When your baby is ready or getting ready to start solids parents often have a lot of questions.

Remember that you do not need to puree foods to feed them to your baby. Your baby can enjoy mashed foods and finger foods, even before their teeth appear. It is very important that your baby tries different tastes and textures. When your baby self feeds they have much more control over the feeding and this is very important. Your baby can self feed with their fingers or a spoon. Self feeding allows your baby to try food at their own pace.

You don't need to purchase special equipment in order to prepare food for your baby. You can use a fork to mash their food where appropriate. I do not recommend using the mesh strainer bags. 
 
Click here to watch a baby self feed with a spoon
 
 
For more information or if you have questions about starting your baby on solids contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com

Quinoa is an ideal gluten free grain to serve to babies. It has a very unique taste and texture and offers a good learning experience. It also contains more iron than many other grains.

I encourage parents to start with high iron foods then add in vegetables and fruit. So, when I get around to giving babies grains, including a high iron one is a benefit.

I often get asked if grains should not be given until 1 or 2 years old. Although I do encourage parents to wait to feed grains to their baby, I only encourage them to wait until at least 6 months, and the reason is amylase.

Amylase, an enzyme, is an important component of carbohydrate digestion. Amylase is found in saliva (salivary amylase) and the pancreas (pancreatic amylase). Salivary amylase starts the breakdown of complex carbohydrates in your mouth, and in infants levels start to rise between 3-6 months. In the small intestine, where most digestion takes place, pancreatic amylase levels start to increase in babies around the 7 to 8 month mark.

As you can see, I would not choose to feed grains before 6 months. As amylase is also needed for the digestion of carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables and we introduce these foods right around the 6 month mark your baby could break down grains at this point. However, I suggest avoiding the infant rice cereal and instead using other high iron foods.

Although I don’t recommend offering any food to your baby before 6 months, I find that by the time you baby is eating some high iron foods and some fruits and vegetables you usually wont get around to gains until they are somewhat older.

Now going back to the gluten free comment I mentioned at the beginning. I definitely do not encourage babies to be gluten free. When I start introducing grains I typically go with gluten free first before adding in a grain containing gluten. That being said, I do add a gluten containing grain sooner rather than later as the newest research is showing that this is actually a benefit. So with quinoa being gluten free, but also higher in iron, I like to introduce it as one of the first, if not the first grain.

This baby at first was a little taken-a-back by the texture and taste of the quinoa. However, it only took a few handfuls for him to be enjoying it. For him, eating quinoa was a big learning experience and you could see him examine each handful in great detail before placing it in his mouth. What a wonderful example of how much learning is involved with starting solids!

Do you have more questions about feeding your baby solid food? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future’s Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com

I find that people either love or hate squash. When I bring up squash with clients it’s quite comical watching people’s faces and their responses. As a child I used to sneak squash onto my Mom’s plate when she wasn’t looking or feed it to the dog. Now, however, as an adult I am learning to love squash in many different forms.

I really encourage parents to remain neutral to any foods that they are offering to their babies. Butternut squash is no exception, and I encourage parents to not bring their bias to this food. I also find that babies, who are typically unbiased, tend to love squash.

We used roasted squash when feeding the baby. I find that squash often lives up to its name. Babies love squashing it and feeling it in their hands and fingers. This is a good thing because it is all part of the learning process for them. I can’t say it enough; the process of babies learning to eat is messy, and that’s okay. Just let them do what they will with the food that’s presented to them. You may even get a chuckle out of it later when you find dried food on the wall from months earlier. Washing walls was not a common occurrence for me until I had kids who were eating solid food!

It’s a good idea to present squash in different forms. For example, cubes and “French fry” sticks work well. If you are using it on pasta, as a pureed soup or baked into something don’t try to “hide” it from your baby or anyone else in the family. I think it’s always important to talk about what you are having for dinner so that every family member is in the know. Read more about hiding vegetables here.

Butternut squash is a great source of fibre and vitamins A and C, magnesium, and potassium (to name a few). Serving the squash with high iron foods will help your baby absorb the iron.

Wondering how to feed your baby without subjecting them to your bias? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future’s Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com

I love using green split peas as a finger food. They have a great texture and split pea soup is something that the whole family can often enjoy. Just be sure that the baby has already had the other ingredients in the soup and hold the salt until after you dish out the portion for your baby.

Split peas are a good source of protein and iron as well as fibre, and they are easy to cook, which is always a bonus. When giving split peas to a baby I welcome the lumps and clumps because it’s a great way to present different textures. Don’t worry if your baby doesn’t have teeth, they can easily mash it in between their gums. Our little guy loved split peas.

Warning – giving this to your baby will provide you with quite a mess to deal with afterwards.

When cool split peas really tend to clump together which is perfect for those little fingers to be able to bring it up to their mouths. You can offer your baby a spoon but let them use the spoon however they choose and definitely don’t spoon-feed them. Have them put the spoon up and into their mouths all by themselves. It’s very common that your baby will see the rest of the family eating from a spoon and request to use one too. Let them. You might find that they hold the spoon in one hand and use the other to scoop the food into their mouths. That is also fine. It’s all part of the learning process and letting them be involved.

For a split pea soup recipe click here

Need more ideas of how to feed your baby? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future’s Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com

I'm often asked if babies get enough fluids from breastfeeding as they start out on their journey of s. I always like to remind parents that the baby will also be getting fluid from the foods they are eating. I tend to use boiled turnips for babies and I find that they contain a lot of fluid. Most babies that I have experienced eating turnips love them. Be sure to not bring your bias in when you are feeding your baby. Try to be as emotionally neutral as possible to whichever food you are giving them and let them decide if they like the food.

Turnip is a great food to offer in different forms. For example the first meal we used cubed pieces, next we used thick cut sticks (like fries) and we also tried grating. This is a great experience for the baby because they taste the same food but it is presented in different forms. 

Turnip's are a good source of Vitamin C, serving your baby turnips with some high iron foods will help them absorb the iron. Some people find turnips bitter, due to the way their genes make them taste. This is another reason I like to have turnips as a food for babies earlier on, it gives a very different taste than many of the foods they may have tried at this point in their journey.

Have questions about introducing food to your little one? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com 

I like using beans in general for kids when they are first learning to eat solids. Beans are foods that really take some practiced grasper-pincher skills to pick up and get into their mouths.

If you want to adjust the texture for your baby it is quite easy to fork mash beans slightly. Depending on your child you may not even need to do this, or at least not do it for very long.

When the baby tried black beans he seemed to really enjoy them. He acted as if, with the effort it took to get them off his tray and into his mouth, that he was rewarded with a prize.

Canned beans are ok to use, however, I would really recommend buying “no salt added” beans. I would recommend not choosing canned beans that are in any kind of sauce. These sauces contain many ingredients that your baby does not need. Canned beans can be eaten cold or warmed, it depends how you are having them for your family meal.

In addition, it is important to rinse beans so that they are rinsing clean water. The soap-like bubbles that appear in beans are an enzyme that produces gas when we eat them. Rinsing the beans clean can be very helpful in minimizing the amount of gas produced from eating them.

It is also ok to use dried beans, be sure to soak them before cooking and also be sure to dump out the water you used to soak them in, again this will help remove some of the gas producing enzyme.

Beans are a food that I love to use when travelling. Take a can opener with you and you have an inexpensive protein source available that needs minimum preparation. Like I mentioned before, just rinse the beans until the water runs clear. 

Do you have questions about feeding your baby? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com 

Pears are a very soft and mild fruit to try offering your baby. They can be a bit slippery to hold so try different sized and shaped pieces and find what works best for your baby. 

Always let your baby feed themselves. You may feel like you should put a 'taste' on their lips or 'help' them actually get the food into their mouths but this is a learning opportunity. Trust that they will use whatever means necessary to get different foods into their mouths.

I tried pears with the skin on to see how the baby would do. Of course, he was closely monitored to make sure that he was handling it ok. He did quite well with some of it, however, I decided to try some pear without the skin too. You know your baby best and you can decide –based on what you see and already know- the best way to provide foods for your baby. Without the skin, he was able to eat it, and enjoy it more. So we did a balance, took some of the skin off and left a bit on to provide a different texture for him to get used to. 


Need some support with have your little one eat solid food? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com 

Watch a baby self feeding pear:

For most of us avoiding a mess while we eat is important and encouraged. However, when your baby starts to eat solids it is going to be messy- and this is a good thing. Allowing your child to make a mess while they eat actually helps them learn. Finger foods for your baby are great because they help your baby learn about eating and help them develop their fine motor skills, coordination, etc. Try serving your baby the same food that the family is eating and just adapt it to make it safe. For example if everyone is eating pasta, cut it into a bit smaller pieces and you have a finger food. Really any food that sticks or clumps together can be classified as a finger food. Remember when you adapt your table food that your baby doesn't need added salt and fat. Other spices are fine (black pepper, garlic, onion, etc). If you still choose to add those to your food just put the food aside for your baby first.


For more information contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com


Watch the video of a baby eating finger foods:

I serve cauliflower similar to broccoli although cauliflower is a bit harder. For that reason, I serve it steamed and break it into small bite-size florets. Cauliflower is a great vegetable to give a baby as it is very nutrient dense. As babies aren’t eating a huge amount of food at this point I really like them to get some bang for their buck.

Cauliflower is one food, even more than broccoli, that gets a reaction from babies when they start eating it and this baby was no exception. This is not a bad thing. Some parents will ask me if they should continue feeding certain foods to their baby if it seems like their baby doesn’t like the food. I will always encourage you to keep feeding your baby the same foods as it may not mean that they don’t like it, but instead that it is just an unfamiliar flavour or something that they weren’t expecting.

Cauliflower is another great finger food for the baby to try. By this point the baby had a good idea of what to do with these finger foods that were being offered and after a few bites he accepted that this taste was like no other that he had experienced before.


Wondering if you are giving your baby what they need? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com

Watch a baby self feeding cauliflower:

Mango is a difficult food to pick up but that is also why I often use it as one of the earlier foods. Every food that is offered is part of the learning process of how to eat. Although as adults we don’t necessarily think about it, learning to eat solid food is actually a really complicated task.

Even though mango is sweet it also has a bit of a strong flavour, which I also view as a benefit for feeding baby. It is good to provide your baby with lots of different flavours and textures. If you are breastfeeding the baby has already had many of these flavours through the breastmilk.

I usually cut the mango into cubes and then depending on how soon it is given and what texture the baby is able to handle, I mash it slightly with a fork still leaving lumps of it but being sure it is not too stringy to avoid choking. If this texture goes well I stop fork mashing it and just cut it into small pieces. As previously mentioned this is a difficult texture to pick up, however just placing a piece on their tray or the table (depending on where you feed your baby) and letting them work away at catching it, picking it up and bringing it to their mouths can be a great learning opportunity.

This baby had his work cut out for him trying to catch the mango pieces, however after the first taste was brought to his lips he was a fan. He would do whatever it took to get some mango to his mouth and he sucked on his hands trying to get more of this new flavour. 


Not sure where to go next with starting solids with your baby? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com 


Watch a video of a baby self feeding mango: