Best First Foods for Baby | with Laura Bond
Weaning is one of my favourite topics to discuss with clients. Get this right, and you will not only help establish wonderful gut health for your child, but you will also significantly reduce your chances of having a fussy eater!
Beyond Baby Rice
We can be so petrified of making a mistake, that we can end up giving our children bland food because it feels safe. But in doing so, we can set the stage for picking eating. So leave the baby rice and try these foods instead. For more on baby rice click here
Bone Broth
Bone broth can help soothe and seal a baby’s naturally leaky stomach according to research[1]. It’s also rich in easily absorbable minerals including, calcium and magnesium to build strong bones. I offered both my children bone broth around 4 months old, starting with just 30ml of bone broth in a bottle and increased it to 60 ml within the first week.
Steamed Veggies with a Twist
Organic Vegetables, steamed with filtered water and pureed is hard to beat. Start with the easy to digest root vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato and beetroot leaving the more fibrous broccoli and cauliflower until the second or third week of weaning. Have a bit more time? Try adding in some finely chopped herbs when you can – they are packed with phytonutrients and vitamins (parsley has more C than oranges) that will really help broaden bub’s palate. If you are concerned about consistency, you could use a mortar and pestle with a little olive oil to make more of a herby paste before adding to the purees.
Soft Cooked Egg Yolk
Eggs are a fantastic breakfast at any age as they packed with healthy protein and fat to keep you fuller for longer. The yolk is where you’ll find the omega-3 fatty acids and choline (brain food for baby) and it’s less allergenic than the white so a good place to start when weaning. For the perfect soft egg yolk recipe click here.
Sardines
From six months old, a tin of sardines was always something I always stashed in the nappy bag. They are packed with calcium, B12 and omega-3 fatty acids while being low in mercury. Worried about the bones? Thanks to the canning process, the bones in the sardines soften, meaning you only need to mash them with a fork – and maybe mix with some sweet potato – to safely feed a baby.
Still feeling unsure about weaning? You can book a one-on-one consultation with Laura, book via our website or call us on 08 646 88149. Laura focuses on prenatal nutrition as well as children’s health and provides meal plans and recipes as part of her consultation.
[1] Clin Exp Gastroenterol. 2012
