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Northern Territory Department of Health Library Services Historical Collection
DL HIST 649.3 SOL 1985
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Solid Start
HISTORICAL COLLECTION
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Solid Start
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© 'Northern Territory Department of Health Published 1985
G. L. DUFFIELD, Government Printer of the Northern Territory
ISBN O 7245 1105 9
6884.851
Your baby needs to be introduced to new foods between 4 and 6 months of age. At this stage children are developmentally ready to commence solid foods as they are able to sit upright propped on mothers lap or with cushions, and the swallowing reflex is just starting to enable them to take food other than milk.
Why Solids? By about 6 months a baby begins to need more energy and more iron than is supplied by just milk alone. At first introducing solids will not increase baby's nutrient intake, as the amounts he takes will be so small. It is more important as an educational experience for the baby at this stage, as he has many things to learn-
1. To eat from a spoon
2. The feel of solids in his mouth 3. The different tastes of foods 4. To drink from a cup
How to start-
1. Create a happy relaxed atmosphere.
2. Be unhurried, do not force him.
3. Use a small plastic spoon to introduce the new foods. Plastic is soft in the mouth.
4. When first giving solids, add the food to one meal of the day only, giving it after his milk. Gradually add new foods to other meals.
5. Put the spoon well back into the mouth. Your baby cannot move food from the front to the back of his mouth at first. If not put well back, the food will ooze out.
6. Offer only a small quantity, about 1/2 to 1 teaspoonful at a time.
7. Offer only one food at a time to start with and only one new food per day, so that baby can learn to distinguish one flavour from another. This is important to determine whether he is allergic to any food.
8. Offer as wide a variety of suitable foods as possible to ensure that your baby takes a balanced diet.
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As your baby gets used to taking food from a spoon the amount can be increased.
By about 7 to 8 months when the baby is well established on solids he may be having them before his milk feed, and between 9 to 12 months he will be taking 3 meals a day with milk drinks between.
If baby reaches 6 months and is still not showing an interest in solids, it may be necessary to try them before a feed or inbetween feeds. Discuss this with your infant health sister.
What foods first? A suggested order of introducing foods is
Vegetables Fruit Cereals Milk Foods Eggs
Meat, fish, chicken etc
If giving cereals before 6 months, use a non-wheat based cereal. Initially food may need to be pureed or strained, but by about 6 months most babies manage mashed food and as they get older the texture should be altered so that by 12 months they are eating the normal family diet.
VEGETABLES
• To start with try pureed or finely mashed pumpkin, carrot, zucchini, sweet potato, parsnip or marrow.
• Later try pureed beans, silverbeet, spinach, brocolli, cauliflower, peas, sprouts or cabbage.
• Cook first till just tender; do not add salt or butter.
• To puree, use a blender, mouli mill or push through a sieve.
• Give each vegetable separately.
• By the time baby is sitting up you need only mash the cooked vegetables with a fork so that he has soft lumps for his gums and developing teeth to work on.
• When baby is able to hold food give him small pieces of raw vegetables to bite and chew on e.g. tomato, carrot, zucchini, celery, cucumber, etc.,
Remember, always supervise a child when eating to prevent choking accidents.
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FRUITS
• Give pureed or strained fruit at first, later just mash with a fork.
• Cooked fruit before pureeing or use very ripe fruit or tinned fruit.
• Do not add suger and buy unsweetened tinned fruit.
• When baby is able to hold pieces of food give small pieces of ripe fruit (without peel) e.g. pawpaw, apple, pear, banana, orange.
• By the time your baby is having solid food three times a day, try and include fresh and stewed fruit, a green and yellow vegetable and potato.
CEREALS
• Cereals are nutritious foods but giving too many of the sweet kind can lead to early dental problems and excessive weight gain and prevent baby eating other foods.
• If giving cereal before 6 months, use one which doesn't contain gluten, as some babies are sensitive to gluten. Gluten is found in wheat products so rice or rice based cereals are suitable alternatives.
• Special baby cereals can be used but are not necessary as they may be expensive and some contain high levels of sugar and salt.
• Use wholegrain cereals of the low sugar variety e.g. wheat flake biscuits, wheat flake type cereal, oatmeal, brown rice.
• Serve without the addition of sugar or honey.
• Also in the cereal group of foods are pasta (spaghetti and macaroni, preferably wholegrain), sago and tapioca.
• Later, your baby can be given bread and home-made rusks to hold and suck.
• The use of commercially prepared rusks and biscuits is not recommended because they have too much sugar or salt, or may have other food
additives.
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MILK FOODS
• Milk is very important for infants and children and is the basis of baby's diet for the first two years of life.
• When first introducing cow's milk, dilute the milk with water ( 1 part milk to 2 parts water) and gradually decrease the dilution over a few days until full strength is reached. This will enable your child to adjust gradually to it.
• Fresh cows milk from the carton (not dried, evaporated or reconstituted milk) should be boiled first until your child is 12 months old to make it more digestible.
• As your baby gets older he will take some of his milk in other forms e.g.
milk puddings, custards, yoghurt, cheese etc.,
Custards and Milk Puddings - Examples - Boiled or baked egg custard, custard made with custard powder, blancmange, sago or tapioca or vermicelli puddings, milk jelly etc.
• Use normal family recipes - do not make too sweet.
Yoghurt
• Use plain or fruit flavoured.
• Most fruit yoghurt does have added sugar, so plain is preferable.
• Plain yoghurt can be mixed with some mashed up fruit to mellow the taste.
Cheese
• Grated cheese can be given at 6 or 7 months.
• Use a mild cheddar type and sprinkle on vegetables to start with.
• Later give small pieces to hold and nibble on.
Eggs
• Eggs may cause allergy in some children so introduce slowly.
• Start with small amounts of egg yolk at about 6 months.
• If no reaction, give small amounts of egg white at around 9 months.
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MEAT, POULTRY, FISH, BEANS, NUTS Broths
• These are a good way to introduce baby to meat flavour.
• Use any meat except pork - omit onions and spices.
Meat, Fish, Poultry
• Cook till tender and puree or finely mince at first.
• Do not fry or use onion when cooking.
• Moisten with a little meat juice or broth if too dry.
• If using fish, make sure it is completely free of bones.
• When baby can hold pieces of food, give a tender piece of steak or chicken to suck on.
• When baby has some teeth meat should not be minced or chopped finely. Instead, pieces of meat should be given to encourage him to chew.
This exercises his gums and helps the development of his other teeth.
Nuts, Beans, Lentils - These can substitute for meat in the diet, and have much the same food value as meat when served with a cereal food.
• Beans and lentils should be well cooked and mashed to start with. Later they can be cooked and left whole.
• Nuts must be ground or blended to a paste - Never give whole nuts to a child until he is 4 or 5 years old because he may choke on them.
• Peanut Paste (smooth or creamed type, not crunchy) can be used on crusts or rusks or mixed in vegetables.
FLUIDS
A child who is fully breast fed does not usually need extra fluids but boiled water can be offered either by spoon, cup or bottle. Formula fed babies need additional boiled water.
Water should be boiled for babies until they are at least 9 months of age, and preferably until the time they start crawling and putting non sterile objects into their mouths.
Encourage infants to drink plain water without the addition of syrup, cordials, etc which are high in sugar, artificial colourings and flavourings.
Fruit juices can be introduced after 4 weeks, but they must be diluted with water to start with (discuss with Infant Health Sister). Fruit juice drinks usually contain 25-35% fruit juice and do contain large amounts of sugar, so it is preferable to use fresh fruit juice or to buy pure fruit juice without sugar or preservatives.
Do not give any fluids other than water when a child goes to bed because other fluids, including milk, which remain in contact with the teeth, can cause tooth decay.
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FOODS NOT RECOMMENDED IN THE DIET OF INFANTS
1. Nuts - do not give until child is 4 or 5 years of age because of the danger of choking.
2. Wheatgerm or bran cereals - do not give before baby is 9 months of age, as they can irritate the gut.
3. Unprocessed bran - do not give until child is 6 or 7 years of age. 4. Salt and salted foods - do not use salt in the preparation of infant foods
and avoid use of salted foods such as canned meats, fish and yeast extract type products until at least 9 months of age, and then only use in small amounts.
5. Sugar and foods high in sugar- the use of sugar in the diets of infants is unnecessary as children have no initial taste for sugar and it is the major cause of dental decay and obesity in children.
Remember children should always be supervised when eating to prevent choking accidents.
SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON INTRODUCING SOLIDS Q. Why should I wait until baby is 4 months old before introducing solids?
A Breast milk is the best food for a baby up to 4 months of age because it contains all the necessary nutrients in the right amounts and the right form.
It should not be replaced by any other food during this time ( except a special formula if necessary).
When a baby is born the digestive system is not completely developed, so cannot produce all the juices needed to digest other foods. Allergies may develop if foods are introduced before the digestive system is able to deal with them.
Many foods contain too much protein and salt, which can damage the immature kidneys of a young child.
The muscles of the mouth and tongue are not sufficiently developed at an early age to manage solid food. An adequate period of sucking is necessary first.
Q. What about tinned food for infants?
A. Tinned foods are useful in an emergency, but not necessary or desirable continuously. Youngsters fed on tinned infant and junior foods all the time become lazy chewers, and often become difficult eaters when they reach an age to be included at the family meal table. Tinned foods lack variety in taste, texture and appearance so that the child fed on these is not being educated to experience the different flavours and textures of foods.
Q. Should I sweeten baby's food?
A. It is undesirable to sweeten baby foods. If given sweetened foods too early in life a b9by may develop a craving for sweet foods. Sweet foods can cause tooth decay at a very early age. Dipping dummies into sweetened gels, honey etc can cause tooth decay even before the teeth have erupted.
A liking for swe~t food§ may also lead to overweight at a young age.
Q. Can I give fruit gels as a substitute for fruit juice?
A. No, they are not a drink. They do not quench thirst. They are a sweetened preparation, containing vitamin C and if used unwisely can cause tooth decay.
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SUMMARY
Your baby, and the whole family, should have meals based around the healthy diet pyramid.
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64T MODEPATELY
© Copyright 1982
Milk Cheese Yoghurt
Lean Meat Poultry Fish
Legumes Nuts Eggs
AUSTRALIAN NUTRITION FOUNDATION
The order of introducing solids can start at the bottom of the pyramid and work up
i.e. Vegetables Fruit Cereals Milk Egg
Meat and Substitutes
SUGGESTED READING A New Look at Infant Feeding
Cooking For Your Baby The Natural Way
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J. Allen, T. Coyne Laraine Toms
