Completely confused about what I can and can not feed! Please help!!!

[Lizzie Lou]

Ok, so what things are actually "not allowed" at 6months? Some books say that whole milk is ok, others say don't give it until 8months... after feeding Molly purreed (ish) stew with lentils in today, I've just read that lentils should be introduced next month? Why? Can she have normal porridge in the morning with some purreed fruit? Arggghhh it's just sooo confusing! I've just been blitzing whatever we're having for tea (without the salt or spices) up for Molly to try at lunchtime but now I'm wondering whether I should make special baby food?

...just to add - I'm veggie so she's not having meat or fish yet and I make all meals from scratch so I know what we're all eating.

 

[mommyof3co]

Here we are told whole milk is ok as long as it's cooked in something, for example yogurts, cheese, foods that you add milk in during the cooking process. But they say not straight and not just mixed in cereal...though I've noticed in the UK they say it is ok to mix in cereal..so I guess your choice on that one For the most part they can have anything besides...

citrus
strawberries
nuts
some recommend holding off on wheat until 12mo...especially if family history of allergy
egg whites
honey

Here are a few more on here and when you can introduce them
https://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/forbiddenbabyfood.htm

 

[mommyof3co]

Oh also if you look on that site and search for pretty much anything they will give the age range you should introduce in and why to wait til then...for example broccoli is 10mo I believe, maybe 8-10mo, because it can be really gassy

 

[Sarahkka]

Part of the reason that it is confusing is that there is a lot of variation in guidelines from place to place. In my province alone, there is huge variation just between regions. In Calgary, we have a very lengthy list of Forbidden Foods that they say should not be tried until past 12 months. But friends in another region said they weren't told to avoid all those things. Who knows who is "right"?
I think the best thing to do is to go really slowly. Introduce a small amount of anything new and wait a few days between new items. Look for digestive troubles, rashes, anything like that and use your judgement. Also, as Mof3 said above, it helps to know your family history regarding any food sensitivities or allergies.
Watching the sugar and salt intake, as you are already doing, is also really important.
I know it's maddening trying to make sense of all the contradictory recommendations, but it will sort itself out for you fairly quickly!

 

[Happy]

Phoebe is 8 months now and eats everything we eat. She has had whole milk on her cereal since she was 6 months old.

 

[Faerie]

The only foods to avoid we have are:

egg whites until 12 months
whole nuts, and no peanuts until 3 years
honey until 12 months

Caution with any known food allergies and that's all folks!

Ha, Sofia's favourite food is broccoli and she just had a clementine after her supper...

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Ruby ate a strawberry when she'd just turned 6 months....ooops. But she's fine. The conflicting guidelines are so confusing!

 

[kaylynn040485]

I didnt know u couldnt give strawberries either, is it because f the seeds? Kx

 

[Jkelmum]

my hv says anything but nuts go from 6 months long as you watch the quantiy

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I didnt know u couldnt give strawberries either, is it because f the seeds? Kx

No, it's because quite a few people are allergic to them from what I gather!

 

[Faerie]

Yes, strawberries are an allergen, although people tend to grow out of it. As far as I'm aware they're unlikely to give a major reaction (please do correct me if I'm wrong). Sofia had raspberries the other day and got a red rash, so I won't be giving her those again for a few more months.

 

[kaylynn040485]

There u go, learn something new every day lol I didnt know that about strawberries, not given them yet but will steer clear for the time being. Oh gosh did the rash clear quite quickly? Kx

 

[Faerie]

There u go, learn something new every day lol I didnt know that about strawberries, not given them yet but will steer clear for the time being. Oh gosh did the rash clear quite quickly? Kx

Yes, it was gone within an hour, I believe the same sort of reaction can happen with strawberries, but can also make the mouth itchy. Though the same can happen with tomatos, and even bananas - nothing serious!

 

[beancounter]

the lentils theHV saidit wasjust cos they were abit windy so best leave it a bit. We started on them 6mos but he didnt really like them, though he does now! theydidnt seem to cause him any distress

 

[purple_socks]

wow i didn't know there was all these 'rules'!? according to the stuff i've read (in particular the BLW book) u can give them anything from 6 months apart from whole nuts coz they're a choking hazard and honey. it does say to avoid too much fiber because LO doesn't need to fill up on that and to avoid low fat foods because LO needs healthy fats and then theres the obvious no high salt/ high sugar stuff.

i'm very confused?!

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

You and me both Purple Socks, OH and I just can't make up our minds about giving eggs for example, why are they ok in the UK at 6m but a big no-no til 12m in the US and some other countries?

 

[faille]

To be completely honest, I'm just using a bit of common sense, a bit of mothers instinct and giving whatever I feel comfortable giving....

I won't be giving her nuts or honey, purely because neither me or OH eat them anyway so that's not even crossed my mind.

She's had eggs and I won't hesitate to give her strawberries, even though OH is "supposedly" allergic to them, (strawberries, that is).

I don't really buy into all this "you shouldn't give x before y time because of z" - it's the same as when we were pregnant...... If we followed all the "advice", we would never eat or drink anything!

The guidelines change on a yearly basis anyway so it's a bit pointless to be obsessive over it because what is "right" one year will be discouraged the next


Unless you have severe allergies in your immediate family, I personally wouldn't worry too much.

My OH is "supposedly" allergic to peanut butter..... but he's eaten it every day for god knows how many years and it's never done him any harm

 

[purple_socks]

i think i might go with that approach too faille. i think i'll prob give Kian anything apart from whole nuts (coz i can see y thats a chocking hazard...they're hardly suckable...they're pretty small and hard) and honey coz of the whole spors thing but other than that i think i'm gonna try everything else and see how it goes.

i suspect alot of these 'rules' were put in place for babies being weaned earlier than 6 months and the gradual introduction of them stem from that...well thats my theory anyway

me and OH have no food allergies so we're not too worried abt Kian havng any.

faille do u mean ur OH is "supposidly allergic" like a friend of mine who says he has an allergy to apples 'coz they make his throat itch'!?! even tho he eats them and things with them in all the time?!

 

[faille]

faille do u mean ur OH is "supposidly allergic" like a friend of mine who says he has an allergy to apples 'coz they make his throat itch'!?! even tho he eats them and things with them in all the time?!

Him and his family all had an allergy test done when he was younger and his come out as strawberries and peanut butter.
He's eaten peanut butter sandwiches near on every day for at least 7 years (that's the time I've been with him but he ate them before this too!), he's never had any kind of reaction at all!

If either of us had severe or known allergies then I'd be careful introducing those things but in general I just don't worry... Maybe I should, maybe I'm too relaxed about things

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I'm sceptical about those allergy tests! A former colleague of mine has one done and it said she was allergic to nearly everything she ate on a regular basis.