Monday's musings - Baby food

There's a heck of a lot of advice out there about raising healthy babies, and unfortunately so much of it is contradictory. In the end it comes down to individual parents sifting through it and making the decisions that sit right with them.

I've already shared some of the decisions I made for my daughter L during pregnancy and now want to talk about how I'm introducing her to the world of solids.

The book Well Adjusted Babies has again been a great resource for this, specifically its 'Which-Foods-When Chart' which gives the following guidelines:

6-9 months
Fruits: Avocado, Mango, Rockmelon, Paw-paw, Kiwifruit, Stone-fruit (stone and skin removed), Pears.
Vegetables: Zucchini, Squash, Pumpkin, Green beans, Celery, Mushrooms.
Gluten-free grains: Brown rice cereal, Amaranth, Millet, Buckwheat, Quinoa (low-gluten, closer to 9 months).

9-12 months
Fruits: Apples, Bananas, Berries, Grapes, Watermelon, Dried fruits (need to be free of sulphur/220), Citrus fruit.
Vegetables: Spinach, Beetroot, Broccoli, Carrot, Cauliflower, Asparagus, Sweet potato and corn (about 10 months), Eggplant/Peppers/Tomato/Potato (closer to 12 months).
Gluten grains: Oats, Barley flakes, Brown rice flakes, Basmati rice.
Protein: Soy products (soy milk, yoghurt, cheese), Tofu, Chicken and meat, Some beans, Egg yolks, Seeds and nuts (crushed).

1-2 years
Fruits: Strawberries
Grains: Brown rice, Wheat products (small amounts)
Protein: Fish, Egg whites, Other beans, Pulses, Whole cow's milk products (small amounts)
Other: Honey

2 years+
Grains: White rice
Protein: Shellfish
Other: Whole nuts, raw carrots, popcorn (3years+)

The book advises giving food to baby in as natural a state as possible. Happily for me, my sister-in-law Louise gave me a great set of Mum 'n Bub freezer trays which allow me to prepare food for L in advance and freeze it into appropriate portion sizes. I've been steaming zucchini, pumpkin, beans and fruit and freezing them for later use.

The following picture shows some Millet Baby Cereal ready to freeze in one of the trays. I found both organic millet and organic amaranth at my local Bin Inn store, so if you're having trouble tracking down specialty grains - pay Bin Inn a visit.

Cooked millet.

Millet and amaranth.

Because this is all new to me, I'd love to hear from other mums about how they've started their babies on solids. Please use the comments box below to share your special tips and tricks.