Choosing first foods
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Don’t be tempted to add salt or sugar to your baby’s food however bland. Salt may harm your baby’s kidneys and sugar will encourage a sweet tooth. A baby is not used to these tastes so will not miss them. If you are a working mum and you don’t think you have the time to prepare fresh baby food, think again… Lots of fruits like banana, papaya and peaches, do not require cooking provided they are ripe – simply mash them with a fork to make instant baby food.
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Very first foods should be easy to digest and unlikely to provoke an allergic reaction. I find that root vegetables like carrots, sweet potato, parsnip and swede tend to be the most popular with very young babies due to their naturally sweet flavour and smooth texture once pureed. Butternut squash also makes good baby food in the first few weeks. The best first fruits for young babies are apples, pears, banana and papaya and it’s important that you choose fruits that are ripe and have a good flavour, so it’s a good idea to taste them yourself before giving them to your baby. Baby rice makes a good first food as it is easily digested and its milky taste makes an easy transition to solids. | |
