{"id":631,"date":"2015-12-02T12:30:44","date_gmt":"2015-12-02T12:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/?page_id=631"},"modified":"2023-09-18T17:13:10","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T17:13:10","slug":"baby-food-when-weaning","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/faq\/baby-food-when-weaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby Food When Weaning"},"content":{"rendered":"
Your baby\u2019s first taste of food is an important milestone, and one that signifies the start of a period in your lives that can be both exciting and frustrating. Exciting as you help your baby explore new tastes and get to know the foods he prefers, and frustrating as you mop up bowls of unwanted food off the floor (NB, this continues well into toddlerhood and beyond!).<\/p>\n
Knowing what to feed your baby during weaning can be confusing, as supermarket shelves seem to be filled with a plethora of choices, and there are certain foods that should be avoided in the early months. One thing is certain, and that is that once you start weaning, meal times will become a lot messier!<\/p>\n
Your baby is spoilt for choice when it comes to the types of food available, both from pre-prepared and home-made options. Don\u2019t be afraid to encourage your baby to try new flavours, she will certainly let you know when she doesn\u2019t like something.<\/p>\n
Baby cereals are often marketed as an ideal first food for your baby. This is because they are fairly bland and can be mixed with breastmilk or formula to enable your baby to get used to a new texture with a taste that he is familiar with. However, some parents report that their children disliked the taste, and preferred something with a little more flavour.<\/p>\n
Although some cereals are marketed as being suitable for babies from four months old, it should be noted that the NHS currently recommends that babies begin weaning at six months old. Furthermore, you should not add baby cereal to your baby\u2019s bottle, as this may cause him to choke. For more information, see our article\u00a0Weaning: When to Wean a Baby<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pre-made baby food is available in small jars, and more recently pouches, and there are a great deal of varieties to choose from. They are very convenient, as they are ready to feed, and the pouches in particular can be handy on the go as the food can be squeezed directly onto a spoon.<\/p>\n Many parents use jars and pouches to wean their children, but in recent years there have been studies that suggest that the nutritional content of these foods is not as good as that from home-made food. In addition, many of the pre-made foods contain sugars from fruit that may encourage your baby to develop a preference for sweeter foods.<\/p>\n There is no reason why your baby cannot have homemade food. In previous generations some parents were told not to do this because of the risk of infection, etc., however, by the time your baby is six months old her immune system will be significantly more developed and able to deal with most bacteria found in food. Furthermore, studies have indicated that homemade baby food has a much higher nutritional value than its pre-made counterpart.<\/p>\n If you decide to give your baby homemade baby food, you need to give her food that is free of salt, as too much salt can harm your baby. Therefore, you should not give your baby a blended version of your own meal if you have added salt or used processed foods when cooking it such as pre-made pasta sauces, gravy granules, etc. Instead, use fresh ingredients and herbs for flavour. If you want to use purees rather than finger foods, you will need to invest in a blender or food processer. You can buy one especially marketed at creating baby purees, but there is no reason why you can\u2019t use a standard processer.<\/p>\n You might find it easier to prepare a batch of baby food in advance and freeze into portions to be used as required. Ice cube trays are often ideal portion sizes for babies when starting to wean, alternatively you can buy storage pots that can also be placed in the microwave for heating.<\/p>\nJars \/ Pouches<\/h3>\n
Homemade Baby Food<\/h3>\n
Finger Food \/ Baby Led Weaning<\/h3>\n