Top 5 First Foods for Baby

Top 5 First Foods for Baby

Top 5 First Foods for Baby – Introducing solids to the babies is an important milestone in a baby’s development. I am sure new parents have mixed feelings about this leap – excitement on one hand about introducing the baby to the world of flavours and taste, but also anxious on how the baby would react to this whole new world! At the same time, parents have a long list of questions like:

–          What can I introduce as the first food for the baby?
–          How much should I give?
–          Is the quantity enough?
–          When is the best time to introduce the solids?
–          What should be the consistency?
–          What are the reactions that can be expected?… and the list goes on and on!

Well, here, I bring out the Top 5 First Foods for Baby –  that can be served for babies – safe and healthy, based on my own experience.

As our little son completed 6 months, we started to give him vegetables and fruits puree. A few weeks before (in his 6th month), we had started with the traditional finger millet porridge / Ragi Manni, which has been the traditional first food for babies in our household. As a next step, I set the entire month aside to try out a few vegetables and fruits, which are commonly given for babies. As per studies, anything new should be observed / monitored for 3 continuous days, before introducing a change, for any possible allergies / reactions. We discussed the same with our paediatrician for his suggestions, family for their experienced inputs, recollected our experiences with our daughter and referred to a few documents shared by the doctor before deciding on the plan. (Beikost Plan für Babys) (Baby Food Plan)

We were in no hurry to try out a variety of stuff all at once. At the same time, I wanted to try out a few fruits and vegetables. The factors which influenced our decision are:

·       The vegetables should be nutritious, easily digestible, easily available and babies should like eating them
·       Have a handful of options so that, if a particular fruit or vegetable is out of stock / not fresh enough, there is something else at home
·       There is at least one food among the options, which is travel friendly
·       There is at least one food, which can quickly and easily be made (in case we forget to get it readied)

This is what we started with:

Week 1: Carrot puree

As this is a totally new taste for him, I wanted to continue with it, for at least a week, before proceeding with the next. Carrots are known to cause constipation in babies. If your baby used to poop multiple times a day earlier and suddenly doesn’t poop for multiple days, it certainly will bother you. But don’t get bogged down. It is quite common for babies to get slightly constipated when solids are introduced. Especially carrots. If your baby is constipated, replace carrot puree with pear puree (or any fibre rich fruit which you may have already introduced).

Week 2: Pumpkin puree, pear puree

As part of this week’s plan, we had started with pumpkin. By now, we started to observe that my son was getting a little constipated. So, we introduced pear puree and it did wonders

Week 3: Apple puree and sweet potato puree

As part of this week, we introduced apple puree and sweet potato puree along with the purees which have been started in the previous two weeks. He liked apple puree, but was not very fond of the sweet potato puree.

Week 4: Banana Puree

As part of this week, introduced banana puree, along with the purees which have been started in the previous 3 weeks.

I shall in detail come up with my experiences on solids with my kids. This time around, I documented it. I took a lot of time in studying, understanding my son’s needs and wants, taking care of his nutrition and carefully monitoring and documenting each and everything. This has been prepared based on the food that I have given my kids. In this post, I shall focus only on the first food that can be introduced to babies.

Important Note:

·       Your baby knows it well – when is it the right time to start with solids – And he / she will start giving you the indication too.
·       Before introducing anything to your baby, discuss with your pediatrician / child specialist / Kinderarzt
·       There is lots of literature and the kind of food that can be introduced to babies. Understand the needs of your baby, discuss with your child specialist, discuss with your family and make informed decision on what you would like to introduce to your baby
·       6-12 months is usually considered to be the time to start solids to the babies. Having said that, there is absolutely no hurry to introduce food for your baby. Go by your instincts and your baby’s readiness and likings and decide what you would like to give and when.
·       These days, the baby food available in the supermarket shelves are very safe and healthy too. But, as much as possible, I prefer giving homemade food to my kids.

Before getting into the recipes, I shall answer few of the questions, which mothers usually have, when it comes to introducing first food for babies:

–          What can I introduce as the first food for the baby?

o   There is no hard and fast rule, in this matter. What is more important is to know when your baby is ready for solids. It is considered that usually babies are ready for solids between 4-6 months. Speak to your pediatrician before you start the solids. It is considered that vegetables like carrots, pumpkins, and parsnips are very good candidates for being the first food for babies, mainly because they are nutritious, easy to digest, good to taste and have a pleasing texture. Among the fruits, apple, pear and banana are considered to be very good candidates for being the first food for babies mainly because yet again, they are nutritious, easy to digest and taste good.

–          How much can I give? Is the quantity enough?

o   Initially, a spoonful itself is a handful! When you start, it’s a totally new taste for the baby. It won’t replace a full meal. Slowly increase the quantity, if the baby is accepting it well. The quantity might vary from baby to baby. Don’t get disheartened, if your baby doesn’t eat more! It’s a learning phase for both you and baby.

–          When is the best time to introduce solids?

o   For anything new, according to my experience, mid mornings (around 11 A.M – 12.00 P.M. would be ideal). You have an entire day to observe how your baby is accepting the new change, and to see if there are any reactions / allergies!

–          What should be the consistency?

o   Until the start of solids, the baby is only familiar with the breast milk / formula milk. Thus, if the consistency of the newly introduced solids is as close to that of breast milk / formula milk, that would be most comfortable to begin with. Slowly, you may change the consistency, depending upon the liking of the baby.

Now, let’s look into the recipes, of the first vegetables and fruits, Top 5 First Foods for Baby – that I tried for my kids and which worked!

Video recipe :

Carrot Purée:

Carrot is one of the vegetables, which is high on nutrition, and can be brought to a very thin consistency, thus being very mild on the little tummies of babies and most importantly, the chances of any allergic reactions on babies is very low.

Ingredients:

Carrot : 1 (Fresh, washed, cleaned, peeled and chopped)
Water: 0.5 cup

Method:

·       In a pressure cooker, add the chopped carrot and water. Close the whistle. Cook at medium to high heat for 1 whistle. Remove from heat (this will take about 3 to 4 minutes max.) (Alternatively, you may cook the same in a pan, on medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes)
·       Once cooled, transfer the cooker content to a mixer jar and grind to a smooth paste. Adjust the consistency if needed
·       Transfer the contents to a bowl and serve to the baby

Pumpkin Purée:

Fresh pumpkin is tasty, delicious, nutritious, cooks fast and forms the perfect first food for babies

Ingredients:

Pumpkin : 1 slice (Fresh, washed, cleaned, cut and peeled)
Water: 0.5 cup

Method:

·       In a pressure cooker, add the chopped pumpkin slice and 0.25 cup of water. Close the whistle and cook at medium to high heat for 1 whistle. (This will take about 3 to 4 minutes max.) Remove from heat. (Alternatively, you may cook the same in a pan, on medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes)
·       Once cooled, transfer the cooker content to a mixer jar and grind to smooth paste (or you may simply mash with a fork).  Adjust the consistency if needed.
·       Transfer the contents to a bowl and serve to the baby

Pear Purée:

Pears are rich in fiber and thus the best, natural remedy for constipation in babies. Hence the best candidate to be in the top 5 first baby food.

Ingredients:

Pears: 1 (Fresh, washed, cleaned, peeled and chopped)
Water: 0.5 cup

Method:

·       In a pressure cooker, add the washed, cleaned, peeled and chopped pears. Add water and close the lid.
·       Cook at medium to high heat for 1 whistle (Alternatively, you may cook the same in a pan, on medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes)
·       Remove from heat. Once cooled, transfer the cooker contents to a mixer jar and grind to smooth paste (or you may simply mash with a fork).  Adjust the consistency if needed
·       Transfer the contents to a bowl and serve to the baby

Banana Purée:

As much as it is nutritious, bananas are also the food that is convenient for travels, as it needs no cooking! Thus, bringing in more reasons for it to be included in the first food options for babies.

Ingredients:

Banana : 0.5 (as per the requirement of the baby)
Water : As required

Method :

·       Clean and peel the banana. Cut it into small pieces
·       Transfer it to a mixer jar / blender and blend to a fine paste. You may optionally mash using a fork. Yet again, it largely depends on how your baby accepts / likes it. You may add water / breastmilk to it, to adjust the consistency as per the liking of your baby

Apple Purée:

Nutritious, fiber rich, naturally sweet and easy to digest! Good enough reasons to bring it to the list of first foods for babies!

Ingredients:

Apple : 1 (Washed, cleaned, cut, deseeded, peeled and chopped)
Water: 0.5 cup

Method:

·       Wash, clean, cut, deseed, peel and chop the apple
·       Transfer to a pan and add water to it. Close and cook for 10 minutes (or until the apples are soft enough)( you may optional pressure cook for a single whistle)
·       Transfer the contents to a mixer jar and grind to smooth paste
·       Adjust the consistency if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve to the baby

Note:

·       Each baby is different. This phase is new for both the parents and the baby. So, keep calm and keep the options open
·       If your baby rejects, don’t get disheartened. Give the baby some time to get adjusted to the new change. Keep trying, as long as the baby doesn’t develop  allergic reactions to it.
·       If the baby keeps rejecting, you may try the following :

* Try changing the consistency

* Try changing the fruit / vegetable (Once started, try to give the same vegetable / fruit for atleast 3 days to one week, before trying the next)

* As the whole concept of solids is very new, your baby might look for something familiar, in his new food. Try mixing a little breast milk / formula milk to it. This is something which worked for my son. He was rejecting it flatly, until then

* If still not the case, try mixing some form of grains like semolina, oats or rice, while cooking. Some kids don’t like the vegetables as is.

Baby first food stories:

With my daughter, it wasn’t as difficult as it was with my son – introducing solids! For both of them, the first food was the same. Though the first food that we started for both was Manni – Ragi / finger millet porridge, which is also traditionally the first food that’s served for babies in our family, they were opened to the world of colours and taste when we started giving them fruits and veggies!

Our daughter loved carrots and apples – the first vegetable and fruit that was introduced to her, though she accepted very little portions at a time. But with our son, it was a big challenge! Every new thing, he rejected, without a reason. That left me desperate to understand his liking! Finally, what worked for him was mixing a little bit of breast milk with the vegetable puree initially. Once he started liking it, I skipped adding the breast milk, but then he got bored easily. So, I had to change the consistency, mix it with cereal etc. As he was getting adjusted with this, about 1 to 1.5 months altogether, I started to have a weekly colourful menu for him, with different vegetables and fruits each day (of course, from the group of tried and tested vegetables / fruits only). As he turned 8 months, he preferred to have some finger food. Something like a banana saved my day. I would slice and keep it on his plate. While he enjoyed his first independence, I could quickly finish up some cooking!

A phase, as they say. Babies and their likings, keep evolving and we need to be as innovative as possible, even if we are serving the same food! At home, the day we talk about how well our son is liking the food, he rejected it, and that meant, starting all over again! Phew!