Recently, I was blessed with an opportunity to sit down with Stephanie Hof, Registered Pediatric Dietitian and U.S. Healthcare Manager with Kendamil, to discuss all things starting solids! We dove into the when's, why's, how's, and what's + so much more when it comes to feeding those first foods to your infant! Check out the full interview below!
And make sure to check out my Starting Solids Checklists - these are PDF files that give a huge range of ideas when it comes to introducing new foods, all based on how old baby is! Use this list as an actual shopping list or as a tool to create meals for your little one!
Whether this is day one of solids or baby is turning one year old this week... keep it up!! First foods are important for baby development in so many ways! Here are a few major benefits in development during this time:
Nutrients! - while solid foods do not take the place as main nutrition source in the first year, these "complementary" foods do provide additional nutrients for baby! Iron is an example of one nutrient in particular that solid foods are able to help provide more!
Motor Skills - whether we are practicing BLW or using purees, there are tons of motor skills that are developed and practiced during meal times. Everything from picking up a cup to picking up a cheerio + how to use utensils, cups, hands, etc.
The skills of eating - in a similar way, baby has never been exposed to various textures in food. Allowing baby to practice chewing, swallowing, managing 'how much is too much', bite sizes, etc. are all beneficial skills! Learning about body cues also begins early on - baby can begin practicing to understand those hunger and full cues on a deeper level!
Allergen Introduction - studies are showing that earlier introduction to common food allergens has been associated with a decreased risk in developing that food allergy (see LEAP study for more details!),
And those are just a handful of the benefits of those first foods during that first year! No matter how you are introducing those foods, you are doing a great job!!
Thank you for your support and love in this space! It means more to me than you will ever know.
I truly enjoy sharing this information and I hope you find the information provided valuable. If you do find this information helpful, I kindly ask that you consider sharing - via social media, word of mouth, email, etc. I would love to help support as many out there as I can! <3
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Thank you again for giving Baby Food & Fun, LLC a place to grow and flourish, just like our kids :)
Jessica Enderle, R.D., L.D.
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