Baby food doesn’t have to be bland – in fact, spices and seasonings are encouraged. The more variety, the better, to expand your baby’s tastes. You don’t have to make separate food for your baby – little ones can eat what the rest of the family is eating, as long it doesn’t contain added sugars.
IN THIS ARTICLE
- Use spices for baby food
- Avoid added sugars
- Limit junk food
- Give your little one homemade food for babies and for grown-ups
- Make your own informed decisions about organics
- Expand your baby’s tastes
- Feed your baby the necessary fats
- Offer rejected foods again – and again
- Demonstrate the joy of eating
Many babies are ready for solid foods by the time they’re around 6 months old, and parents often turn to such traditional first foods as infant cereals and other bland fare. Plain food isn’t necessarily bad for babies, but too much of it can deprive them of important nutrients and may make them less likely to accept different textures and flavors. Pediatrics says, it’s important to offer your baby food of a variety of healthy foods.
Use spices for baby food
While babies throughout the world are dining on complex, flavorful cuisine, many babies are gumming plain, tasteless mush. The reasons we continue to serve babies bland food are open to debate, but one thing is certain – they’re not based on research. In other words, a culinary walk on the wild side won’t hurt your baby food in the slightest.
5 tips to develop healthy eating habits
- Learn which nutrients your baby needs, what foods might have more sugar than you realize, and how to promote healthy eating from an early age.
- And breastfed babies have actually walked that way already: Breast milk takes on the flavors of the food the mother eats. So if you dine at your favorite Indian restaurant and then nurse, your baby will also enjoy the taste of an Indian meal.
- So toss some rosemary in with that squash, liven up that chicken with a dash of cumin, and give those mashed potatoes a kick with a blend of paprika and parsley. You may be surprised by your baby’s reaction.
- Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to banish hot spices from the highchair tray either. Of course you’ll want to steer clear of anything that could irritate your baby’s skin or mouth (so no habaneros yet), but there’s no harm in letting your baby try mildly or moderately spicy food. For example, milder chiles, such as Anaheims and poblanos, add flavor without causing pain. If anyone raises an eyebrow, just say that babies in other parts of the world thrive on spicy food.
- Cooking with herbs and spices is a great way to expand your baby’s palate, but skip the sugar (see next tip) and salt when preparing food for your little one. Not only are they unhealthy, but they can also lead to poor eating habits and health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in childhood and later in life.
Avoid added sugars
Sugars that exist naturally in foods, such as the fructose in an apple or the lactose in cheese, are fine. But watch out for added sugars. These are sugars or syrups added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. These are products like corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, and sucrose.
You likely won’t have problems with jarred baby food or whole-food purees you make at home. But as your little one moves on to finger foods, snacking, and eating what the family eats, be mindful that added sugars can be found in surprising places, such as in ketchup and soups.
Limit junk food
Everyone knows that junk food is unhealthy, but the negative effects can be much more serious for babies. (Unfortunately, some classic kid foods actually qualify as junk. See our list of the worst foods for babies.)
That’s because even a very small serving of sugary or salty junk food is likely to make your baby feel full, leaving less room for healthier food with the nutrients necessary for brain growth and development.
Does this mean you’re a bad parent if you let your little one sample a french fry or gnaw on a corner of your chocolate chip cookie once in a while? No – just don’t make it a regular habit because it could encourage your baby food to develop a taste for extra sugary or salty foods.
Give your little one homemade food for babies and for grown-ups
“Homemade baby food” sounds daunting, but it’s surprisingly easy and doesn’t require a nutrition degree, gourmet cooking skills, or fancy equipment. Making baby food can be as simple as mashing up a banana or avocado with a fork, squashing canned beans together with some garlic, or pureeing veggies steamed with spices.
And as long as you’re making something healthy, your baby food can eat the same food you do – no need to make separate meals! Just use a blender, food processor, or baby food maker to make food the right consistency for your baby.
Or forget the purees altogether and try baby food-led weaning: Place large, soft chunks of food on the table or highchair tray and let your baby food feed themself.
Make your own informed decisions about organics
“There’s a lot of confusion when it comes to organics because there’s no conclusive evidence that they’re healthier than conventional foods,” says dietitian and mom Jodi Greebel of New York. And there’s conflicting evidence about whether pesticides and hormones in conventional foods are harmful.
“But the general feeling is that anything harmful will have a stronger effect on babies because of their small size – bad substances won’t be as diluted as they are in an adult.”
Some studies suggest a link between pesticide exposure and cancer as well as developmental problems in children, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and poor intellectual development. But the short-term and long-term effects of pesticide exposure are still poorly understood, and experts disagree on just how concerned parents should be. In deciding whether to feed your baby all, some, or no organic food, consider what works for your family and your budget.
The organic factor also matters more with some foods than others. For example, apples, spinach, and strawberries have the highest pesticide residue levels. On the other hand, sweet corn, cabbage, and avocados tend to have relatively low levels. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group ranks fruits and vegetables from best to worst in terms of pesticide residue.
You can also buy organic meat and poultry when possible, but keep in mind that conventional meat and poultry can still be free of antibiotics and hormones. The federal government prohibits the use of hormones when raising hogs and poultry, so just check packages of beef for a label like “no hormones administered,” and check meat and poultry products for labels indicating that no antibiotics were added. Visit the United States Department of Agriculture’s website for more information about meat and poultry labeling terms.
Whatever you decide, remember that general good nutrition trumps organics.
Expand your baby’s tastes
Although consistency in everything from bedtime to discipline is a hallmark of sound parenting advice, a little inconsistency at mealtime can be a wonderful thing. Changing up the menu broadens your baby’s palate and helps to ensure good nutrition, especially when it comes to produce. (For ideas to get you started, check out these experts’ suggestions for adventurous first foods.)
Often this means heaving ourselves out of a well-worn food rut. Stuck on sweet potatoes? Shake things up with some steamed beets. Smashed peas and carrots every night? Consider pureed brussels sprouts with a little lemon juice instead. Oat cereal overload? Try quinoa cooked in vegetable broth.
Feed your baby the necessary fats
Grocery store shelves are bursting with low-fat and nonfat products – should babies be eating these? Absolutely not. Fat is essential for babies’ growth, and both breast milk and formula contain a lot of it.
Experts recommend serving babies full-fat dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt, until age 2.
But don’t give your baby cow’s milk to drink until after their first birthday. At that point, serve whole milk (unless the doctor tells you otherwise).
The unsaturated fat in avocado makes it another wonderful choice for your baby, and the same goes for salmon and other fatty fish because they contain essential fatty acids, including omega-3s.
Offer rejected foods again – and again
When it comes to sampling new foods, babies make harsh critics. Offer a mouthful of your famous pureed green beans with dill, and your baby may swallow it reluctantly – or spit it out and push your hand away, mouth clamped shut.
Don’t force the issue. For one thing, your baby may just not be hungry. Babies’ appetites fluctuate, and they need less food than many of us think.
On the other hand, your baby might be turned off by the look, smell, or taste of a food. This doesn’t mean you should ban it from your table permanently. If you keep trying, your baby may begin to tolerate that new food after you expose it to them a few times.
So although it can be frustrating to watch your baby reject the food you’ve lovingly prepared, take a deep breath and try again another day.
Demonstrate the joy of eating
“Dining with one’s friends and beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal and most innocent delights,” Julia Child famously said.
Enjoying your food is the most meaningful thing you can do to foster a similar appreciation in your little one. Babies watch their parents and model them, so experiment with different flavors and new foods. Let your baby see you eating and savoring lots of different healthy foods. If you enjoy the simple pleasure of eating good food, chances are your baby will too.
Unfortunately, it’s also easy to become frustrated and stressed about your baby’s eating habits. Their fickle appetite, your concern about whether they’re eating enough, and the sheer messiness can conspire to turn feeding time into a chore – or even an outright battle.
It doesn’t have to be this way. There are several things you can do to make mealtime an enjoyable experience. First, make sure you have enough time so that you aren’t hurrying your baby’s meals. And hard as it is, accept the mess as a given – letting babies play with their food is actually good for them. They’re learning about new tastes and smells while they’re playing, and they’re learning that eating can be fun.
To make cleaning up easier, put a splat mat under your baby’s highchair. On warm days, consider letting your baby dine topless to lighten your laundry load. And take comfort in knowing that everything is washable, including your baby.
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