Breast milk or formula is still the staple for your baby’s diet in the first year. There is no scientific proof of which food is best to serve first to babies. Cultures across the world prepare various traditional recipes for their babies’ first feeding. In general, first foods are easy to digest and preferably a good source of iron.
At around six months of age, babies’ iron stores from birth are mostly depleted and they need additional sources of iron from the diet. Animal meats offer the most bioavailable sources of iron, but are difficult for beginner eaters to digest and reserved for seven to eight month old diners. For first time tasters, we look to the plant kingdom for alternatives that naturally contain iron or are iron-fortified. Foods that are easy to digest for babies are gluten free (this is the protein in wheat), and vegetables that are yellow or orange rather than green.
Just because all of your friends’ babies starting slurping on rice cereal without issues doesn’t guarantee you will have the same experience. No need to worry, there are certainly healthy options if rice cereal is not in the cards. Always introduce new foods in one at a time every four to six days to watch for an allergic reaction. If you are making your own baby food, remove all skins, seeds and strings from the food, and puree away!
Baby Bistro’s Top Ten Starter Solids
- Iron fortied rice cereal
- Millet
- Amaranth
- Sweet Potatoes
- Carrots
- Pumpkin or winter squash (acorn, butternut)
- Avocado
- Cantaloupe
- Peaches
- Apricots
By Christina on 07/2/08 in Food, Columns, Food Tips, Bistro Baby
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