Transitioning from milk to solids is always an important step for your little one. As a parent, having no clue what to feed your baby is always stressful and completely normal. Around 6 months, it is time to start introducing some unprocessed, organic solid foods.You should feed your baby organic food because they have significantly fewer chemicals and toxins as they are not sprayed with pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals. It is very crucial to feed them the right way because, in the first few years of life, heavy toxic exposure can impact health problems as they grow. When it comes to unprocessed foods, those are the best option because they are free of preservatives, and have less unhealthy fats and sugar. Also, heavy toxic exposure through processed foods not only impacts brain development but also impacts our guts. Babies are born with “open guts”, allowing antibodies from mom’s milk to pass through the gut lining and reach the baby’s bloodstream, which is a good thing providing babies with immune support and protection. However, reducing the amount of other potential proteins that can slip through their “open guts” and create an unwanted inflammatory or immune response is important.
When it comes to some recommended foods to give to your little one you can start with:
- 4 to 6 months -> single grain cereals - The level of iron that's stored in utero drops after birth, and a baby reaches an all-time low at around 9 months. That's why cereals fortified with iron are an ideal early food. Combine 1 teaspoon of single-grain cereal with 4 to 5 teaspoons of breast milk or formula.
- 4 to 8 months -> Pureed veggies, fruits and meats - You may have heard that eating fruits before vegetables can cause a lifelong preference for sweet foods, but there's no research to back that up. So it's up to you to determine whether you begin with bananas or carrots—or pureed chicken for that matter.
- 6 to 8 months -> Single-ingredient finger foods - Whether you've begun with purees or are starting solids with finger foods, many babies enjoy experimenting with self-feeding from an early age. At this point, don't offer any hard, raw foods (such as apple slices or carrot sticks). Make sure fruits and veggies are soft enough to mash with gentle pressure between your thumb and forefinger. Some good examples are cooked peas, small pieces of banana or avocado, or rice puffs.
- 9 to 12 months: Chopped, ground, or mashed foods - As soon as your child is able, transition them away from smooth purees. Incorporate more finger foods with textures like yogurt, cottage cheese, bananas, and mashed sweet potatoes. They can also use more iron, so try pureed meats like beef, chicken, and turkey.
In conclusion, you can start introducing those types of foods to babies. Make sure to watch out and pick organic and unprocessed options as much as possible to make sure they grow healthy and strong.
