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Which foods should I offer first?
What happens now?
Many moms start with baby rice cereals.
They have a mild, fruity taste that babies enjoy.
After that you could introduce puréed fruit
and vegetables, such as carrot, squash or pear.
It is recommended that you add new foods at
lunchtime, rather than in the evening, and also
follow the ‘three day rule’, in other words,
introduce one new food every
three days. One top tip is to keep
a little food diary so that you can
track exactly what your baby has
been having – it may come in
handy if you notice any reactions
to certain foods, and also serves
as a reminder of which food
combinations your baby enjoys.
Once your baby is taking about six teaspoons
at one mealtime, it is probably time to introduce
a second meal. This means that by the time
your baby is about seven months old, she will
probably be having two to three ‘meals’ a day,
as well as a good amount of milk.
If you are offering finger foods, try
some steamed or roasted vegetables
(such as a carrot stick, broccoli floret
or sweet potato wedge), soft fruits
(like bananas, pears, melon or mango),
avocado slices, peeled cucumber, or
any other soft foods that are easy
for baby to hold.
After the first month or two of weaning, try to
introduce more textures and flavours. Adding
chicken, meat, lentils and fish to baby’s diet
is also important as your baby will need the
additional iron that this protein provides. If
you have been puréeing, consider mashing
instead so that the added texture becomes
more familiar to your baby.
Now that your baby is getting used to food, it
is important to maintain variety at mealtimes.
Different tastes and textures from an early age
and, where possible, eating what the family is
eating, will all help to reduce the chances of your
baby becoming a fussy eater as they get older.
How do I prepare baby’s food?
The best way to prepare vegetables is by steaming
them to ensure they retain all of their vitamins
and minerals. If you are puréeing them, add a
little of the cooking water or some milk (breast or
formula) and blitz with your hand blender until
smooth, then pour into ice cube trays. When the
cubes are frozen, pop them into freezer bags so
they are ready for baby’s next meal. Fruit can be
stewed with a little water, puréed and frozen in the
same way, or you could try combining fruit and
vegetables – carrot and apple or parsnip and apple
are surprisingly tasty choices that work well and
babies love their natural sweetness.
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