Introducing Baby Food: You Should Know That

The first spoonfuls of complementary food – an exciting moment for the baby as well as for mum and dad. We have compiled the most important cornerstones so that you know when and how to handle the introduction of complementary foods.

First complementary food: How to find the right time

The right time to introduce complementary food is between the beginning of the fifth and seventh months of life. You can also tell from the behavior of your child whether it is actually time to try the first baby food in addition to breast milk or bottled milk.

• If your child shows overall interest in what is happening when you sit at the table and eat, then they may already be curious to eat. If it observes you while you eat and “bitches” a little, it signals: I want to try it myself.
• Your child cannot sit freely at five or six months. However, it should be able to keep its head still and turn itself very well when it is in the baby car seat or in a seesaw.
• Test the first spoonfuls carefully and in a “rested” moment. You can give your child a slightly moistened spoon to try it out.
• If, after the first taste, your child continues to open his mouth curiously and willingly as soon as the filled spoon comes his way, then that is a good sign. Don’t overfill the spoons at first.
• If, on the other hand, your baby immediately pushes the porridge out with his tongue and doesn’t want to swallow it, you can safely wait a while with the complimentary food and try again after about a week or two.
• Be a little more persistent with what you eat if you notice that your child is no longer getting enough from breastfeeding or bottle feeding.
• Faster hunger after the last meal and shorter bedtimes than before can be an indication that a “plus” of food is now needed.

From the first spoonful to the complete meal

Basically, there is no “must” when introducing complementary food, at most a “can”, because every child is (s)t different. There have been good experiences if, as a first step, you replace the midday meal with a vegetable puree from the generally five drinking meals a day.

• In the first week of solids, start with a simple, one-ingredient vegetable puree. This can be, for example, carrot, pumpkin, or parsnip. All three have a slightly sweet taste and are therefore usually well accepted by children who eat complementary food.
• After the first few spoonfuls, you will quickly feel when your child has had enough. Afterward, offer breast milk or, if necessary, the bottle as a supplement in the first few days. This also makes it easier for your body to gradually adapt to the decreasing need for breast milk.
• If it works well with the first vegetable puree, you can supplement it with strengthening potatoes or sweet potatoes in the second week.
• In the third week of the introduction of complementary foods, you are already offering the vegetable puree with some meat two or three times a week. This ensures your baby’s iron supply.
• However, it also works without meat: Then you should mix plant-based iron suppliers into the porridge. For example, melt-in-the-mouth oat or millet flakes in combination with a tablespoon of apple or orange juice are good.
• In a final step, vary the vegetable and potato mash by planning sea fish once a week instead of meat. You can also try to accommodate pasta or rice instead of potatoes as a filling carbohydrate carrier in the following weeks.

Try again after about a month

If the first full meal works well – this is usually the case after four to six weeks – you can start making the switch from meal number two. Once this is done, replace food number three and finally, only give your child one or two milk meals at most.

• Especially if you want to breastfeed your child until the end of the first year, you should make sure that the last two breastfeeding meals are far apart in time. In this way, your body will also get used to the lower demand for milk.
• Now offer your offspring a cereal-fruit porridge or cereal-milk porridge for the evening. After another four to eight weeks, replace the afternoon meal with cereal and fruit porridge.
• You can prepare the cereal porridge very quickly and easily yourself. You heat water or milk and add baby melted flakes or fine flakes (careful: let them swell well). Oat, millet, rice or spelled flakes are well suited for this.
• You can prepare the cereal porridge with or without milk. For a long time, cow’s milk was a “no-go” during the first year of a child’s life. In the meantime, however, the general recommendations are different. Up to 200 milliliters of whole cow’s milk are now accepted for children from the age of seven months.
• If you decide against cow’s milk in the porridge, you can mix the cereal flakes with water or – as soon as your child has gotten used to the cereal – with plant milk such as coconut milk, oat milk, or rice milk.
• With a vegan porridge alternative, you should also include a source of fat and energy in the evening porridge. Linseed or rapeseed oil is a very good supplement. Also, nut or almond butter, provide additional calcium.
• Complement the porridge with some grated or mashed fruit. Apple or pear, for example, are good for this. When it comes to bananas, keep in mind that they can be slightly constipating.

Which complementary food is the best?

Every child is already influenced by taste substances in late pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Therefore, some children will find it easier to accept new things on the spoon, while others will remain hostile to many things. Both are possible. However, as a parent, you should know the following:

• Contrary to what has long been claimed, according to current knowledge, your child will not be better protected against allergies if they eat as few different foods as possible in the first year of life. Quite the contrary: Your offspring will benefit from a little variety.
• Whether you want to cook baby food yourself or use ready-made baby food is certainly a question of the time you have available – it is important, however, that the ingredients are of high quality and freshly processed and are as little overcooked as possible. You should also make sure that there is no added salt in the food in the first few months.
• If you want your offspring to be vegetarian or even vegan, that is also possible. However, you must then find out exactly how you can provide your child with sufficient critical nutrients such as iron, iodine, vitamin B12, and essential fatty acids. Be sure to talk to your pediatrician about this.
• As soon as your child can sit up independently – this is often the case at nine months – you can, for example, give it a small snack in the morning as “finger food”. Rusks, bread crusts, fruit such as pears, and apples or vegetables such as carrots are suitable.
• Every new food that you incorporate into your child’s diet can cause reactions in the digestive tract or the skin. You should not be overly careful with your child during this “adjustment” period, but you should still observe them carefully.