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Food

Introducing Your Baby to Baby Finger Foods: Which Foods Are Best, When and Why

When your baby reaches the point of being able to eat solid foods, this is a significant milestone. Knowing when your baby is ready should be a point of discussion with your pediatrician. You should also ask about foods that should be avoided due to allergy risks. As a rule of thumb, most babies develop an interest in baby finger foods anywhere between the ages of 6-9 months.

Many parents believe that a baby must have teeth before he’s able to handle baby finger foods. This is not true?babies are in fact adept at mashing many foods between their gums. The best candidates for these first solid foods are those which are soft, and, of course, appropriate to your baby’s age.

Introducing finger foods provides an additional developmental benefit, that of eye-hand coordination?getting that tempting bit of food to the taste buds. Most Moms know that young children can be ‘picky’ eaters, tending to shy away from new tastes. Introducing a variety of baby finger foods at this early age can make children more accepting of new tastes as they grow older, which can be a nutritional ‘plus’.

Before we get into listing some of the best baby finger foods, be advised that you should not add sugar or salt to these baby food preparations. You may be aware that most commercially prepared foods add both of these ingredients to make the food more appealing to the consumer’s palate. However, both sugar and salt add nothing to the nutritive value?we all get more than enough of these. Eliminating sugar and salt as taste enhancers in your baby’s finger foods generally results in older children who do not crave these substances in excess, a good thing!

On the other hand, aromatic spices, such as cinnamon, ginger and other sweet spices, such as basil, can help make baby finger foods more tempting to a little one, as well as broadening the scope of ‘acceptable’ foods in the future. You may also be surprised to learn that garlic is not only appealing to many babies, but a healthy addition to menus, helping to ward off many illnesses?garlic is a natural antibiotic!

Now for our list of the best baby finger foods. Keep in mind that all of these foods should be served in quite small dice. Fruits and veggies, such as fresh peaches and carrots should be cooked before serving, both to make them soft enough for baby to mash, as well as being easy on her developing digestive system. These foods can be served on their own, or made into a fruit or veggie mix.

Suitable fruits include bananas, melon, pears, peaches, mangoes, kiwi fruit and avocado.

For a veggie menu, try carrots, peas, green beans and yes, even broccoli!

Among meats that fill the bill, chicken, turkey, beef and low-mercury fish, such as tilapia will prove tempting treats.

Introducing grains such as cooked lentils, pasta and small cereal bits, such as Cheerios(TM) and Rice Krispies(TM) are good choices.

Cheeses, including cream cheese, a firm, diced tofu and scrambled egg yolks (the whites are not so easily digested) are other foods that are nutritionally excellent and add variety to baby’s diet and taste buds.

With your pediatrician’s approval, this list should provide baby finger foods he’ll enjoy and help him grow healthy and strong! Enjoy!

Food

What Are the 5 Healthy Foods for Your Baby?

Do you know that babies don’t have to eat rice cereal as a first food?

The first taste of solid food a baby should have is a single ingredient, a food that is appropriate for their age. According to pediatricians, there are extremely good choices for first foods for babies such as the tasty and creamy avocados, sweet potatoes, and bananas. These nutritious foods are really great first foods for babies. These foods are easy to digest, full of vitamins, minerals, fats, and other nutrients that a baby needs.

Is your baby ready for solid foods?

Babies have small tummies, and because of that, they don’t eat much. It is very important to make sure that the foods they take in are nutritious. There are many baby-friendly foods in the market, but some stand out in the pack. These culinary superheroes are filled with necessary nutrients, affordable cost, effortless to prepare, and appetizing. Here are the top 5 healthy and delicious foods for babies from 4 to 8 months old:

– Avocados – sometimes, avocados are thought of as a vegetable, but they are actually a fruit. Avocados contain everything a person needs to survive. Avocados are a rich source of monounsaturated fat, a good type of fat that helps in preventing heart disease and babies need it for the development of the brain. The fat composition of avocados is somewhat similar to breast milk. Avocado may be offered to babies as early as 4 – 6 months old. It is a wonderful first food for babies. Serve fresh, mashed avocados as baby’s first food instead of refined cereals.

– Sweet potatoes – sweet potatoes are said to be a great source of potassium, fibre, vitamin C, and of beta-carotene, antioxidants that prevent cancer and free radicals. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, calcium, folate, and vitamin E too. Babies prefer to eat sweet potatoes compared to vegetables because of its naturally sweet taste. Potatoes are easy to eat even for babies who are just starting the transition to solid foods.

– Bananas – bananas are full of potassium that contributes to healthy blood pressure and healthy heart functions, and also fibre that supports a healthy digestive tract. Bananas are also high in vitamin C, vitamin B6, and vitamin B2. Bananas are perfectly portable and are easy to peel. They can be introduced to your baby as early as 4 months old. When serving bananas to a young baby, see to it that it is ripe and thoroughly mashed. Older babies can eat chopped bananas as finger foods, but they should also be ripe.

– Apples – apples contains the two types of fibre: the insoluble fiber and the soluble fiber. Both fibers contain pectin that helps in maintaining regular bowel. Apple promotes cardiovascular health, lung health, prostate, liver, and colon health, as well as bone health. Apples are easy to prepare, easy to digest, and very nutritious. Apples should be peeled for babies under 8 months of age.

– Squash – squash is rich in vitamin A and C. It is naturally sweet and has a creamy texture. It is a wonderful first food for the baby and is also rich in calcium. Squash may be offered for babies from 4 to 6 months old. The best way to cook squash for baby is to bake or to roast it.

Introducing solid foods to your baby is a huge milestone that will serve as the foundation for healthy eating habits. They will probably eat 1/2 of a tablespoon portion of food the first time you introduce solid food. Always remember that breast milk/infant formula are providing for the total nutrition of your baby at this early stage.