eating normal soft food. It is not necessary to blend or mince food specially, but you will need to cut it into bite-size chunks. Peel fruits with tough skins. At this age, you must still avoid food that may be a choking hazard, in particular, small hard things like sweets, nuts, raw carrots, viennas and popcorn. MILK Avoid giving more than 500 to 600ml of milk a day, as this may decrease his appetite for other food. If your baby seems to be a poor eater, keep an eye on how much milk and juice he is drinking – you may find that he’s filling up on liquids.

TIPS

■ When offering a new food to your starter eater, give it for several days in a row before introducing another new food. That way, you’ll be able to see if there is an allergic reaction.

■ Once foods have been accepted and haven’t produced any problems, you can serve them in combination (like butternut and sweet potato).

■ Never leave a baby or toddler to eat unattended.

■ Get your child into the habit of sitting down to eat, rather than eating on he run. A high chair is handy for this.

■ Aim for a good variety of foods. A varied diet ensures a good range of nutrients, and it also encourages your child to be an adventurous, rather than a picky, eater.