The subject of diet has been covered a few times here on the blog. Well, we want to delve a little deeper.
Today we want to understand the next steps to take in this adventure that is the introduction of solid foods for your baby. At first, we think it's something that requires patience and attempts so that the baby gets used to and likes the new foods that are presented to them.
In the first stage, which we touched on briefly in the Eating with your hands post, we felt that little ones should feel the texture and smell of food and that it would be beneficial (as well as a great explosion of flavours and mess) for them to understand how food behaves, feeling new textures that, until then, they had never come into contact with.
The introduction of solid foods is the perfect opportunity for parents to start showing their little ones their food reality. By food reality, we mean that the baby is starting to eat foods that adults also eat, such as strawberries or bananas.
So far, the introduction of solid foods has gone well, with some hesitation about one food or another that he finds, but from the moment he starts to understand its texture, he is completely won over by its flavour and adds it to his list of favourite foods.
At the moment, some flavours and textures have already been introduced into our little one's diet, but we want to take the next step. We want to start developing their taste buds even further by bringing in a greater variety of healthy solid foods.
We did our research on how we could develop the flavours for our baby's taste buds, which foods might be the most appropriate and some tips that we can avoid or give in smaller quantities to our little ones.
So here are some suggestions we've found that can be a great help in children's food development:
- We should allow babies to experience the greatest variety of textures and flavours so that they can expand their tastes;
- One thing we must bear in mind - babies imitate everything they see, so we can integrate them into family mealtimes. It will be a good opportunity for the little ones to observe the adults and for us parents to be able to present foods that might awaken their curiosity;
- We can cook the same ingredients in different ways to see which way our little one likes best;
- We leave the rhythm up to our babies. All children are different and as they discover new things, we'll realise what works best for them;
- We'll have to watch out for possible allergies. There are some foods that can trigger allergic reactions, such as cow's milk, shellfish, seeds, eggs, fish, among others. We should be vigilant and look for information on the relationship between food allergies and intolerance in babies;
- We want variety and we can get it from the main food groups - dairy products, cereals and starchy foods (e.g. potatoes), proteins (e.g. fish, meat, eggs or pulses), fruit and vegetables (e.g. fresh, frozen or tinned, with no added sugar or salt);
- Try to avoid salty and sugary foods, foods rich in saturated fats, diet foods, raw shellfish, swordfish and marlin (due to the high concentration of mercury), whole nuts (due to the risk of choking) and honey (due to the possibility of containing bacteria);
- At this age, the only essential liquids that children need are breast or formula milk and water. They can be given with every meal and snack.
- We mustn't give up! They say you can offer your baby new foods and textures up to eight times before they start to like them.
In today's post, we bring you these tips. However, we believe that each case is different. In this new phase of food introduction, we need to understand the reaction of the little one, the origin of any allergies, among other things. If you need more detailed and appropriate information for your specific case, we advise you to contact your doctor.
Apart from this care, we're sure it will be a new stage that will be fun to watch. The evolution, the food tastes that are gradually beginning to form and seeing their joy at getting to know new textures and flavours, which is delightful to watch.
What about you? How is this new phase going? Which foods have your little ones reacted best and least well to? We want to know your experience. We want to know your opinion.
