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Weaning time can be a blissful affair or a total nightmare for a mother. Whether or not you’re a first-time mom, no two babies are alike. The weaning chart you used for one baby may be a total disaster for another baby. Nevertheless, there are foods that cut across the board for most babies. Some other foods are an outright taboo to give to a baby who’s getting her first meal. Read on to discover the list of the best foods to wean a baby and those that you should avoid.
It is recommended that babies feed on breast milk exclusively for 6 months before any solids are introduced. Breast milk is laden with nutrients and antibodies that are essential for a baby’s development and for building the baby’s immunity.
As you prepare for weaning, it’s important that you know what foods to introduce first and which ones may be bad or even harmful to the baby.
How to know if the baby is ready to start on solids
If the baby is sitting up and is able to hold their head up, he’s ready to eat. Do not start feeding the baby if they still can’t hold their headstrong as they ran a risk of choking. If he’s constantly grabbing food items and putting them in his mouth, you have an eater there, start to sterilize the feeding spoons.
You’ll also know the baby is ready to eat when they start reaching out for other foods when the other members of the family are eating. It’s recommended that babies start eating after the 6th month, some mothers who are mostly struggling with breast milk consider introducing solids to their babies earlier. Before you do that though, you can try increasing your milk supply to push the baby to the 6th-month mark.
The exception is for babies who were born prematurely. Preemies have to take breast milk for at least 6 months before anything else can be introduced. Babies born pre-term have lower immunity and are at a higher risk of infections than babies who were born at full term. Allow them to build proper immunity before introducing solids.
Types of Weaning
When your baby is finally ready to eat, you can either do the traditional weaning or go with baby-led weaning.
Traditional weaning is when you start the baby on purees and other mashed and blended foods. With baby-led weaning, you skip the purees and blended phase and introduce finger foods in addition to the baby’s normal meal of breast milk or formula. The babies feed themselves with their hands as opposed to being fed with a spoon.
The weaning method you adopt will solely depend on your preferences as a mother and your baby. Baby-led weaning takes into account the baby’s preferences and you only keep giving them what they seem to prefer. With baby led weaning, there’s little pressure on the baby to accept any type of food.
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12 Best Foods to Wean A Baby
The best foods for weaning the baby are those that are easy to eat and digest. It’s recommended that you only start with one food item at a time. Should the baby have an allergic reaction, it’ll be easier to know what he’s reacting to if he had only had one item. A mixture of items exposes the baby to reactions and you will not know what is the culprit.
Give the baby a few spoons for the first days and continue after a day. Do not expect your infant to clear a whole bowl of puree of their first solid in one sitting. If they still seem to want more, you can give a few more spoons, taking caution not to overfeed them as it may lead to constipation.
Fruits
Fruits are a good place to start weaning since they are easy to puree. Most fruits are also sweet which makes them an instant hit with most babies. Fruits are packed with vitamins and natural sugars that are essential for your baby’s growth and development. If you’re thinking of starting your baby off with fruits, these are some of the best fruits to try.
#1 Bananas
If you choose to give your baby banana as their first meal, choose a variety that is not too sweet. Too much sugar might cause the baby to dislike the food. On the flip side, it may make them not like any other food that’s not sugary if their first meal is too sweet.
To make a banana puree, slice a ripe banana into a blender and whip it until it’s smooth. Sieve to get rid of clods that may have escaped the blitz. You can add a little breast milk to make it thinner.
#2 Mangoes
Mango puree is a favorite of many moms as it’s yummy and full of vitamins. To make a mango puree, peel the mangoes and chop them up in a blender. Blitz until all the flesh is mashed. If you’re planning to do baby-led weaning, cut up the mangoes into tiny pieces and let the baby pick one by one. Keep an eye on the baby for signs of choking.
#3 Apples
You can’t go wrong with apples, whether it’s for a toddler or an infant. Apples are some of the most common weaning foods as they offer a different texture and taste to babies. To make apple puree for the baby, peel and core the apples and then put them in a pot with just enough water to cover them. Simmer the apples until soft. Transfer them to a food processor or a blender and whisk until it forms a smooth puree. Feed the baby a few spoons at a time and build up every day as the baby gets used to it.
#4 Vegetables
Broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach are some of the best vegetables to wean a baby. They are flavorful without being too sweet like carrots or sweet potatoes.
To wean the baby on vegetables, wash and boil the vegetables first. Put the vegetables in a blender and blitz them to a smooth puree.
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#5 Starches
Starches are good for weaning babies since they are easy to mash and blend. They are also mostly low on sugar, making them excellent for babies who may prefer less sweet tastes.
To wean your baby gradually, boil them until they are soft and mash them. You can also blend them to make them smoother. Starches tend to get thick, make them smoother and lighter by adding a little breast milk.
Some of the best starches to wean a baby are:
#6 Potato
Potatoes are the go-to best foods to wean a baby for most moms since they are easy to mash. Potatoes are laden with vitamin C, vitamin B, and other minerals such as potassium, copper, and manganese. Its soft and buttery taste makes it a preference for most babies. It’s also a very filling food and a few spoons are enough to keep the baby feeling full.
You can experiment with various varieties of potatoes including sweet potatoes. The darker varieties are more nutritious than white potatoes. White potatoes can be introduced at about seven months of age when the foods can be fortified with other things such as broth.
#7 Baby Rice
Baby rice is among the best foods to wean a baby, especially as their very first solid. If you’re looking for the best foods to wean a 6-month-old baby, start with baby rice. There’s no magic with baby rice, it’s just your normal rice ground to finer particles. Rice is rich in zinc, iron, and vitamin B1 making it an excellent choice for weaning a baby.
Rice is also easy on the baby’s tummy and is least likely to cause an allergic reaction. Its bland taste makes it unlikely to be rejected by the baby who is selective on tastes. It also ensures that they will not reject subsequent foods which some babies do if their first solid was full of flavor.
To wean a baby with rice, mix a few spoons with formula or breast milk to a thin consistency. The baby will only need a few spoons on the first day.
Proteins
Proteins are important to the baby as they help in the building of body cells and for general growth. Babies need proteins to aid in weight gain, do not neglect this important nutrient when planning for their weaning.
You can choose to give the baby animal protein or plant protein. They should however be given in moderation and only for the lunchtime meal to give them enough time to digest before the longer night’s sleep.
#8 Fish
To give the baby fish, puree it and feed it to them on its own and in small amounts. Fish is highly hypoallergenic, give it with caution to establish whether or not your baby is reacting to it.
#9 Beef
Chicken and beef are safer and milder for the baby, they can be introduced without much risk to the baby. Shred and puree the beef and feed the baby a few spoons at a time.
#10 Chicken
If you’re considering baby-led weaning, shredded chicken is excellent finger food for your baby once he has learned to chew. You can also make some broth and add it to mashed potatoes once the baby starts taking more than one food item together.
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#11 Legumes
Legumes are an excellent source of protein for babies and they are least likely to cause allergic reactions. Legumes such as lentils and beans are easy to cook and mash and can be given to the baby after 6 months of age.
Legumes tend to cause gassiness a lot, if your baby has had a problem with gas, consider delaying the legumes until they are 8 months old. To make the beans less gassy, soak them overnight before boiling. The lighter colored beans are also known to cause less has than their darker colored counterparts.
Use beans such as navy beans and kidney beans.
#12 Porridge
To wean a baby on porridge, start them off with porridge flour made from only one cereal. Do not mix the cereals as the baby may be allergic to one of the ingredients. Make a thin porridge and give the baby a few spoons. Do not add sugar or any other sweetener to the porridge. You can choose flour made from maize, millet, or even quinoa.
Processed flour may contain lots of preservatives and additives; if you’re able to make your own flour you should do it.
Foods to Avoid When Weaning a Baby
#1 Papaya
Although papaya is laden with vitamin C and is easy to digest, it’s advised not to use it for a baby younger than seven months. Papaya is allergenic and can cause allergic flairs in babies due to the presence of latex. Papaya can be introduced after other foods and when the baby’s allergic reactions have been established. You should only add papaya to the meal chart once the baby has gotten used to other foods.
#2 Salt and Sugar
Too much salt is not good even for adults and more so for babies. Do not add salt to the baby’s food as most of the food items already contain some little amounts of salt. This is especially with potatoes and meats. If the baby is already eating food with the rest of the family, scoop their food before adding salt to the rest of the food. Their little kidneys have not developed enough to drain much salt.
Avoid adding sugar to the baby’s food as well, sweet food is fodder for future fussy feeders. Sugar may also lead to unhealthy weight gain and tooth decay in babies who are already teething.
#3 Honey
Babies should not be given honey until they are one year old. Honey contains bacteria that may cause infant botulism in babies.
Conclusion
Weaning should not be a war between you and your baby. Be easy on them and give them time to adjust to the various tastes and flavors. Eventually, the best foods to wean your baby are those that give them the most nutrients and contribute to their growth and development.
Make sure that everything you feed to the baby is thoroughly washed and rinsed feeding. This is especially for the foods that are eaten raw. The baby’s feeding equipment has to be carefully sterilized as well.
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