First Foods for Baby
As a food loving father I'm eager to introduce my son to his first foods. In about a month, he'll reach the six month mark, the age when starting to introduce solid foods is recommended. Already I see that he’s starting to pay attention to what his parents are eating and he’s starting to show other signs of readiness for solid foods.
Signs of increased readiness:
- Baby can sit up and lean forward
- Baby has head control and can turn away to indicate when done with eating
- Baby doesn’t push food out of the mouth with his or her tongue
He's making progress in all these developmental areas, so I'm starting to think about what those first foods will be. At around six months of age, the iron stores that babies are born with begin to decline and they need iron-rich foods to meet the nutrient needs of their rapidly growing bodies.
Iron Sources
- Beef, pork, lamb
- Deer, caribou, bison
- Chicken, turkey, duck
- Fish (low mercury choices)
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, simmer lean meat or poultry until well-cooked, and then mince finely.
- Remove bones from fish, cook through and then mash with a fork.
- Moisten with a little water.
Iron Sources
- Iron-fortified infant cereal (single grain)
- Tofu, soybeans
- Beans, peas, lentils
- Egg yolk
- Rinse canned beans well.
- Use a fork to mash tofu, soybeans, beans, peas or lentils.
- Moisten with a little water.
The iron from meat (heme iron) is better absorbed by the body than the iron in other foods (non-heme iron). For this reason it's recommended to include well-cooked plain meats, if your family eats meat, amongst baby's first foods.
In our family, beans, lentils, tofu, egg, fish and iron-fortified infant cereal will be the iron-rich first food choices. I'm looking forward to introducing him to these and other new foods. Judging by the way he reaches for my plate at dinner time I think he is looking forward to it too.
Key Points:
- Start Introducing solid foods to baby about 6 months of age
- Focus on iron-rich foods
- speaks with a HealthLinkBC Dietitian about feeding your baby by calling 8-1-1
What were the first foods for your child? Do you have any tips to share with a first time dad? If you're interested in homemade baby foods check out my next posting on food textures for babies.
Recommended Resources:
- Baby’s First Foods
- Recipes for Your Baby (6-9 Months Old)
- Sample Meals for Babies 6 to 12 Months of Age
- Fish Low in Mercury
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