Your baby is fast growing into a toddler and her food interests are growing right along with her. From breast milk or formula to bottled baby foods, she’s starting to eye what you put on the table every day. Satisfy her curiosity, but be careful of food allergies.
When to Start Table Foods?
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that your baby is ready to start eating table foods when she’s about 8 to 9 months old – she should have a few teeth so she can chew and swallow without choking.
Vegetables
Get your child started on vegetables as her first table foods. Cook carrots and yellow squash, then fork-mash them or run them through a puree machine. When you cook them, don’t add salt.
Fruits
Boil some fruits, such as pears and apples, in unsalted water. Puree them or fork-mash them. Peel a banana and cut off a small portion, then fork-mash it. Allow her to get used to the taste.
Whole Grain Cereals
Whole grain cereals, such as oats, are ideal for her small fingers and mouth to manage. Put a few on her high chair tray and let her put them in her mouth herself.
Whole Milk
Start transitioning your baby to whole milk when she celebrates her first birthday. She may balk at the different taste, but persist. She needs the calcium to aid in her growth.
Whole Grain Breads
Breads are ideal for her. Whole grain breads are the best. Just tear off small pieces so she can pick them up and eat them.
Meats
Cut chicken or turkey into small pieces and give them to your child to eat. Ideally, they should not have too much salt.
Yogurts
Whole-milk yogurts are a tasty way for your baby to get more calcium. Try to stay away from sweetened yogurts, however.
Whole Grain Pastas
Cook whole-grain pasta and sprinkle it with grated cheese. Add pasta sauce – she’ll love it!
Cheeses
Cube some cheese and allow your child to enjoy this new taste.
Egg Whites
Introduce cooked egg whites to your child when she is one year old. She should be past any risks of allergic reactions by this age.
Your baby is ready for new foods and tastes. Using your doctor’s advice and common sense, introduce her to some new, nutritious foods, allowing her to eat with you and your family.
