Your Baby's Diet

Introducing Solids

From the moment your baby is born until the day they can choose and prepare their own food, your baby’s nutrition is solely up to you. You are totally responsible for ensuring that your baby receives the appropriate amount of nutrients to guarantee the best possible start to life.

When is the best time to introduce solids?

0 to 6 months - a new life

For the first 6 months of your baby’s life, breast milk or infant formula will provide your baby with 100% of their requirements. Introducing solid foods too early may cause problems if their digestive system is not ready.

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend breast feeding is best for babies and it is recommended that it is done exclusively for the first 6 months. It provides all of the nutrition and protection from infection that your baby requires for those first amazing months of their life. Breastfeeding also provides numerous microbiological advantages. Not to mention the psychological benefits between mother and child. The use of vitamin and mineral supplementation may be necessary for this age group if the breastfeeding mother is not eating a healthy diet full of variety. Formulas provide the complete range of vitamins and minerals if given in the appropriate amount. The amount of formula that is required is dependent on the weight and age of your baby and can be determined by your dietician, midwife or paediatrician.

Delaying solids decreases the risk of food allergies.

Introducing solids too early may cause problems as their digestive system is not ready until 6 months of age. As their systems are immature and underdeveloped, introducing too early may trigger allergies as their system may not be able to process the food.

It is well documented that prolonged exclusive breastfeeding results in a lower incidence of food allergies. From birth until around six months of age, babies possess what is often referred to as an "open gut".

This means that the spaces between the cells of the small intestines will readily allow intact macromolecules, including whole proteins and pathogens, to pass directly into the bloodstream. This is great for your breastfed baby as it allows beneficial antibodies in breast milk to pass more directly into baby's bloodstream, but it also means that large proteins from other foods (which may predispose baby to allergies) and disease-causing pathogens can pass through.

During baby's first 5- 6 months, while the gut is still "open", antibodies (sIgA) from breast milk coat baby's digestive tract and provide passive immunity, reducing the likelihood of illness and allergic reactions before gut closure occurs. Baby starts producing these antibodies on his own at around 6 months, and gut closure should have occurred by this time also.

First Foods

It is better to start with sweet tasting root vegetables such as carrot, pumpkin, or swede.

Introduce stewed pureed fruits such as apple, pear, apricots and peaches.

From 6 months+, remember nothing beats a fresh mashed banana for health, nutrition and convenience and baby will love it.

Always try a new food variety in the morning. If a reaction occurs at least then it will usually show up during that same day. Wait 3 to 4 days between each new food to help you pinpoint any food intolerance.

Avoid feeding baby highly processed foods, or any foods that are sugary or salty.

The difficulty with highly processed baby foods is they rarely taste like real fresh vegetables and therefore when your toddler is ready to start eating fresh vegetables with the rest of the family, more often than not, you are starting from scratch with trying to introduce vegetables and that can be extremely difficult.

Getting your baby used to fresh vegetables from an early age will pay off in the long run. If your baby does not take to vegetables straight up be persistent. It is so rewarding when your baby reaches toddler stage and he will eat a wide variety of foods.

If your baby will not eat certain types of vegetables first up, try adding a little bit of pureed pears to the vegetables and then gradually reducing the amount till nill.