Homemade 1st Foods

 

Food introduction differs from Breastfed babies to Formulae fed babies...while Mom can start introducing veggies and fruits after 4 months of age for a Formula fed baby, the Breast fed babies can taste food after 6 months, however, most Pediatricians still recommend continuing to only breastfeed until 12 months. This has its own side-efffects, the baby rejects other foods as he or she is too much used to liking only the taste of milk and its texture. 


Homemade First-year foods for Formula Fed Babies (beginning from four-months age):  some raw fruits that contain digestive enzymes, such as Bananas, or other ripe fruits, thoroughly mashed. As a supplement to formula, a four-month-old baby can have freshly squeezed juice from organic fruits and veggies to augment his/her consumption of living enzymes, which are naturally abundant in breast milk. Avoid citrus fruits until 9 months of age. Try pureeing fresh, raw apple and a lightly cooked carrot. Mashed avocados, melon, mangoes, papaya, applesause (boiled apple mash), cooked peas, and cooked winter squash are all good first foods. High-pectin fruits such as peaches, apricots, apples, pears, cherries and berries should be cooked to break down the pectin, which can be very irritating to the digestive tract. 

Organic or Pasture-fed or DHA Egg yolks, rich in choline, cholesterol, and other brain-nourishing substances, can be added to your baby's diet as early as four-months, as long as the baby takes it easily. If baby reacts to egg yolk badly, discontinue and try again after a month. Cholesterol is vital for the insulation of nerves in the brain and the entire central nervous system. It helps with fat digestion by increasing the formation of bile acids and is necessary for the production of many hormones. Since the brain is so dependent on cholesterol, it is especially vital during this time when brain growth is extremely rapid. Only yolk at this age, as the white is the portion that most often causes allergies, so wait to give egg whites until after the child turns one. Don't neglect to put a pinch of salt in the yolk, it helps critically in digestion as well as for brain development. Use unrefined salt to supply a variety of trace minerals.