Because your baby is a part of you, you want him to have the best standard of living. You’re working hard to deliver your baby, even if it’s something you don’t have. So sometimes you sacrifice yourself. You sacrifice your sleep at night and wait for it. You sacrifice all your plans and time to be with your baby during the day. You will not complain about it.
Witnessing your newborn baby grow daily gives you indescribable happiness and pride. His curiosity and enthusiasm for the outside world will often make you laugh. You care that this developmental age is healthy for them. They can no longer get the nutritional value they need from breast milk.
That’s why you should start with solid food and formula and what to look for in baby foods. During this period, parents wonder what to look for in baby food. That’s why we will share with you in this article what fussy parents should pay attention to and the information they need to learn during this period. So, if you’re ready, let’s start.
What Should I Look For When Starting Solids?
Your baby can be exclusively breastfed for several months. After that, as we said later, complementary foods may be better for them. You can make solid foods suitable for them; for example, prepare them in puree form and feed them to your baby.
So how do you know when your baby is now ready to eat solid foods? Experts say babies can start solid food feeding between 4 and 6 months. However, this may vary depending on the baby.
There are many ways to tell if your baby can digest solid foods. For example, you can give your baby solid food if they sit upright and hold their head upright. Babies who have reached this stage can chew and swallow the food, even if it is a little difficult initially.
Your baby’s start to eat solid foods can give them indescribable happiness or disappointment. All right, what to look for in baby foods? In the first place, you should give them different foods.
This way, this trial method lets you find out what you like and don’t like. For example, you can feed your baby many dishes such as bananas, avocados, mangoes, cheeses, pureed meats, and vegetables. If your baby’s reactions are normal and he chews and swallows instead of spraying from his mouth, you can give your baby foods like these.
When you start giving your baby solid foods, you should also continue breastfeeding for a while. Namely, these solid foods will be additional nutritional supplements for your baby. Therefore, it is also an alternative for mothers.
For example, if you wake up in the morning or your milk does not come in the evening, you can feed your baby by giving different foods. At first, you should introduce solid foods to your baby gradually. Start with one meal a day and gradually increase it as time goes on.
Which Brand Is Best For Baby Food Products?
You start giving your baby pureed vegetables and fruits with breast milk. Then, in addition to these foods, you can start to supplement the foods prepared for babies. You are all wondering. What should be considered in baby foods? And which brands should you choose? Let’s get to that now.
The first baby food you choose for your baby is simple and consists of only one ingredient. Because these first-level baby foods will be suitable for your new baby as they are like the softest puree and are additive-free. Research carefully what they contain.
If it’s a sweet puree, your baby will get used to it already as they find sweet foods more appealing. Thus, your baby may refuse to eat when you want to feed them vegetables and meat later. This will challenge your efforts.
When purchasing commercial baby food, you should consider whether it is organic. In this way, you will prevent your baby from consuming additives that may be harmful to you. Of course, since there is no process in organic products, the price will be higher. That’s why by researching, you can find many organic foods that fit your budget.
You can easily find the food you are looking for from various sales platforms such as Amazon. The brands we have chosen for you are the. Earth’s Best Organics brand has many baby food and cereal types. Your baby can easily grind and swallow these foods, which have a very soft structure.
Also, this brand has choices of sweet potatoes, apricot purees, and various baby bowls of cereal. There are many different forms of packaging. The choice of glass, plastic, or cardboard is entirely up to you. There are also formulas for the first stage for babies just starting with formula. You can choose it for your baby in the next steps.
What Should Babies’ First Food Be?
When introducing different foods to your baby, you may wonder what the right thing to give first is. That’s why we have chosen the right foods for you to give your baby this different habit in the first place.
You can prepare parsnips, broccoli, sweet potatoes, spinach, cauliflower, carrots, apples, pears, mangoes, mashed avocado or pureed meat, chicken, or turkey, and give your baby one meal a day. Thus, your baby will benefit from these foods with high nutritional value. He will also gain the habit of eating.
You can mix these fruits and vegetables we mentioned later with baby oatmeal and give them to your baby by making them more satisfying. However, never give slices of fruit to your babies just starting solid foods. Since they cannot grind them by chewing, it can cause damaging accidents that you do not want.
So you can puree it or boil vegetables such as peas to make them soft and eat them. Also, ensure that the cooked or boiled food is cool enough before feeding it to your baby. You can also cut foods such as bananas and avocados into tiny pieces.
Some foods that are very healthy for adults because they are high in protein can harm babies who are just starting solid foods. For example, peanuts, eggs, and fish contain allergens. This can harm your baby.
So try not to give these foods in the first place. Afterward, you can give these foods to your baby in small amounts. But after giving it, you should check if your baby reacts. If there is no adverse reaction, you can continue to give these foods to your baby.
What Purees Are Good For Babies?
We told you that when your babies start solid foods in the first place, you should not give them full and hard because they do not have teeth to chew and grind. Instead, you can prepare and serve fruits, vegetables, and meats in puree form. So, what should you pay attention to when preparing purees, and how should the purees be? Now we will tell you about it.
You can prepare puree from fruits such as apples and pears for your baby because apples and pears contain dietary fiber and plenty of antioxidant vitamin C. It is very healthy for your developing baby. It also helps support the immune system.
Since your babies will love the aroma and taste of bananas, you can also prepare the banana puree. Bananas also contain fiber, Magnesium, and the antioxidant vitamin C. Mashed avocado can be a nutritious and healthy choice for your baby.
Avocados are rich food packed with various vitamins such as vitamin K, folate, vitamin B6, and fiber. It also contains oils that help develop your baby’s brain and nervous system. Green vegetables are also healthy foods for your baby.
For example, beans and peas have many benefits to the immune system. It plays a vital role in vision, blood clotting, and bone development. In addition, it is a good source of vitamin K, vitamin C, and manganese.
You pay attention to everything while preparing food for your babies. You can continue step by step in purees-like formulas. These are very suitable recipes for the first stage of your baby, that is, the first stage of the foods we are talking about.
Then you can move on to the 2nd and 3rd stages over time. Try not to give more than one meal a day at first, as your baby will continue to breast milk when he starts to puree. You can adjust the time for these additional foods, making it easier for mothers. When your milk is low during the day, it can be a great time to have a puree.
While preparing puree, avoid adding various spices as they may cause a reaction in your baby. Instead, boil the foods we mentioned and then mash them with a fork until they are completely soft. After making sure it has cooled, you can give it to your baby. Of course, you don’t need to boil the avocado and banana. Since they are already soft, you can mash them with a fork and eat them.
What Not to Feed Your Baby?
Our article explained the foods suitable for your baby and how you should prepare them. In addition, some foods are not ideal for your baby and will cause problems in the first place when starting solid food. It may harm your baby due to its structure and components. To avoid this situation, we will tell you what you should not feed your baby.
One of them is honey. Although honey seems like healthy food, it harms babies under 1-year-old. Because honey is in babies, can cause constipation, poor sucking, loss of appetite, lethargy, and potentially pneumonia and dehydration. Therefore, you should wait until your baby is old enough to feed honey.
The other is juice. Commercial fruit juices can cause problems, especially diarrhea. It can also wreak havoc on your baby’s appetite so that they cannot get enough breast milk. Although cow’s milk sounds as healthy as honey, it harms babies until they turn 1 year old. It does not contain any beneficial calcium and vitamins for the baby. On the contrary, it contains oils that can harm the baby.
In addition to these foods, you should not give your baby a small bite of the food you have prepared for yourself, even if it seems eager before turning 1 year old. In particular, your baby may like sugary foods such as cakes and pastries and may seem very curious. But if you give it, it can cause harmful diseases.
Conclusion
Mothers and fathers are very fussy when their babies are born and grown. Therefore, they research and consult with knowledgeable people so that what they do for their babies is correct and harmless.
One of the most critical steps in the developmental age of babies is to switch to solid food. During this period, parents, as usual, are pursuing a rush and research. That’s why we researched what to look for in baby foods for parents and explained it to you.
Although it may seem simple, the foods that babies under 1 year old eat are essential. Because even if you think it is a healthy food, you may be harming your baby without realizing it. No matter how healthy for adults, many foods are harmful to babies. We’ve already told you about these in our header to avoid them.
However, since you do not know what your baby is allergic to, you can start with solid foods by consulting a professional. Or, if you are not sure that it is the right time to start solid foods for your baby, you can find out by consulting your family doctor. After starting solid foods, remember the dos and don’ts we talked about in our article. Mothers with experience in this regard can also share their ideas with us.
