First Foods for Baby
Once we decided to introduce solids, I found it a little bit overwhelming to decide what to give Hanky Pank. While I had considered so many things when I was pregnant, I had not considered solids whatsoever. I suppose food was so basic to me that it never crossed my mind for him. To make matters more confusing, I realized rather suddenly that I wanted to make my own food. And had no idea how to do so. But that’s a post for another day.
When it comes to introducing solids, it seems to me there are two options. One option was to introduce one food at a time, wait a few days, then introduce another food, and repeat. This option also typically recommends foods by introduced at certain ages. For example, apples at 4+ months but not Apricots until 6+ months. This seems like a great option to consider if food allergies run in the family.
Another option was to allow him to eat anything I ate once we introduced solids. The exception being honey, which should not be given until a baby is at least one year old. With Hanky Pank, I didn’t believe it was necessary to introduce food one at time or wait until a certain age to introduce certain foods. One reason this made sense for us is because my husband and I do not have any food allergies. This is a decision we made after discussing with our pediatrician.
In practice, I actually did end up starting with one food at a time as I was learning how to make baby food at the same time we were introducing solids. So typical that I would decide one thing and life would decide another! As Hanky Pank has gotten older and I’ve became more experienced making my own baby food, we have started introducing more and more foods.
As a matter of tradition, I started with rice cereal. A few days later I tried bananas, followed shortly thereafter by pears. Below are great first foods to try:
Tell me about introducing solids to your baby. What was his or her first food?