Feeding baby solids where to start investing

Delayed first foods also may reduce the risk of conditions such as celiac disease and obesity — not to mention choking and digestive problems. The Pediatrics study found that parents explain early feeding with statements such as "my baby is old enough," "my baby seemed hungry," "I wanted my baby to sleep longer at night" and — most alarming to researchers, according to the Times — "a doctor or health care professional said my baby should begin eating solid food.

This news is just the latest twist in the continuing debate over feeding babies. Even if you know that waiting until six months is considered best, what the heck to feed the little one? Here in Canada, much was made of revised Canadian Paediactric Society and Health Canada recommendations last fall that seemed to promote meat as a first food , sending many parents into a paroxym of fear about how to blend up steak or chicken in an appetizing way.

It turned out that the information had been "reformatted," according to a government e-mail mentioned in the CBC piece — and the bigger point was to ensure that babies ate iron-rich foods at six months, as their natural stores of it decline after birth. So parents hoping to rely on iron-fortified rice or other cereal as a first food could breathe a sigh of relief.

Unless, of course, they were students of other corners of the parenting universe which suggest skipping the cereal aisle and handing junior a pork chop or a chunk of steamed veg to gnaw on. I always wanted to be the mom that made homemade baby food, using nothing but local, fresh, organic ingredients to fill my babies' bellies when starting them on solids. Then real life happened. Not only did I not make homemade baby food, but our babies never quite took to pureed food in the way I had imagined.

When our pediatrician gave us the green light for rice cereal for our first daughter, I was ready to embark on the mission of transitioning her to solids. Only to find myself confused about the entire process. The baby food aisle at Target was overwhelming, causing me to ask questions like, What foods could I introduce first? Do I need to buy organic? But really, all I wanted as a new mama was to feed my babies nutritious foods and help them develop healthy eating habits from an early age.

Which was why I was excited to learn about Baby-Led Weaning. What is Baby-Led Weaning? Baby-Led Weaning BLW is an approach for introducing babies to solid foods around the age of 6 months. My favorite part about this entire process is how it encourages your baby from a young age to eat intuitively, as they learn how to self-feed. I must admit that I was a bit skeptical about this process and trying it with my own kids.

To my pleasant surprise, our babies all did great with baby-led weaning, and I feel that this was an important foundation for them in creating a healthy relationship with food. Baby Led Weaning Ideas While I will cover this topic in greater depth in upcoming blog posts, here are five key tips for transitioning your baby to solids using the baby-led weaning approach, so you can also get them started on a lifelong appreciation of food: 1.

As I moved toward baby-led weaning, I began to understand the importance of including her in all of our meals. Make your baby part of your mealtime experience with the rest of your family. Giving them the chance to observe feedings is an important part of their learning process. While this may take additional planning and make meal times longer, it will be well worth the effort, especially in the long run.

Offering foods with different textures, shapes, flavors, etc, will give your baby the opportunities they need to practice their eating skills.

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A baby younger than age 4 months shouldn't be given home-prepared spinach, beets, carrots, green beans or squash. These foods might contain enough nitrates to cause the blood disorder methemoglobinemia. Make meals manageable During feedings, talk to your baby and help him or her through the process. To make mealtime enjoyable: Stay seated. As soon as your baby can sit easily without support, use a highchair with a broad, stable base.

Buckle the safety straps. Encourage exploration. Your baby is likely to play with his or her food. Make sure that finger foods are soft, easy to swallow and broken down into small pieces. Introduce utensils. Offer your baby a spoon to hold while you feed him or her with another spoon. As your baby's dexterity improves, encourage your baby to use a spoon.

Offer a cup. Feeding your baby breast milk or formula from a cup at mealtimes can help pave the way for weaning from a bottle. Around age 9 months, your baby might be able to drink from a cup on his or her own. Dish individual servings. If you feed your baby directly from a jar or container, saliva on the spoon can quickly spoil leftovers. Instead, place servings in a dish. Opened jars of baby food can be safely refrigerated for two to three days.

Avoid power struggles. If your baby turns away from a new food, don't push. Simply try again another time. Repeated exposure can create variety in your baby's diet. Know when to call it quits. When your baby has had enough to eat, he or she might cry or turn away. This includes the timing of the meal as well. If you are a parent who wants to start off with three real-food meals a day, then go for it — just stay consistent.

Practice, practice, practice: As with most things, practice makes perfect. So expect a few snafus once your baby gets in their highchair and begins to experiment with solid foods. The more they practice, the better they will get at feeding themselves. And before you know it, they will be enjoying solids without your help! Loop in your doctor: Be sure to consult your pediatrician about feeding. If you feel like you need help with this important transition, check out our Feeding Your Baby Solids Food Course , the complete guide to creating intuitive eaters from 4 months on.

The course covers everything you need to know about feeding your baby real food and gets you fully prepared to confidently tackle this meaning-full milestone. Also, you can shop all of our favorite Baby Feeding Essentials here with part of the proceeds going to Baby2Baby.