Everyone has different opinions on some foods and when to introduce certain things but here is a chart that is basically the ‘rule’ to follow. We alter ours becuase we like to make sure they can fully process something before we move on.
For the chart below we hold the fruits and pump them full of veggies first then incorporate some of the fruits.
Our first refused and cried when we tried to feed him food till he was 9+ months old. He didn’t really start eating until 10 months so his time line was pushed back a lot more than our other 3. They all like and wanted to eat by 6 months old no problem.
Since most eat around 6mo I’ll follow that though for this blog post purpose.
We waited a good month before we introduced fruits and then we still waited till they were 8-9+ months to give the things that people have allergies or trouble with like peaches, plums, kiwi, cherries, grapes, cranberries.
The proteins are also something we wait on. I can’t and wont puree meat. That’s just grosses me out and they will be totally fine without. I will sometimes add tofu here and there though when I eat it becuase I have it and it’s so bland a little added to their fruits and veggies wont make a difference.
I never understood how they say it’s OK to give yogurt at 6 months old but wait until they are a year for milk so we wait on yogurt also.
We’ve already talked about the grains and I feel pretty OK with this list and a bit surprised they have it in the 8-10 months category but I’m happy with that.
As I’ve said in Part I of this mini series that I like to use ice cube trays and here’s why. They are the easiest thing to use for measuring.
They basic recipe I like to follow is 2 veggies and 1 fruit and 1 tsbl (dry) cereal. This gives it a sweet taste and pumps those nutrients into their bodies. My kids love veggies and people comment on it frequently. (This isn’t to say my kids aren’t picky because trust me they are just in different areas of the food world.) I just feel it helps them form more of a taste for the veggies later in life.
Good Combos
*note these can/are to be added to 1-2 tbls cereal, and more breast milk or filtered water if needed
- 1 sweet potato, 1 sweet pee, 1 apple
- 1 pumpkin, 1 sweet potato, 1 parsnip
- 1 banana, 1 broccoli, 1 carrot
- 1 carrot, 1 sweet potato, 1 apple
- 1 butternut squash, 2 sweet potato
- 1 mango, 1 broccoli, 1 sweet pea
If you find your child doesn’t seem to care for a particular veggie or fruit just add only 1 to a double batch of something to ‘hide’ it in the puree. It’s worked almost all of the time for us.
Extras I didn’t know where to interject but wanted to say:
- For introducing peanuts I eat a bunch of it and kiss my babies on the forehead then slowly go from there but I start at an early age (like basically when we get home from the hospital becuase who can resist kissing them and this nursing mama LOVES peanut butter
- Organic. I don’t care how much more it cost when they are just starting out I buy the organic stuff. There is just so much in our foods we don’t know about I just try my best. Once again fed is best. Every mom I know has their one thing. Be it no sugar, extreme limit on digital screen time, etc. Mine is chemicals and I try to limit what goes in their bodies best I can. (also helps reduce a bit of sugar since I won’t let them have so many processed foods)
- I really don’t like to use the microwave because it kills so much of the good nutrition out of the foods so I either boil, steam, or roast. Roasting is my most preferred method if I need to cook the food becuase that helps keep as many of the nutrients in the food as possible.
I hope this gave you the confidence to try this out yourself. It’s really not hard just a little more time but between making baby food and line drying cloth diapers on a sunny day I’m in my glory. Mamas don’t get much therapeutic time and for myself that’s a calming activity plus I’m doing something productive while giving me a ‘chill out’ activity.
Till then Enjoy and God Bless
~Just Your Average Mama