Baby care breastfeeding, baby food

The Super Baby Food Book contains all the information you'll need to: * Know when, how, and what to feed your baby and toddler. * Know how to keep baby food safe. * Take control of your baby’s nutrition * Avoid harmful additives and preservatives * If you would like, make your own baby food Early days * Breastfeeding * Breastfeeding problem solver * Bottlefeeding * Mixing breast and bottle Food worries * Food intolerance and food allergy * Fussy eaters * Vegetarian babies * Vegan babies * Special diets Weaning ways * When to start on solids * Weaning chart * First foods from 6 months * Feeding from 7 or 8 months * Feeding from 12 months on * Baby-led weaning * Baby-led weaning recipes for 6 months and 8 months * Gill Rapley's baby-led weaning video Nutritional help * Vitamin supplements * Mineral guide * Organic baby foods tried and tested * Organic recipes * Recipes for baby More on food * Organic baby food on test * Sm

By around 7 to 8 months you can introduce finger foods. Your baby may find it easier to pick up food with his fingers than use a spoon at this stage. These finger foods can be made out of anything that’s not too sloppy to cut. Here are some ideas: * Slices of bread or toast. Press the bread firmly with a rolling pin before toasting or cutting into fingers to make sure that no crumbs or lumps will fall off * Strips of pitta bread, nan or chapati * Fingers of pizza * Cubes of cheese, or a pile of finely grated cheese * Peas * Cooked pasta in sizes and shapes your baby can pick up * Cooked vegetables * Chunks of dessert apple or finely grated apple * Slices of carrot, celery, cucumber * Tiny sandwiches with fruit or savoury filling Note: you should always stay with your baby when he’s feeding himself in case he chokes. Usually, babies will cough or spit food out if they cannot swallow it. Occasionally you may have to pat him on t

* Citrus and berry fruits * Soft cooked eggs * Soft ripened cheeses * Nuts (including peanut butter) * Salt * Sugar * Strong spices Avoid low-fat or fat-reduced dairy foods. These aren’t harmful to your baby, but they don’t pack in as much suitable nutrition. Babies need calorie-dense foods, and they benefit from the fat-soluble vitamins present in whole yoghurt, full-fat cheeses and other products. Remember: the advice to choose low-fat foods is directed at adults - not babies and young children. Choose unsweetened foods as far as you can for your baby, as relying on sugary foods can encourage his natural preference for sweet foods. Too much sugar can damage your baby’s delicate emerging teeth and may be bad for his long-term dental health. Drinks The healthiest drinks for babies are water, milk (formula or breast, see above), or very dilute pure fruit juice (one part juice to five parts water). Offer well-diluted juice with meals as it aids iron absorp

Needs your baby By 7 or 8 months yor baby is ready to move on to the next stage of weaning, with meals getting a little lumpier and finger foods making an appearance. Older babies need more iron in their diets as their own stores start to run down after the age of about six months. They are also becoming much more active as they learn to crawl and then walk - and that means more calories are needed for energy and growth. Your baby also needs a variety of nutrients in his foods, and to become used to a wide range of tastes as he grows. He can now chew, handle different textures and pick up different shapes more skilfully - eating fits in well with his newly acquired skills and experiences. He also needs to practice his social skills, and joining in meals with other people gives a great opportunity for this. By the end of the first year, your baby will probably be able to enjoy almost all the same foods as you do, perhaps modified a little to make them more suitable for him. Which milk?

Making your own baby food is easy and delicious. It is healthier and doesn't take much time to prepare. First, start with organic vegetables, if at all possible. Get yourself a steamer and begin cooking. Clean your vegetables thoroughly. Most baby's love homemade carrots and sweet potatoes the best. You can also use squash, peaches or apples, whatever looks good for the season. All of these can be steamed together to make things quicker. Put some water in the bottom of your pot, put in the steamer and add cut up veggies and fruit. Steam the food until it is soft and let cool. There is no need to season or add salt to steamed food as fruit and vegetables are naturally seasoned. Pick out any seeds or fibrous strings that could choke your baby. Separate the steamed food and put each separately in a food processor, adding a little bottled or filtered water when needed to soften food. As your little one grows, you can leave larger bits of food in the mix. But for your baby, keep it