First foods? Some questions...

[minties]

What did you offer your baby as their very first food?

I know I have about 7/8 weeks left before weaning Thomas but I'd like to hear about your experiences so I can be prepared.

I personally think that the jars of pureed fruit are gross, the apple and pear are so sour and that's about all I can see as stage 1 foods at the supermarket. I'm also not that keen on rice cereal as I don't think it offers much nutritionally (apart from the added iron they put into it). However I guess it makes a good base to add other foods to?

Would homemade things like cooked pumpkin and carrot etc be good first foods? I was thinking cooked until it's quite soft and he could try holding fingers of it and mushing it up in his mouth. What other vegetables roast/cook well and can be eaten this way at 6 months?

Is it best to roast the vegetables, as I figure boiling takes away a lot of the nutrients in the water. I know at 6 months it's more getting them used to the textures and the idea of eating rather than for nutrition, but I may as well get the most out of his foods that I can.

Is it ok to offer meat as well? If not, perhaps meat juices from the bottom of the roasting dish mixed with vegetable mash to make a puree, or would that be too fatty and unhealhty?

Thanks very much

P.S I have spoken to a nurse who specialises in weaning and she reccomended cereals first, then vegetables, then add fruit in last. Does that sound about right? Cereal first as it's mixed with either formula or breastmilk so the taste will be more palatable to baby, then vegetables before fruit otherwise baby may not take to savoury foods.

 

[elephant29]

Hey luv,

I'm in now way an expert. We are slowly weaning and I'm reading the Gill Rapley book.

With regards to what the nurse advised. That's perfectly fine if you are doing TW. If you are doing BLW then you dont have to worry about the cereal, mashed food etc.

Aria had a banana as her first foor. I just broke it in half and handed it to her and she gummed away at it. She maybe didnt eat much but she seemed to be enjoying it.

Since then she has had cucumber cut into thick fingers for her to hold and she sucks these. I also give her porridge every morning (sometimes with some fruit mixed in) and preload her spoon and she feeds herself. It's messy but she has been finishing almost a full bowl!

Sweet potato is a great one to start with. I pierced it, popped in microwave for 4 mins (sort of par boiled) then rubbed in olive oil and added paprika and put into the over. Apparantly the longer you cook it the sweeter it becomes. I think I cooked it for about 20 mins. The skins were a little to crispy so I removed them and she LOVED this!! She cried when it was finished. She definately swallowed this!

I have natural yogurt for her breakfast this morning and I'll mix it with a banana and pre-load her spoon again. Tonight she is having grilled red peppers and steamed carrots.

I think steaming the food is a better way as yep boiling does lose a lot of the goodness.

I'd definately recommend the book Baby-led Weaning...it covers everything!

OH I have also bought rice crackers and soya soft chesse so trying that as well!

Good luck.

xxx

 

[minties]

Oh fantastic, thanks so much!

I'm kinda not following BLW or TW, just doing whatever I think best at the time. Like if he's not good with his hands, I don't mind assisting him to eat. But would love to try a more BLW approach as I hate the idea of forcing him with a spoon.

Great advice cheers!

 

[a_c]

Carrot is often advised as a first food. We steam it then hand blender as I am tw. Also butternut squash & parsnip.

 

[Laura_M]

I was advised to start off with baby rice, as it gets them used to something other than milk. We did this for a couple of days then introduced pureed veggies (sweet potato, parsnips, carrots, butternut squash first). I then introduced fruit (apples, pears, bananas), then started mixing with porridge. Now LO will eat pretty much any veg/fruit, on its own or mixed with another. I slowly stopped pureeing and just mash things now.

I do everything in the steamer - apparently steaming keeps more nutrients/vitamins in than if you boil. Sweet potato and normal potato I do in the oven and just scoop out the middle and mash.

 

[Nats21]

We used baby rice for a week, then he moved onto carrot puree, we gave him this for three days and then moved onto apple puree/pear puree etc. After trying him with foods we then got more adventurous and tried him with a mixture e.g. carrot, parsnip and sweet potato, apple and pear puree etc. Then he went onto 'proper' foods after that - tomato and herb pasta, mushroom ragu with mash etc.

Good luck with the weaning! xx