25 First Foods for Baby | Starting Solids

As we all know there is a plethora of information available on what foods to introduce to your baby and I've discussed my thoughts with regard to introducing solids as well.  Sometimes rather than wading through a bunch of information, a simple list is easier to follow, so here are the first 25 foods (and a brief explanation for each) that I fed to my little baby boy.

1.     Rice cereal - an easy and common first food that can be mixed with nearly all other introductions.

2.     Avocado - a smooth creamy texture and loaded with good fat, avocados are easy to transport and are an ideal early food.

3.     Sweet potato - another common first food, sweet potatoes are full of nutrients and have a sweet silkiness that babies love.

4.     Pears - have a light sweet flavour that can be mixed with anything to make new foods palatable.

5.     Chicken - Health Canada recommends meats as a first food to refill depleting iron reserves; I always mix chicken with other foods. For my boys 'chicken & sweet potato' and 'chicken & pears' were hits on the first feed. 

6.     Quinoa - nutritious and delicious, this super grain is loaded with protein and fibre.  Quinoa baby food is easy to make and the baby gobbles it up, again mixed with pears or chicken.

7.     Zucchini - a summer squash that's abundant in Vancouver, this moist and mild vegetable is great for blending, but resist the urge to add extra water when pureeing, it thins out a lot.

8.     Prunes - at this point I noticed the regularity of the baby's poop's decreasing and the crankiness increasing so I introduced a daily dose of prunes.  I simmer the prunes with a little bit of pear to tame down the richness.

9.     Banana - I dislike bananas, but they are great food for travel and I was about to head off to Blissdom Canada so I mashed some up and gave them to the boy.  In truth, he's not super fond of them either.

10. Carrots - easy to make, easy to eat, easy to blend.  It's a common first food for a reason.

11. Peaches - my aunt brought me some peaches from her friends farm so of course I cooked them up for the baby.  After that, I just used canned peaches; its far more convenient and the baby only likes them mixed with other fruits anyway.

12. Broccoli - we eat a lot of broccoli in our house, so its natural that we'd introduce it early.  At our house it was a hit mixed with zucchini and some rice cereal.

13. Tofu - a great protein source that once again can be blended with just about anything.  The dietician told me to make sure you boil it before feeding it to your little one.

14. Blueberries - this sweet purple treat is abundant in the summer here in Vancouver and its another common food in our house.  Although the bright purple colour can be intimidating, this antioxidant rich treat is worth it.

15. Potato - Not my favourite, nor my boys, but it’s a welcome addition when you start making dishes that are more ‘meals’ than simply vegetables.

16. Pumpkin - After a visit to the pumpkin patch I had some delicious sugar pumpkins to roast and the baby was happy to partake in their sweet, mellow flavour.

17. Oatmeal - I made my own oats for the boy by grinding up some gluten-free oats and boiling them on the stove before mixing them with fruit for a new breakfast option.

18. Spinach – a nutrient rich veggie I was excited to introduce this to the baby using Annabel Karmel’s superfood puree recipe. Blended with chicken thighs and sweet potatoes, my little man can’t get enough.

19. Parsnips – a readily available root vegetable with a creamy texture, I hoped to use this to blend with foods the baby wasn’t so keen on.  Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to care much for parsnips.

20. Green beans – another plentiful, local vegetable, I introduced these so that I could prepare one of the boy’s favourite recipes for the baby with my next introduction.

21. Tomatoes – personally I only like cooked tomatoes and skinning fresh tomatoes is just too much work, so I always use canned tomatoes for my baby food.  The boy loved ratatouille made with a hearty mix of tomato, broccoli, zucchini and green beans.

22. Pork – after slow roasting a pork should for pulled pork, I blended up some of the unseasoned meat with some pears for the baby boy.  Just like pork chops and applesauce, only with pears.

23. Apple – I waited to introduce apples to both my boys simply because some varieties give me an oral allergy; that is they make my throat and inside of my ears uncomfortably itchy.  Granted I don’t get that reaction when the fruit is cooked and removing the peel on fresh fruit generally prevents the reaction, but given that my boys loved pears, there never seemed to be a reason to rush to introduce apples.

24. Egg yolk – an quick and easy to prepare finger food, I introduced egg yolk to add a little protein.  He likes it more now that he can feed himself, I separate the egg then fry the yolk firm without breaking it. 

25. Chickpeas – legumes are rich in fibre, protein and nutrients and if we want our kids to eat them it just makes sense to introduce them as babies.

In general I steam the fruits or vegetable until tender and then puree them with a bit of the steaming water.  I use an electric food steamer (which also works great as a bottle sterilizer) which makes it easy to avoid oversteaming the vegetables to ensure they stay flavourful and minimize nutrient loss.

I’m curious which foods you introduced to your little ones; did I introduce anything that you absolutely wouldn’t?  Or perhaps I missed something that you think is essential, I’d love to hear what you think.

Why I Make Homemade Baby Food | Starting Solids V4

After flopping on the couch, exhausted from a day with the kids and an afternoon chock full of babyfood making, the hubs turned to me and said, ‘why don’t you just buy your babyfood like everyone else?’  I looked at him dumbfounded for a moment before I started spouting off all the benefits of making your own babyfood.

Cost – when you consider that a little 4.5 oz jar of baby food costs close to a dollar and most fruits and vegetables cost somewhere between one and two dollars per pound, it becomes obvious that making your own babyfood is far more economical.  For example, I just bought close to five pounds of Bartlett pears for under five dollars, those pears will make approximately four whole trays of babyfood and at 12 oz per tray that’s about 48 oz of babyfood.  For the same price I could buy about four to five jars of baby food (unless they are on a super sale), which (in this example) makes homemade babyfood about half the cost.

Taste – have you ever tasted jarred babyfood?  It tastes funny.  It’s so processed that the natural flavours barely shine through the super strained purees.  I want my carrot baby food to taste like carrots and my pears to taste like pears; otherwise I can’t help but wonder if my babe will recognize the flavour once he moves on to table foods.  As far as I'm concerned, the thicker stage 2 and 3 jarred baby foods are in a class all their own, they taste gross, they smell disgusting and my spoiled, homemade baby food eating kid wanted nothing to do with them when I took the boy travelling to China at eight months old.

Nutrition – it’s no surprise that fresh, whole foods are the most nutritious options for the entire family, so it follows that fresh homemade food is a good choice for baby.  I have been known to occasionally grab a few beginner purees from the store, for those days that I haven’t quite got up the gusto to make baby food, but only after carefully reading the labels.  Many jarred baby foods (particularly the stage 2 and 3 variety) have high water, salt or sugar contents.  Remember the order the ingredients are listed are an indication of the composition of the food; water should never be the first ingredient.

From a nutrition standpoint, not only does homemade baby food give me complete control over what my baby consumes, it also allows me to introduce foods, like the superfood quinoa, that are not readily available in jarred foods. 

Texture – last, but certainly not least, making my own babyfood gives me the power to gradually introduce texture to my boys.  There’s no need to go directly from super-pureed to chunky foods.  When the baby started eating solids, I pureed everything until smooth, now I puree until there is just a hint of texture.  I also  make a point of having at least one slightly chunkier food available throughout the week to slowly ease the transition towards table foods.

In essence, by making my own babyfood, I’m saving money, retaining control of what my baby eats and  giving him a chance to taste the flavours of a well-rounded, wholesome and nutritious diet that I hope he will carry forward through his entire life.  

Do you make your own babyfood or do you buy it from the store?  What prompted that decision?

5 Tips for Choosing Babies' First Foods | Starting Solids v3

Starting solids is exciting, but choosing the 'right' foods can be intimidating and scary.  You want to provide nutritious and delicious foods in an order that is appetizing and varied in order to ensure that your little one is off to the best possible start when it comes to eating solids.

There are many schools of thought on the best way to proceed; cereals first as a bland start for sensitive tummies, veggies first to prevent a sweet tooth, fruits first to encourage enjoyment of food, meats first to restore depleting iron reserves and of course there is the baby-led weaning school of thought, which skips pureed foods altogether.

Is there a CORRECT way to introduce solids?  That of course depends on who you ask; you're likely to get a different response if you ask your doctor than if you ask a seasoned mother.  As always choosing foods needs to be tailored to you, your family and your beliefs.

I am in no way an expert, or even educated in nutrition or the introduction of solids, however here are some tips, based entirely on my personal experiences, to help you choose your babies' first foods.

Introduce foods your family already eats, those are the flavours your child will be exposed to for a lifetime, and if you're breastfeeding he's already had a taste for them through your milk.

Introduce foods that are complementary, think about blending flavours so they appeal to your little ones senses.  Pears was one of our first foods as it blends beautifully with other fruits, meats or vegetables and its sweetness makes nearly any combination palatable.

Introduce a variety of foods, I don't want to eat straight vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner and your baby probably doesn't either.  By introducing a variety of grains, fruits and vegetables your little one will start off their introduction to solids with well balanced 'meals'.

Introduce new foods three days apart, in order to identify any sensitivities that your child may have.  There is no need to feed only the newest food introduced, however if possible feed it to your child all three days as a reaction will sometimes occur as the food accumulates in his system.

Establish a routine; I began feeding the baby boy twice a day the first week and was up to three times a day by the second week.  Again you are setting the foundation for your child's lifelong eating habits and by feeding solids (even a small amount) three times a day, you are making 'meals', not snacks, a priority for your child.

I've already shared the baby boy's first five foods, and a recipe for homemade Quinoa baby food; here's a list of the baby boy's second five foods.  Out of the entire batch, bananas are probably his least favourite, though its not suprising neither the hubs and I are fans and the boy only recently started to enjoy them.

1. Quinoa
2. Zucchini
3. Prunes
4. Bananas
5. Carrots

What are your thoughts on introducing solids?  How did you decide what foods to introduce first?

Quinoa for Baby | Starting Solids v2

I love Quinoa, granted I don't just eat it plain by the bucketful, but its so hearty mixed into salads and soups, adds extra nutrition, protein and fibre to baked goods and is amazing for breakfast as a hot cereal.  When the boy moved onto textured foods, quinoa was one of his favourites; if he wasn't feeling well he would almost always eat a bowl of quinoa and applesauce, perhaps with a little bit of chicken mixed in.

As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing wrong with that; quinoa is naturally gluten-free and has 2.5 grams of fibre and 4 grams of protein in a half a cup.  This superfood also contains iron, calcium and magnesium, it truly is both nutritious and delicious for adults and children alike..

After a bit of research, I decided that this time around I would introduce the baby boy to Quinoa much earlier in the game.  As I mentioned previously, I decided to use the Quinoa 365 method of cooking quinoa for baby since I've loved nearly everything I've made out of the cookbook.

Quinoa 365 provides easy instructions for using quinoa seeds, flakes or flour to make baby food, but I'm using the seeds as they are the least processed and therefore the most nutritious for baby.  If you are interested in the other methods, send me an email.

Quinoa baby food is super easy to make and I was impressed with the smooth texture after pureeing.  It freezes beautifully, but is a little denser than some of the fruit/vegetable purees and thus takes a little bit longer to defrost and warm up.  Since the flavour of quinoa is relatively strong, I recommend mixing it with another food that your little one is already accustomed to.  My baby boy has been happily eating his quinoa for breakfast with pureed pears and for dinner with yams and chicken.

Quinoa Baby Food

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1-1/4 cup water
• additional water for blending

Directions:

• Place quinoa and water in a pot and bring to a boil.
• Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes; do not remove the lid.
• Turn off heat, but leave covered pot on the burner for an additional 25 minutes.
• Fluff with a fork and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Blend with additional water to create a smooth texture.
• Feed to your baby or freeze for future feedings.

If you haven't already, check out: Starting Solids v1

Starting Solids

My baby boy turned 5 months on Sunday; he has two teeth, he can roll over in both directions and he's eating solids.  Seriously where has the time gone?

Back to the solids, I know that the guidance from the medical community is that there is no need for solids before 6 months of age.  I also know from experience that you need to pay attention to your child and meet his or her needs regardless what the doctors and nurses tell you.

There are all sorts of articles and guidance about signs of readiness; my boys simply showed interest in food and signs of hunger and they were able to successfully swallow the food, so I allowed them to eat.

As someone who loves to cook, making my own baby food was more a reality than an option.  I never really contemplated buying baby food and when I had an opportunity to compare the jarred food with the homemade, it quickly became apparent that homemade food simply tastes better.  Never mind that you have so much more control over exactly your child is consuming.

We are still in the early stages of solids, today the boy tasted his fifth food and I am finally able to start mixing flavours, here's what he's tried so far.

1. Rice Cereal
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Potato
4. Pear
5. Chicken

Next up Quinoa, I'll be using the method from Quinoa 365, which I will share with you after I test it out!

If you want to make your own baby food, but don't know where to start, check out The Baby's Table by Bradshaw and Bramley.  A friend of mine lent me her copy of the book when the boy started solids and it ended up so dog eared and food covered that I ended up buying her a new copy.  Another resource I consulted a lot the first time around is the Wholesome Baby Food Website.  And of course I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.