Baby’s first foods: healthy eating at 6 months

Finally my infant son is starting at eat solids! My breasts can rest. Well, only a little, really. 

But I’m excited to feed him and determined to give him a well-balanced diet at an early age. If I may compare him to his older sister, she is such a slow and picky eater that her weight is constantly on the lighter side. Both children are also diagnosed with multiple allergies, so their choice of food are already limited. But my daughter does love to eat fruit and vegetables so I must be doing something right.

So how do you develop a healthy eater at 6 months of age?

1. Start slow and gentle. Rice cereal is highly recommended as a first food, because it’s practically allergy-free. Get the baby to experience the cereal with his senses – let him touch/mush it. Give a first-time food in small amounts and let baby dictate his preference. For those with a history or presence of food allergies, it is best to delay solids to 6 months or older. It is also recommended to introduce new solids one at a time, and give the new food for 5-7 days to check for adverse and latent allergic reactions.

2. Try and try again. Some babies will eat everything you give them. Others are more cautious about trying new things. The first time you give peas might bring an “eww!” expression on the baby’s face. Don’t give up. Try it again after a few days. Expose the baby to a new food 15 or more times and he will increasingly accept that food.

3. Try a variety of flavors, tastes and textures. Store-bought first foods come as purees but they still have different textures. Once the baby has gotten used to the new food, mix it up with cereal to make it even more appealing.

4. A baby fills up quick. Remember that a baby’s stomach is small and it fills up quickly. For children under age 2, one serving is only about 1/4 of an adult serving. To translate, a serving would be half-a-bottle of Beech Nut or Gerber.

5. Serve five-a-day colorfully.  Vary the color of fruits and vegetables you are feeding so baby can get a wide range of nutrition. Babies are recommended to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in the first year.

• Green: peas, green beans, spinach, avocados, honey dew melon, kiwifruit, green grapes
• Yellow/Orange: Carrot, sweet potatoes, squash, mangoes, apricots, peaches, pineapple, corn.
• Red: apples, cherries, beets, watercolor, red grapes, straw berries.
• White: Banana, pears, cauliflowers, potatoes
• Blue/Purple: Black and blue berries, eggplant, purple grapes, prunes