Dec 15 2008
Solids - Lessons, tips and bits of information
You should not feed your baby uncooked fruits and veggies until they are at least eight months old. This is because it can be difficult to digest uncooked and cause them discomfort. My daughter turned nine months on the fifth so I decided to skip the cooking portion and just blend the pear in the food processor. Well I learned the hard way why you should cook the pears before hand; the pear turned brown with in a half hour. The portion I put into the fridge was so disgusting; brown and hard. I didn’t want to feed it to her so I dumped it down the drain. When the pear has been cooked it stays a nice off white color and doesn’t become hard like it did uncooked.
Make sure when you are feeding your baby solids that you give them a variety. Don’t just constantly give them banana or carrots. It’s good that they enjoy those foods but try and mix it up a bit. If they dislike something, mix their favorite foods in with. For example my daughter doesn’t really like pumpkin but she doesn’t mind if I mix it with pear. She seems to love pear.
Did you know that cows milk can be hard for babies tummies to digest? It’s good to start them on plain yogurt before giving them cows milk. I like to mix the yogurt with banana. Yogurt is filled with nutrients.
Did you know that you should only give a baby 6 - 12 months old 4 ounces of juice a day. You should dilute the juice down at least by half before giving it to your baby. I use the Take and Toss cups and I put a small portion of juice in. 1/4 of the liquid is juice while the rest is water. Find juices that say they are 100% and try not to buy the ones that say “cocktail” or “drinks” because you’ll be giving your baby more sugar or added sweeteners and less real juice.
According to THE BABY BOOK by Dr William Sears the “Best Fats for Babies are; seafood (especially salmon), flax oil, avocados, vegetable oils, nut butters (because of possible allergies, delay peanut butter until after two years.)” - Taken from page 239 of THE BABY BOOK by William Sears. He also says that “The top three sources of fats (breast milk, sea food, and flax oil) are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for optimal brain growth.” Avocado doesn’t need to be cooked and can be mashed up easily with a fork. It’s also important that if you’re breastfeeding you get omega-3 into your diet. Walnuts, Flax-seeds and salmon are just a few things that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Here is a page I found on omega-3 fatty acids and why they are important. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=84
If there is anything specific you’d like me to focus on please let me know.
