Stages of baby food
Introducing solids is an exciting milestone.
Often it can also be as anxious moment as much as it is an exciting one.
There are often many questions such as when is the best age to start, what should the first foods be and so on.
We go into more depth at the introduction of solids in this article https://www.seriouslykids.com.au/introducing-solids/
Once you have started your baby on solids it is important to be mindful of the progression of the various stages of baby foods.
There are suggested types and ages for food introduction provided with the best interest and developmental needs of your child in mind.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed (or bottle fed) during the first 6 months before starting solids.
You can begin at a slow and steady pace and take your cues from your baby.
First foods should be iron rich and nutritious.
There are no set ‘rules’ in terms of the order of foods to introduce first, however, there are some foundational guidelines that are recommended to follow.
Guidelines for introducing solids
- Introduce each food singly and wait in-between to allow for any signs of allergies to develop. This makes it easy to isolate which food is the trigger to the allergy. If there has been a reaction then it is advised to remove that food and introduce again at a later time. It also provides for the baby to digest simple foods at the introduction.
- It is recommended to have a variety. Once you have tested the foods and allowed time (such as 3 to 4 days) between introducing each food to ensure there is no allergy.
- Be persistent. It is entirely normal for a baby to refuse new foods, new tastes and textures. A new food may need to be offered several times before they will take it.
- If your child refuses a food stop offering it that day and re-introduce the food a few days later.
- Introduce food in a relaxed way.
- Never add salt, sugar or other additives to your baby’s foods.
Once the success of the introduction of solids then there is the progression to generalized stages for the food.
This is generally guided according to a child’s individual developmental ability and is roughly around the following ages.
Stages of introducing baby foods
4 months to 7 months 8-10 months 10 months- 2 years
| Puree | Mashed | Finger foods |
|---|---|---|
| Food should be after breast of bottle milk.
The food offered should be mashed or pureed mixed with breast of formula milk or water to achieve a silky smooth consistency to help your baby swallow the food. One or two teaspoons is best to be offered when first offering food and/or new foods and wait to establish if the child is able to digest without a reaction. A baby can stomach small amounts of food supplementary to their milk consumption. Here is a approximate quantity of a particular type of food per day:
|
The same as the puree stage PLUS
The food can move from mashed or pureed to more lumpy and bumpy mashed texture. At this age your baby has developed a swallowing reflex and is therefore ready for more course food. A guide to the quantity of foods per day for a child of this age could consist of:
|
Now your is able to have finger food. Finger food can include chopped raw and cooked foods.
It is important to avoid at this age foods that can pose a choking threat such as raw carrot, whole grapes (although a cut grape needs to be cut lengthwise), celery, apple and even nuts. Finger food allows for them to not only be able to feed themselves but also encourages chewing and the development of muscles in their mouth. This age now has some teeth and finger food is great promoter of the start of self help in feeding themselves and their development. A baby at this age can digest daily quantity of:
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