What Age Can I Introduce Pureed Food to Baby

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by L. Bellows, A. Clark, and R. Moore^* (ten/13)

Quick Facts…

• During the first yr of life, breast milk or an iron-fortified formula provides all the nutrients an babe needs for salubrious growth and evolution.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends introducing solid foods forth with breast milk or formula, preferably at 6 months of age. Single-ingredient foods should exist introduced one at a time at weekly intervals.
• Ultimately, an infant's developmental readiness should determine when to feed solid foods.
• Avoid offering your infant sweetened foods since they can promote tooth disuse, excess calories, and weight gain.
• Never forcefulness-feed bottles or food as this may cause a baby to ignore what his or her trunk says, which tin can ultimately lead to poor eating habits afterward in life.

The introduction of semi-solid and solid foods to an babe's diet can be confusing and complicated for many parents. There is even some disagreement amid the leading health authorities regarding when to incorporate new foods and which foods to include. Substantially, the verbal society of food introduction does not affair for many babies. The virtually important factor is which foods to introduce at each historic period, and the child's relationship with these foods. During the beginning 6 months of life, breast milk is capable of supplying all of the diet an babe needs and also provides protection against illness. Most experts agree that solid foods should be incorporated around the beginning half-dozen months of life, commencement with unmarried-grain cereals followed by fruits, vegetables, and proteins in later months. Ultimately, an infant'due south developmental readiness should determine when to introduce semi-solid foods to the diet.

Starting Solid Foods Too Early

At that place are many misconceptions that come forth with the conclusion to feed an infant solid foods before 6 months of age- a common belief being that feeding solid foods such as cereal will brand an infant slumber through the nighttime. In reality still, sleeping through the dark is actually associated with mental evolution, non the fullness of an infant. Feeding an baby solid foods before six months may increase the risk of choking, food allergies, gastric discomfort, and becoming overweight or obese afterward in life.

Waiting Likewise Long to Starting time Solid Foods

Introducing solid foods after 9 months may outcome in an babe who is resistant to trying solid foods, and may have difficulty chewing. Beyond 9 months of age, information technology is important to contain an external source of atomic number 26, since an baby's iron stores will gradually become depleted.

When to Starting time

The child's age, appetite, and growth rate are all factors that assistance decide when to feed solid foods. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), semi-solid foods are a significant change and should not be introduced until six months of age. This historic period commonly coincides with the neuromuscular development necessary to eat solid foods. Fruit juice is not recommended until 7 months of age, and should be express to 4-6 ounces per day. It is important to note that although simply 100% fruit juice is acceptable at this age, information technology is not recommended.

Before feeding solid foods, the baby should be able to:

• Swallow and assimilate semi-solid foods.
• Sit upwards well, an important step in order to be able to stay seated in a high chair to feed.
• Maintain neck and caput control while seated, a necessity in society to turn his or her head to signal when he is finished eating.
• Exist able to open his or her mouth and move the tongue and lips well, allowing the movement of nutrient around the mouth.
• Demonstrate an interest in food and eating solid foods.

Starting Solid Foods

During the first feeding, many parents find it beneficial to offering semi-solid foods after breast or formula feeding, when the babe may be more likely to experiment with new foods. The sequence of new foods is non critical, just iron-fortified rice cereal mixed with chest milk or formula is a good first choice. In the beginning, information technology may exist best to introduce unmarried-ingredient foods one at a time at weekly intervals. This process helps identify any food sensitivities the kid might have. Gradually add vegetables, fruits, and meats to the babe's diet 1 at a time. Serving mixed foods is non recommended in the outset.

Important Tips:

• Prepare for feeding with a baby spoon (plastic is best), bib, and an infant seat or loftier chair. Using the baby spoon, place a small corporeality of nutrient, about 1/ii teaspoon, on the baby's tongue. Never employ a bottle or other feeding device for feeding semi-solid nutrient.
• Brainstorm with single-ingredient foods, such as atomic number 26-fortified rice cereal. Look 5 days betwixt introducing new foods so that any allergies or intolerances to these new foods can be identified.
• Feed the baby when he or she is hungry, but practice not overfeed. Await for signals that the feeding is finished such as shaking the head.
• Make repast time a happy fourth dimension, ordinarily morning or midday is the best time for offering feeding new foods.
• Never force your child to end bottles or food. This can crusade the baby to ignore what his or her torso says and may lead to poor eating habits later. Lookout man for body language cues.
• Never leave your kid alone while eating.

Foods for the Commencement Yr

Chest milk or baby formula—In addition to incorporating new foods, it is also all-time to supplement a child'south diet with breast milk or infant formula to ensure adequate nutrition. This can be accomplished through the addition of breast milk or formula to solid foods.

During the first twelvemonth of life infants are not set for milk products from animals (such every bit cow or goat milk).

Grain Products—Simple grains such equally rice cereal are a good first option for introducing solid foods to an infant. Grains offer additional iron needed for proper growth and development. Introduce wheat products terminal, since they are more than allergenic.

Fruit—Cull plain, ripe, or pureed fruit such as absurdity, peaches or mashed bananas. Combine the fruit with breast milk or infant formula, and puree. Steer clear of citrus fruits during the showtime twelvemonth of life due to their high acerbity, and avoid fruit desserts that contain unnecessary sugar. Desserts provide unneeded, backlog calories and may pb to overweight and obesity. Fruit juices that are 100% may be introduced at 7 months when the baby learns to drinkable from a loving cup. It is important to dilute 100% fruit juice half and one-half with h2o or strain the pulp before giving to a infant. Avoid sugariness drinks, such as soda, tea, and sports drinks as they can promote tooth decay and atomic number 82 to unnecessary calories.

Vegetables—Puree vegetables with breast milk or infant formula in a manner similar to fruits. Exercise not add together salt to vegetables every bit this may crusade strain on an infant's kidneys.

Poly peptide—Puree proteins such every bit chicken, beef, pork, tofu, or beans with breast milk or babe formula, similar to fruit and vegetable grooming.

Run across Tables ane and 2 for more information on introducing foods during the commencement year.

Foods to Avert During the First Year

Risk for allergic reaction—nuts and nut products, egg whites, and shellfish.

Choking Risk—celery, grapes, candy, carrots (raw), corn, raisins, cherry tomatoes, nuts, olives, popcorn, peanut butter, sausage, hotdogs, and gum.

Additional foods to avoid—Dear (due to chancy botulism spores), cow'due south milk (harmful to an infant'due south kidneys), rare meat, cheese (due to contamination with harmful bacteria), unpasteurized juice, bean sprouts, and alfalfa sprouts.

Table 1. Agenda for feeding your baby for the first year of life.^*

Foods

Birth

i

ii

3

iv

v

half-dozen

7

eight

9

10

eleven

12 months

Chest milk or iron-fortified formula

Chest milk or formula

Keep breast milk or fe-fortified formula

Start whole cow's milk from cup.

Cereals and grain products

Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, oats.) Iron-fortified plain babe cereal (no fruit flavor or mixed grains). Start with rice.

Mixed-grain, iron-fortified cereals. Screw pasta, teething crackers, rice. Staff of life and toast strips.

Vegetables

Pureed, single vegetables such as sugariness potatoes, or squash.

Cooked vegetables mashed or chopped.

Bite-size, soft, cooked vegetables for finger-feeding.

Fruit & fruit juices

Pureed, single fruits such as bananas, peaches, pears, or apples.

Cooked, canned, or soft fresh fruits, mashed or chopped.

Sliced soft fruit for finger feeding.

Meat, dairy, and other protein foods

Pureed single meats such as chicken, pork, or beef. Pureed tofu, and beans.

Same foods, pureed or mashed beans. Cottage cheese, soft pasteurized cheese, and yogurt may as well be introduced.

Same foods, bite-sized pieces for finger feeding.

Egg and fish

Egg, and boneless fish.

*SPECIAL Note: Some foods may crusade choking. Considering of this, avoid raw carrots, nuts, seeds, raisins, grapes, popcorn and pieces of hot dogs during baby'southward first year.

Table 2. Infant serving sizes based on historic period.^*

Age	vi months	6-8 months	8-10 months	10-12 months
Serving Size	Mix with 1 teaspoon of pureed cereal, fruit, or vegetable and 4-5 teaspoons of breast milk or formula to begin with. Increase to one tablespoon of pureed cereal, fruit, or vegetable mixed with breast milk or formula, two times a day. Gradually thicken the consistency of the pureed foods.	Feed 3-ix tablespoons of cereal, in ii-3 feedings. When feeding fruits and vegetables, beginning with 1 teaspoon, and gradually increment to ¼ to ½ loving cup in 2-3 feedings.	Dairy: i/4-1/3 cup, i/2 ounces of cheese. Iron-fortified cereal: 1/four-ane/ii loving cup. Fruit: 1/four-ane/2 cup. Vegetables: one/four-ane/2 cup. Protein: 1/eight-1/four loving cup.	Dairy: 1/3 cup, i/2 ounces of cheese. Iron-fortified cereal: 1/four-1/two cup. Fruit: 1/4-1/2 cup. Vegetables: 1/4-1/2 cup. Combo foods (such as macaroni and cheese, or casseroles): 1/8-one/iv loving cup. Protein foods: 1/viii-1/four cup.
*It is of import to non feel bound to these serving size guidelines, as they are only estimates. Infants may naturally consume more or less than these amounts.

Summary

• Offering new foods when your babe is in a good mood- not too tired and not also hungry.
• Serve solids later on your baby has had a picayune chest milk or formula.
• Give your infant time to acquire to swallow these foods and get used to the new tastes and textures. Be flexible with how your child experiences new foods (touching the food, exploring its texture, etc.).
• Do not feed your baby directly from the jar; use a clean dish. Rut simply the amount infant will eat, starting with one-half of a teaspoon, and throw any leftovers away.
• Make meal time fun for your infant.
• Infants have a natural sense of fullness, it is important never to overfeed or force-feed your infant. Doing so volition lead an infant to disregard its sense of fullness, which tin atomic number 82 to eating disorders or obesity after in life.
• Never add salt or sugar to foods to make them more than appealing for your babe.

Additional Resources

American Academy of Pediatrics: www.healthychildren.org

References

American Academy of Pediatrics: Switching to Solid Foods. 2012. www.healthychildren.org.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Introducing solid foods to toddlers. 2012. world wide web.eatright.org.

Douglas, Ann. Mealtime Solutions for Your Infant, Toddler, and Preschooler: The Ultimate No-Worry Approach for Each Historic period and Stage. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2008.

^*L. Bellows, Colorado State University Extension nutrient and diet specialist and banana professor; A. Clark, Academy of Northern Colorado associate professor; and R.Moore, graduate student. 12/98. Revised x/13.

Colorado State Academy, U.Due south. Section of Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. No endorsement of products mentioned is intended nor is criticism implied of products non mentioned.

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Source: https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/introducing-solid-foods-to-infants-9-358/

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