What food meets your baby
As far as feeding the solids, we started with rice cereal and added veggies,then fruits, a new food every 3-5 days. It’s convienent and satisfactory to Mikey to give him cereal, 3 foods, and a bottle at his 2nd and 4th or 5th(brunch and dinner) feedings. We’ve thought about going to 3 solid meals,but he’s doing fine and gets 25-35 oz. formula/day, so we don’t want to risk cutting down on formula. Maybe when he starts getting teeth.
We now realize that our job is simply to buy the right food, prepare it nutritiously (steamed rather than boiled, baked rather than fried), and serve it creatively. We leave the rest up to the kids. How much they eat, when they eat, and if they eat is mostly their responsibility; we’ve learned to take neither the credit nor the blame.
When offering a new type of food, always feed it for several days in a row before starting another new food. This makes it easier to detect food allergies, which can present with diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, hives or a rash. Do not offer mixed ingredient foods until you are sure that the baby isn’t allergic to any of the individual ingredients. Also, don’t add any seasonings to your baby’s foods.
They may eat only fruits one day, and vegetables the next. Since erratic eating habits are as normal as toddler mood swings, expect your child to eat well one day and eat practically nothing the next. Toddlers from one to three years need between 1,000 and 1,300 calories a day, yet they may not eat this amount every day. Aim for a nutritionally-balanced week, not a balanced day.
Foods to avoid until your infant is at least a year old include cow’s milk, citrus fruits and juices, and wheat and egg whites until he is two. Also, avoid giving peanuts (as smooth peanut butter), fish and shellfish until your child is at least three years old. Whole peanuts and tree nuts should be avoided until your child is four because of the choke hazard.
If your youngster would rather drink than eat, don’t despair. Make a smoothie – together. Milk and fruit – along with supplements such as juice, egg powder, wheat germ, yogurt, honey, and peanut butter – can be the basis of very healthy meals. So what if they are consumed through a straw? One note of caution: Avoid any drinks with raw eggs or you’ll risk salmonella poisoning.
Starting your baby on solid foods is the beginning of lifelong eating habits that contribute to his or her overall health. For this reason we have some general guidelines that can help you start your baby out on the right track to a healthy life.
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