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Is it time to introduce your baby to food? A whole new world is opening up, both for your baby and you as a parent! But when should you start feeding, and how should the transition work?
As your baby approaches the six-month mark, a new era begins: it's time to introduce food. Start with taste sensations, then move to smaller taste portions, and gradually increase. This is a big and important step in your child's development, and one where you as a parent have the opportunity to control what foods and flavors you give your child.
Introduction of food
Around 4-6 months, children usually start to take an interest in food. You can tell by the fact that your child is curious about what you and the rest of the family are eating! There is no exact time to start, and while some children are interested in food early, others are not very curious at all. The important thing is to give them the opportunity to try when they seem curious about what the rest of the family is eating. And then a whole new world of flavors and exciting textures awaits, but also a lot of mess - and that's part of it!
Allowing your baby to feel, squeeze and smack is great for practicing oral motor skills and a big part of the taste journey that makes it both enjoyable and exciting. We understand that this is a transition for you as a parent too, so try to lower the demands on yourself, start at a slow pace and try to have fun with your baby in the food journey. Full breastfeeding is recommended for the first 6 months. Therefore, when giving small tastes, continued breastfeeding or formula feeding is recommended, just as before.
Step 1. Taste sensations/small samples
The transition to food is very much about letting your baby experience different flavors, which is known as taste sensations. You can dab a little of what you're eating on your baby's mouth. These are small tastes, about the size of a spice measure, to help your baby get used to new textures and flavors. At first, you should only give soft and loose textures, such as purees and mashed or blended foods. It doesn't matter if the food contains some salt as the amounts are so small. Start a few times a day and see how curious your child is about food, then you can give more on more occasions as you go along.
Step 2. Tasting portions
If the child has had small tastes, you can then start increasing the amounts gradually. It's a good idea to give a little more food each time, still with a soft texture. Depending on how interested your child is, the amount of food will vary, but it's good to start small and then increase the amount. This will give your baby's stomach and intestines time to adjust. Don't worry so much about what other parents are doing, but let your child set the pace. While you start introducing flavored portions, continue with breast milk or formula, so the baby gets what he needs in terms of energy and nutrition.
What kind of food can you give?
You can alternate between preparing your own food and buying ready-made baby food in shops. Sometimes you may have more energy to cook from scratch, while at other times it is better to have quick options.
Baby food quality is important, and that's exactly what Semper offers with its products. Not many people know that baby food is governed by its own legislation, which is there to protect the little ones and to give you as a parent complete peace of mind when feeding your child. You don't have to worry about weird additives, colorants and preservatives. They are banned in baby food.
All Semper's dishes are prepared with the purest ingredients with completely natural taste. The food is preserved only with heat, and has pieces and nutrition that are adapted to the child's age. So you can give canned baby food with a clear conscience and be confident that the quality is GOOD. Semper has a plethora of different types of food based on age and offers a wide variety of tastes and textures - all to give your child the best possible eating experience.
The STEP method
What is STEP and how do I use it in my baby's taste journey?
The STEP approach aims to introduce children to fruit, berries and vegetables at an early age, in conjunction with the introduction of ”regular” food. By training the child on slightly more difficult tastes such as bitter and sour, the chances of the child accepting and appreciating the bitter taste of some vegetables and root vegetables, or the natural acidity of some fruits and berries, increase. This method has even been tested in a scientific research study!
Let's explain the STEP approach in more concrete terms:
Over 24 days, your child will taste 4 vegetables/root vegetables and 4 fruits/berries according to a schedule. The days are divided into phases of three days, with one vegetable or fruit playing the main role in each phase. It will thus be served three times a day, three days in a row, for a total of nine servings. Then you move on to the next vegetable, fruit or berry for the next three days, and so on until all 24 days and 8 foods have passed. This is a fun and clever way to help your child enjoy a varied diet!
It is good to introduce more bitter and sour tastes from the start, as these tastes often take some getting used to for the child, unlike sweet tastes that are learned already during the fetal stage.
Start introducing the STEP method when the taste window is open, as this is when the child is most curious and receptive to new tastes. The taste window from when the child is about 4-6 months until the age of 1 year.
Tips for starting your baby's food journey
- It can take up to 15 times for children to get used to a new taste or texture
- don't give up just yet!
- Vary the flavors and let the child try both sour and bitter to learn to appreciate taste nuances.
- If the child grimaces, shudders or wrinkles their nose, forehead, or shakes their body after tasting something, it doesn't mean that the child doesn't like the taste, but only that it is a new experience, taste or texture for the child. We adults do the same when we eat something sour or bitter - but that doesn't mean we don't like the taste.
- Use a garlic press to mash small portions of food for baby
- Feel free to add extra butter or canola oil to the tasting portions. Small children need fat!
- Try to read your child's signals to see if they are still hungry or not. Let your child be in charge!
- As long as your baby is growing, you can be sure that they are getting all the nutrition they need
- Let the baby sit at the table with the rest of the family to create good food routines
- Take it easy in the food introduction and don't stress if the child doesn't seem interested. Interest in food will come when the time is right
Read more about the STEP approach
HERE.More about food that is good to know in the first year
Breast milk/substitute
Once you start giving small samples, continue breastfeeding or formula feeding as usual.
Gluten
Introduce gluten slowly to reduce the risk of gluten intolerance/celiac disease later on. Since the taste portions are small at the beginning and are increased as you go along, the introduction is often slow for completely natural reasons, which is great.
Iron supplementation
Your child's innate stores of iron diminish over time and need to be replenished to meet their iron needs. As a parent, you need to give your child iron-fortified food. Semper's porridge is enriched with iron and is perfect to give at the same time as you start introducing other foods.
What should I avoid giving baby?
There are a few foods to avoid before the age of 1. These are honey, green leafy vegetables, beetroot juice, green potatoes, unpasteurized milk, rice cakes and rice drinks, salt, sugar, fennel tea and whole nuts and peanuts.
Want to cook healthy baby food recipes with lots of vegetables from the age of six months? Check out the recipes
HERE.
