BEST FOODS FOR WEANING
Baby rice mixed with your little one's milk is great food to start their weaning journey. Once ready you can then move on veggies to get your little one used to trickier tastes, start with single veggie puree or finger foods to get little tastebuds used to these savoury flavours. Broccoli is a great veg to start with!
INTRODUCING NEW TASTES, SHAPES & TEXTURES
As your little one grows their sense of adventure does too, and from around 6 to 12 months they’ll be open to trying new tastes. This is often called the weaning window.
Research shows that babies who are offered a wide variety of tastes and textures at this age are more likely to eat a range of foods later in childhood. Don’t worry though it may take 10-15 tries for your baby to get used to new tastes, so keep trying! There will be days when they eat more, some when they eat less, and then days when they reject everything – this is normal.
Try introducing new textures, colours and variety gradually so your little one can develop the mouth control they need. Creamy avocado, or juicy raspberries are great fruits to try or why not cook up some broccoli and cauliflower trees to help your little one get chewing.
Shape up! A slice of cheese, a tube of pasta or an orange segment are all exciting new shapes and your little learner will want to grip and grab. As they do so, they are boosting their hand-eye coordination and motor skills.
At this stage your little one will want to play and experiment with food. This is great for their development so here are some fun ideas to try!
Your baby might like to chew your fingers. Move them to the side of their mouth and watch their tongue move side to side to meet your finger. It’s a skill they’ll need for chewing.
Pop a bit of yogurt on the corner of your baby’s mouth and lips, encourage them to lick it off – if you can show them in a mirror so they can see what they’re doing.
Finger paint with red pepper, hummus or crushed up fruit – lick your fingers and try to get your baby to lick theirs too!
FOODS TO AVOID WHEN WEANING
Be careful to avoid sugary foods and don’t add salt to your little one’s meals. You should also avoid the following:
- Unheated honey
- Raw or lightly cooked shellfish
- Soft unpasteurised cheese
- Whole nuts and peanuts (serve them crushed or ground).
