FIRST TASTES FOR THE FIRST YEAR

           FIRST TASTES FOR THE FIRST YEAR     

FIRST TASTES FOR THE FIRST YEAR First Tastes As advised by Health Visitor/Dietitian (not recommended before 6 months) Mealtimes Become More Important 6-9 months Moving onto Family Meals 9-12 months Healthy Eating for Toddlers On waking Breast or formula feed Breast or formula feed Breakfast Baby rice mixed with breast or bottle milk or cooled boiled water Breast or formula feed Cereal e.g. Weetabix, Readybrek, porridge mixed with breast milk, formula or cow’s milk Breast or formula feed Cereal or hard boiled egg with fingers of toast Breast feed or cup of infant formula Breakfast cereal or hard boiled egg with fingers of toast Breast feed or cup of milk Lunchtime Vegetable puree, e.g. carrots, turnip, swede, parsnips, potato mixed with baby rice if necessary Breast or formula feed Minced/mashed – meat, fish or pulses Pureed/mashed vegetable Potato or rice Stewed or pureed fruit Water or diluted fruit juice* Minced or chopped meat, fish, or pulses Mashed vegetables Potatoes, rice, pasta, or chapatti Milk pudding or stewed fruit Diluted fruit juice* or water Chopped meat, fish, cheese or pulses Chopped vegetables Potato, rice, pasta, or chapatti Yogurt, fromage frais, mousse or milk pudding Diluted fruit juice* or water Teatime Fruit puree mixed with baby rice if necessary Breast or formula feed Pureed or mashed cottage cheese and potato or puree vegetables and baby rice Yogurt or raw soft fruit (e.g. banana, melon) used as finger foods Drink if thirsty – diluted fruit juice* Finger foods e.g. bread with savoury spread or cottage cheese or smooth peanut butter or vegetable dish Fruit, yogurt or fromage frais Breast feed or cup of infant formula Sandwiches or fingers of toast with baked beans or hard boiled egg or cheese pieces with tomato and bread Slices of fruit Breast feed or cup of milk Bedtime Breast or formula feed Breast or formula feed Breast or formula feed Breast feed or cup of milk POINTS TO NOTE • Your baby may take time to learn to eat from a spoon, perhaps a week or two • Start with a flat plastic spoon • Use 1-2 teaspoons of food at one meal and gradually increase the amount • Do not add solids to bottles e.g. rusks • Add no salt or sugar to food • From 6 months (26 weeks) babies should be encouraged to drink from a feeding beaker • Food should become lumpier at this stage • Increase the variety of foods offered, e.g. include chicken, fish, pulses and a wider variety of fruit and vegetables • Cow’s milk can be used to mix cereals from 6 months (26 weeks) • Eggs can be introduced and should be cooked until the white and yolk are hard • Use family foods but do not add sugar, honey, salt or spices • Offer water or diluted fruit juice* • Remember vitamin drops (see advice on next page) • Food should now be minced, mashed or chopped • Low sugar rusks are a useful first finger food. Use fingers of harder foods, e.g. fruit, vegetables, toast • Use a feeding beaker for drinks • Use family foods without salt • Remember vitamin drops (see advice on next page) • Mild spices, e.g. coriander and cumin can be used in small amounts • Your child should now be eating with the family • Stick to savoury snacks – vegetables, crackers, plain biscuits, toast or bread, pitta bread, pieces of fruit • Diluted fruit juice or water for drinks • Remember vitamin drops (see advice on next page) • Cow’s milk may now be offered as a main drink *Fruit juice should be diluted 1 part fruit juice to 10 parts water DID YOU KNOW THE FOLLOWING? SUGAR Adding extra sugar can give a taste for sweet foods which can cause tooth decay and obesity in later life. If you use tins or packets of baby food, look for ones without added sugar. Glucose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose, fructose, syrup, honey, raw/brown sugar are all sugars. Adding sugar to foods should be limited to that needed for tart/sour stewed fruits. SALT/SPICES The young baby’s system cannot cope with extra salt. Therefore do not add to food or give salty foods, e.g. crisps. (Add salt to cooking after taking out baby’s portion). A small amount of mild spices, e.g. coriander and cumin, can be used with older babies. GLUTEN (wheat, rye, barley, oats) CONTAINING FOODS Foods containing gluten can cause allergic reactions in some babies. Wait until 6 months (26 weeks) of age before giving rusks, bread, cereal, biscuits. MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS Formula milk or breast milk is best used for drinks until your baby is 1 year old, although cow’s milk can be used in cooking after 6 months (26 weeks) of age, e.g. in yogurt, fromage frais, custards, sauces and mixed with cereals. After 1 year, whole cow’s milk can be used as a drink. Your child should be taking 1 pint (568mls) in total. This includes puddings and yogurt as well as drinks. More than this may reduce his/her appetite for foods. Semi-skimmed milk can be used after 2 years as long as your child is growing well and eats a wide variety of other foods. CHEESE Cheese can be introduced from 6 months (26 weeks). Start with cottage cheese and move onto mild cheddar later. This is because of the high salt content of hard cheese. EGGS Eggs should not be introduced until 6 months (26 weeks). They must be well cooked until the white and yolk are hard, due to the risk of salmonella food poisoning. NUTS Whole nuts should not be given to babies and young children until after 5 years of age because of the risk of choking. Finely ground nuts (i.e. smooth peanut or other nut butters) can be used from 6 months (26 weeks) of age. However, if your baby has known allergies such as eczema, asthma, hayfever and rhinitis, or there is a family history of allergy, then all nuts should be avoided until 3 years of age. VITAMIN DROPS Vitamin drops should be given to your baby from 6 months (26 weeks) of age if he/she is breastfed or formula milk intake is less than 500mls (17 fl.oz) per day. Vitamin drops are also recommended for your child after 1 year when cow’s milk becomes the main source of milk in the diet and should be continued up to at least 2 years and preferably 5 years of age. FLUORIDE Take advice from your family dentist to see if fluoride supplementation is needed. HONEY No honey is advised for babies under 1 year of age as it has been found to occasionally contain harmful spores.