No matter how you choose to introduce solids (baby led weaning and purees both work), I have information available to help you feel confident that you are safely doing it right! Know what signs to look for to make sure your child is ready and which nutrients are important.
If you are just starting solids, you may have heard that iron is a crucial nutrient for your baby. Or you may have had an iron test done and realized your child’s iron stores are a little low. Either way, you may be looking for iron foods to include in your child’s diet. Luckily there are a lot!
Have you witnessed the wars between the baby led weaning parents and the puree parents? Wondering which team you should join? Is one really that much better than the other? Not really. As with most things, it really comes down to what works for your family. What many people won’t tell you is that you can actually (safely) do a combination of baby led weaning and purees.
No matter how you start feeding your child, your goal should be to get them onto a wide variety of flavor and textures by about 9 months. Research has shown an association between children who do not receive a variety of textures by this age and picky eating.
If your child has recently been diagnosed with FPIES, you may find yourself overwhelmed and confused. Most parents have never heard of FPIES before they are given the diagnosis. You are probably wondering what you should do now. Here is some information to get you started.
Many recipes that I found online had tons of added sugar, which isn’t recommended for babies. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no added sugar until age 2. I love baking and love getting my kids involved in the kitchen, but was looking for a recipe that my little ones could enjoy. I couldn’t find anything I liked, so I modified a few different recipes I found and made some fruit substitutions in place of the sugar. This recipe is pretty forgiving and can be fun to make with your kids.
You may find yourself surrounded by desserts this holiday season and may be wondering if it’s ok to give your baby a taste of some of them. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no added sugar until age 2. This can be really hard to achieve, especially if you have older kids. Is it bad to give your baby a taste of chocolate? Probably not, as long as it’s not a regular occurrence.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no added sugars for children under 2, but kids love to be a part of holiday meals. Here’s an easy recipe that is perfect for babies. It’s sweetened with fruit, so it will not be as sweet as you may be used to, but babies do not need their foods to be as sweet. This has been a hit at our house every Thanksgiving since I started making it. It requires only 3 ingredients and you have the option of using all frozen or packaged foods, making it extremely convenient. Alternatively, you can opt for fresh options as well.
Many parents have expressed fear in regards to introducing allergens to their baby. This makes sense. The idea that your child could have an allergic reaction to a food is scary. The recommendations for allergen introduction have changed recently, so you may have done something completely different with an older child. Know that these recommendations are to help reduce the risk of allergies, but there is nothing you can do that is guaranteed to prevent allergies. If your child ends up with a food allergy, it is not your fault.
One of the things new parents find most surprising is how focused they are on their child’s poop. Whether your child struggles with constipation or diarrhea, poop problems can add another layer of stress to starting solids. First off, know that there will be changes to your child’s poop. We expect that. Their digestive system has a lot to learn. There are ways to help them through the transition and make it more comfortable for everyone.
While there are many people with strong opinions on baby led weaning versus purees, that’s not what this post is about. This post will be going over some of the key points we look at when introducing solids to babies. First we need to determine if they are developmentally ready to start solids. Then there are a few key nutrients that we should focus on. Lastly, there are a couple of things that we should avoid.
