Family wellness often starts with diet, and when the time comes to give your baby solid food you might be tempted to head straight for the baby food jars. However, your baby’s wellness could benefit from many adult foods, so long as you take precautions to reduce the risk of choking. To ensure your baby’s wellbeing, it’s wise to consult your paediatrician about when and how to start him on adult foods.
Generally, it’s recommended that you start your baby on solid foods between the ages of 4 and 6 months. However, your baby probably doesn’t have the hand and finger dexterity to reliably scoop up foods and put them in his mouth at his stage, and will obviously need to be spoon-fed. You can make your own baby food by thoroughly cooking and mashing or grinding adult foods. Cooked fruits and vegetables mash easily with a fork, though in the beginning you may need to add water, formula or breast milk to achieve the right consistency. Cooking oatmeal to a smooth consistency also works well. At 7 months, your baby can put things in her mouth and so adult finger foods are much appreciated. Try putting Cheerios, small pieces of egg, pieces of toast, well-done pasta, soft fruits such as bananas or avocados or cut up well-cooked vegetables like carrots around his highchair tray.
When it comes to loving sweet foods, no baby needs much convincing. You develop your sweet tooth naturally, so your baby doesn’t need a dessert or sweet snack every day, and you should keep sweet treats simple. Plain biscuits beat heavily iced cupcakes and a small dish of plain vanilla ice cream is better than flavoured ice cream with toppings. This will lower the sugar content of your baby’s food, whilst exposing her to fewer new foods and possible allergens.
However, be careful because some adult foods can harm your baby as they present a choking hazard. You should not give your baby hot dogs, grapes or nuts until she’s at least a year old for this reason, and when you do they should be cut up into small pieces. Honey and peanut butter are also choking hazards as they can get stuck in your baby’s throat so wait until after 12 months to introduce them.
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