Baby's First Solids


At 4 months, Kasper is ready for some solid foods. And by "solid food" I actually don't mean solids at all. I'm talking baby foods. For the last 2-3 weeks Kasper has been really really interested in the foods I'm eating and drinking. When he's on my lap he will reach for my plate, try to take foods from my hands, and grab onto glasses with both hands and pull them towards his mouth. When we saw the doctor last week for his second round of Vaccinations I asked him about starting solid foods. Our pediatrician gave a hearty laugh when I explained to him how Kasper behaves around meal time, and he granted us permission to start introducing pureed foods.

In Germany it is traditional to start baby on mushed carrots, but I hate carrots, so I opted for sweet potatoes instead.

Typically, babies in the US start on rice cereal first, then mashed vegetables, then fruits. But, more and more parents are opting to skip the rice cereal and introduce babies to vegetables first. I think this shift comes from a growing knowledge that traditional grains and empty carbs don't have to be such a large component of our diets.


For Kasper's first foods we decided to do sweet potatoes, bananas, and avocados. Sweet potatoes are high in Vitamin A and Vitamin E, they contain lots of potassium and calcium and are full of fiber. So they are great for babies digestive system and they taste yummy too!

Bananas and avocados are both fruit, and many parents choose to wait to introduce sweeter foods until a bit later, but we decided that a few days after the sweet potatoes we would try the banana. Both banana and avocado are packed full of vitamins and are delicious, which make them great starter foods.

Before 1 year, babies really don't need any foods other than milk, but giving them the opportunity to experience new foods is lots of fun. We chose to begin introducing solid foods to Kasper by giving him a few spoonfuls of purees every few days, but he is still relying on breast feeding for his primary nutrition.



Ingredients:
1/2 Large Sweet Potato
1 Cup Water 
Tip: Use the water fro the pan in which you are steaming the vegetables.

Directions: Peel the skin from the sweet potato and chop into 1 inch chunks. Steam for about 30 minuets or until soft. Transfer sweet potatoes to blender and add the water 1/2 cup at a time. Puree. Transfer to jar and let cool to room temperature before serving to baby.



 




No comments:

Post a Comment