Until your baby is six months old, breast milk alone is recommended From six months on, food is introduced in three phases:

6 months – small tastes
At around 6 months, when your baby can hold up their head and starts to show signs of chewing movements, it is probably time for their first taste of solid food Introducing solids before
your baby is ready is not good for their digestive system Discuss when to start solids with your child health nurse or doctor

Choose a time when your baby is most relaxed and happy to introduce new foods Babies like the plain taste of milk, so first foods also need to be bland Don’t add salt, sugar, honey, sweeteners, soy sauce, cream, butter or margarine to food you make for your baby

Breastfeed or bottle-feed first (until 8–9 months) and offer solids as a ‘top up’ Try ½–2 teaspoons first and gradually increase until baby is having about 3–4 teaspoons at a meal

First foods need to be plain, soft and smooth To puree baby’s food, use a blender or push food through a fine sieve with a wooden spoon You can add expressed breast milk or formula to make the food runny enough for baby to swallow Home-made foods can be frozen in ice cubes and used in the next 3–4 weeks

Canned and bottled commercial baby foods have been specially made to meet the
needs of your baby When buying baby food, check that it is for the right age Always follow the storage instructions on the jar or can

Hold baby while you feed them or sit them in a high chair Use a small teaspoon and put the food in the middle of their tongue

What to feed them:
• iron-fortified infant cereal/baby rice
• pureed fruit without skins, pips or seeds, cook to soften if needed (apple, pear, mango)
• pureed plain cooked rice
• cooked and pureed kumara, kamokamo, cassava, tapioca, pumpkin, potato
• cooked and pureed beef, lamb, pork, chicken, fish and legumes
• bought baby food, the right age for your baby
Honey should not be given to infants under 12 months

Try introducing one new food every 2–4 days If they don’t like it the first time, leave it for a few days and try again Throw out any uneaten food left on baby’s plate

Give more variety as your baby grows older Change the type of food offered, how much you give and the texture – move from pureed, to mashed, to chopped

8 months – al dente

At this age, baby’s first teeth erupt, and the jaw can now be moved sideways too – so it’s time for a little more to chew, with small, soft pieces or chopped food This is important in the development of the tongue and mouth, which in turn is important in learning to talk

Even if most pieces are moved around in the mouth, then spat out, don’t give up In time, your baby will discover the secrets of chewing

Don’t be scared to introduce new flavours, even if it may take 10 or more tries before your baby thinks it’s okay or even likes it It takes time for small children to get used to new tastes

From about 8–9 months old, when your baby can chew and bite, you can offer solids before milk feeds

Try finger foods – small pieces of food to hold, such as:
• a small sandwich
• a finger of toast
• orange or kiwifruit pieces
• soft vegetable pieces (eg cooked potato,pumpkin or kumara)
• plain crackers with cheese or yeast-based spread
• salad vegetables eg lettuce, cucumber


Two meals a day is about right, with meat or fish for lunch and dinner and a fruit dessert The rest is breast or bottle feeding

1 year – Almost big
You can gradually serve your child more and more of the food the rest of the family eats Just avoid too much salt (not good for baby’s kidneys) and hot/strong spices

Try to have some meals together as a family Family mealtimes are important for your baby’s learning and development They still need 2 cups of whole milk a day (500 ml), and are ready to try a lot of different types of foods:
• breads – pita, rèwena, chapatti,
buns, rolls
• vegetables and fruit, including new
ones
• whole milk (dark blue lid), yoghurts
and cheeses
• chopped lean meat, chicken,
seafood, egg, cooked dried peas,
beans or lentils
• a variety of cereals

Snacks

Babies and toddlers need small meals and
snacks often They have small stomachs and use lots of energy
Some healthy snacks are:
• chopped apple
• crackers with smooth peanut butter
• half a banana
• cheese cubes
• fruit yoghurt
• carrot sticks
Some babies like to chew when they begin teething Offer home-made rusks or buy teething biscuits or a teething ring

2 years and older – the skeptic
Surveys show that six month-old babies are more open to new tastes and dishes than older children Already at age two it gets more difficult to offer new foods, and the most difficult period is between the ages of five and 10

What happens at two years of age is related to the way children develop They discover their individuality, and it’s common to refuse food If they’ve managed to taste lots of different foods by then, there’s less risk of them developing fussy eating habits
The Ministry of Health has a useful book, ‘Eating for Babies and Toddlers’, available online or in print free from wwwhealthedgovtnz