Baby feeding Do's and Don'ts

When you're psyching yourself up to introduce solid food into your baby's diet, the first thing to think about is what foods to try him with.

It can be very tempting to rush into the kitchen and start conjuring up exotic combinations of fruit and vegetables as an introduction to the exciting world of food, but in reality, you should probably limit the purées you make to a single ingredient to help you establish how popular each new food is with your baby. Keeping to just one will also help you to pinpoint anything he might be allergic to if he develops a rash or diarrhea a few hours after trying something new.

Use organic fruit and vegetables where possible, as they will be additive free and tasty to boot. Homemade food is much more economical than ready-made so it’s worth investing a bit of time every week in making up some purées. You can batch cook and then freeze them in ice-cube trays – then all you need to do is break out a few cubes at a time.

Give your baby half of his usual milk feed before he tries his first taste of something new. That way, he won’t be too hungry or too full to co-operate. Don’t pick a time when he’s tired – lunchtime is your best option. At first he’ll likely only eat a teaspoon or so and when he loses interest carry on with his milk feed. He’ll have to learn how to use his tongue to maneuver the food to the back of his mouth and swallow, so be patient. For the first couple of weeks get used to seeing your lovingly blended vegetable concoctions being unceremoniously spat out!

If your baby truly shows no interest in solid food leave it for a bit longer, before trying again. Keep up the usual milk feeds and perhaps try something a bit blander, such as breast milk and baby rice, or puréed potato. It could be the strong taste of the new food that your baby is rejecting. Whatever the reason, your baby will eventually show some interest.

Do…

• Try single ingredients at first: this will help you to understand what tastes your baby does and doesn’t like.

• Try to buy organic wherever possible – if you can’t, then scrub and peel fruit and vegetables before puréeing them to clean off potentially harmful pesticides.

• Invest in a good highchair to make feeding time easier.

• Stock up with plenty of washable bibs and kitchen towels – we are talking mess!

Don’t…

• Use dishes and spoons that haven’t been washed in the dishwasher at a high temperature.

• Use ready-made baby food if you can avoid this: home-made food will be much tastier for your baby.

• Panic if your baby doesn’t seem interested in food: he’ll show you when he’s ready and until that point he’ll be receiving all the nutrition he needs from his milk feeds.

If you have any unanswered questions, use the feeding and food area of our answers page to get tips and info from other moms or our resident experts.

The information on this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.

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Last Modified: 17/06/2007

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