baby first food Archives ⋆ Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby https://www.budgetpantry.com/tag/baby-first-food/ Tue, 24 Oct 2017 01:51:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.7 Great tips from my mum: Best choices for baby’s first foods https://www.budgetpantry.com/best-choice-baby-first-foods/ Tue, 24 Oct 2017 01:51:24 +0000 https://budgetpantry.com/?p=10009 I started weaning my daughter Amber when she was six months old. I still vividly remember the excitement I felt when she was ready for solids! As an avid cook, I was curious to see her reactions to trying something other than milk for the first time. But what kind of food should I start off with? The very initial foods that are good for a baby should be easily digestible and unlikely to trigger allergies. An important note: at this stage, solids are not meant to replace any milk feeds as milk is still the major source of nutrients. Instead, it’s a chance to let them experience different tastes and textures. What are some of the best first foods for babies? I read up extensively and got valuable advice from my mum on what type of solids to offer. Here are her recommendations: Root vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato and carrots Allergic reactions to root vegetables are rare, and they usually have a natural sweet tasting flavour that babies find easy to accept. Cbb’s first solid was steamed pumpkin purée! Pumpkin aids digestion because it is an excellent source of fibre, and it has essential vitamins and minerals that help support your baby’s development. For instance, the magnesium and calcium in pumpkin help babies build stronger bones. Avocado Avocado is another good choice as baby’s first food as it is high in monounsaturated fat, also known as good fat. Did you know that good fat is great for babies? Babies need fat for healthy development at this critical stage, and avocado is a great source of that. It also helps that it doesn’t need to be cooked – just spoon it out of the peel and feed it to your little one, or mix it with a little breast milk or formula milk until you reach the desired consistency. The natural creaminess is a plus! Cbb loves avocados! Pear Pear is a favourite of mine. Yes, you read that right! I love giving cbb pear because it helps ensure smooth stools! Even now that she is close to 17 months old, whenever I find that her poop is harder than usual, I will give her a serving of pear and she will have no problem pooping afterwards. When offering pear as one of baby’s first foods, remove the skin and cut it into chunks. Steam for 10 minutes then purée till smooth. If need be, you can add some water to thin it out. Steaming is recommended for babies under eight months as the heat from cooking helps break down sugars and fibres, making them more easily digestible. You can graduate to raw mashed or puréed fruits after the first few weeks. Apart from advising me on the best first fruits and vegetables for babies, my mum also gave me some precious tips on feeding solids in general: It’s not a must to give cereal We’ve always heard that baby cereal is a great first food because it is easy on the tummy and unlikely to trigger allergic reactions. But many baby cereals have added sugar in them. If you decide to offer your baby cereal, be sure to choose one that is sugar-free and enriched with essential vitamins. For better nutrition, mix some fruit and vegetable purée into it. That said, while cereal isn’t entirely necessary, do ensure that baby is getting iron-rich foods. Iron-fortified cereals can be a good source, as well as dark green leafy vegetables and meat. Give fresh food as much as possible I’m not going to disagree – food pouches are a convenient way to introduce solids to your baby at the beginning. But freshly prepared food definitely tastes better than any pre-packaged versions. The most important discovery for me after my many experiments was that preparing fresh food offers me the flexibility to gradually introduce different textures to my baby. Exposing your baby to various textures is more likely to result in a less fussy child. Also, when prepared optimally, the nutrients in fresh food are better preserved as compared to processed food. Try feeding your baby solids 30 minutes before milk, around lunchtime I struggled to find information on this when I started weaning cbb. I’ve read that solids should preferably be fed around 30 minutes before milk, so that baby will not already be full when we are trying to introduce new food. Don’t expect them to eat a lot initially. For me, when cbb was starting out, she had a maximum of one tablespoon of fruit or vegetable purée in one sitting. It’s ok if your baby takes less than that, or a little more. Every baby is different – take your time and don’t rush through the feeding. There are also certain misconceptions about introducing solids that my mum debunked. I will share some of my favourites below: “Add cereal to baby’s milk bottle so she will sleep through the night” This belief is not only baseless, it’s dangerous! Your baby will sleep through the night when the time comes. There is a real risk of choking when you do so, and it defeats the purpose of letting baby explore tastes and textures. Please don’t do it! “You should never freeze avocados or bananas” I can truly vouch that this is a myth, because I have done both! Due to oxidation, avocados and bananas do turn brown when exposed to air, but this doesn’t mean that they have turned bad. I have frozen avocado and banana purée and served them to cbb after proper thawing. She enjoys them all the same! “You can only introduce egg after baby turns one year old” This is not true! Unless there is a family history of being allergic to eggs, there is no reason to worry unnecessarily about egg allergies. Just ensure that the eggs are thoroughly cooked, or use pasteurised eggs. I introduced both egg yolk and egg white to cbb when she was eight months old. To know more about early childhood nutrition for your little one, visit: http://www.healthhub.sg/earlynutrition for more details! This article also appears on theAsianparent: https://sg.theasianparent.com/great-tips-mum-best-choices-babys-first-foods/ If you like my posts and updates, or would like to be informed of baby/cooking-related giveaways and promos from time to time….. Like my Facebook page or follow @budgetpantry or @chuabeebee on Instagram! Yes, I just started an Insta account for CBB too!

The post Great tips from my mum: Best choices for baby’s first foods appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

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I started weaning my daughter Amber when she was six months old. I still vividly remember the excitement I felt when she was ready for solids!

As an avid cook, I was curious to see her reactions to trying something other than milk for the first time. But what kind of food should I start off with? The very initial foods that are good for a baby should be easily digestible and unlikely to trigger allergies.

An important note: at this stage, solids are not meant to replace any milk feeds as milk is still the major source of nutrients. Instead, it’s a chance to let them experience different tastes and textures.

What are some of the best first foods for babies? I read up extensively and got valuable advice from my mum on what type of solids to offer. Here are her recommendations:

Root vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato and carrots

Allergic reactions to root vegetables are rare, and they usually have a natural sweet tasting flavour that babies find easy to accept. Cbb’s first solid was steamed pumpkin purée! Pumpkin aids digestion because it is an excellent source of fibre, and it has essential vitamins and minerals that help support your baby’s development. For instance, the magnesium and calcium in pumpkin help babies build stronger bones.

Avocado

Avocado is another good choice as baby’s first food as it is high in monounsaturated fat, also known as good fat. Did you know that good fat is great for babies? Babies need fat for healthy development at this critical stage, and avocado is a great source of that. It also helps that it doesn’t need to be cooked – just spoon it out of the peel and feed it to your little one, or mix it with a little breast milk or formula milk until you reach the desired consistency. The natural creaminess is a plus! Cbb loves avocados!

Pear

Pear is a favourite of mine. Yes, you read that right! I love giving cbb pear because it helps ensure smooth stools! Even now that she is close to 17 months old, whenever I find that her poop is harder than usual, I will give her a serving of pear and she will have no problem pooping afterwards. When offering pear as one of baby’s first foods, remove the skin and cut it into chunks. Steam for 10 minutes then purée till smooth. If need be, you can add some water to thin it out. Steaming is recommended for babies under eight months as the heat from cooking helps break down sugars and fibres, making them more easily digestible. You can graduate to raw mashed or puréed fruits after the first few weeks.

Apart from advising me on the best first fruits and vegetables for babies, my mum also gave me some precious tips on feeding solids in general:

  • It’s not a must to give cereal

We’ve always heard that baby cereal is a great first food because it is easy on the tummy and unlikely to trigger allergic reactions. But many baby cereals have added sugar in them. If you decide to offer your baby cereal, be sure to choose one that is sugar-free and enriched with essential vitamins. For better nutrition, mix some fruit and vegetable purée into it. That said, while cereal isn’t entirely necessary, do ensure that baby is getting iron-rich foods. Iron-fortified cereals can be a good source, as well as dark green leafy vegetables and meat.

  • Give fresh food as much as possible

I’m not going to disagree – food pouches are a convenient way to introduce solids to your baby at the beginning. But freshly prepared food definitely tastes better than any pre-packaged versions. The most important discovery for me after my many experiments was that preparing fresh food offers me the flexibility to gradually introduce different textures to my baby. Exposing your baby to various textures is more likely to result in a less fussy child. Also, when prepared optimally, the nutrients in fresh food are better preserved as compared to processed food.

  • Try feeding your baby solids 30 minutes before milk, around lunchtime

I struggled to find information on this when I started weaning cbb. I’ve read that solids should preferably be fed around 30 minutes before milk, so that baby will not already be full when we are trying to introduce new food. Don’t expect them to eat a lot initially. For me, when cbb was starting out, she had a maximum of one tablespoon of fruit or vegetable purée in one sitting. It’s ok if your baby takes less than that, or a little more. Every baby is different – take your time and don’t rush through the feeding.

There are also certain misconceptions about introducing solids that my mum debunked. I will share some of my favourites below:

  • “Add cereal to baby’s milk bottle so she will sleep through the night”

This belief is not only baseless, it’s dangerous! Your baby will sleep through the night when the time comes. There is a real risk of choking when you do so, and it defeats the purpose of letting baby explore tastes and textures. Please don’t do it!

  • “You should never freeze avocados or bananas”

I can truly vouch that this is a myth, because I have done both! Due to oxidation, avocados and bananas do turn brown when exposed to air, but this doesn’t mean that they have turned bad. I have frozen avocado and banana purée and served them to cbb after proper thawing. She enjoys them all the same!

  • “You can only introduce egg after baby turns one year old”

This is not true! Unless there is a family history of being allergic to eggs, there is no reason to worry unnecessarily about egg allergies. Just ensure that the eggs are thoroughly cooked, or use pasteurised eggs. I introduced both egg yolk and egg white to cbb when she was eight months old.

To know more about early childhood nutrition for your little one, visit: http://www.healthhub.sg/earlynutrition for more details!

This article also appears on theAsianparent: https://sg.theasianparent.com/great-tips-mum-best-choices-babys-first-foods/

If you like my posts and updates, or would like to be informed of baby/cooking-related giveaways and promos from time to time…..
Like my Facebook page or follow @budgetpantry or @chuabeebee on Instagram! Yes, I just started an Insta account for CBB too!

The post Great tips from my mum: Best choices for baby’s first foods appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

]]> First stage weaning: First 5 solids for my 6 month old https://www.budgetpantry.com/first-five-solids-for-6-month-old/ Sat, 19 Nov 2016 01:03:03 +0000 https://budgetpantry.com/?p=8917 Cbb has started solids for over two weeks now! Want to know what I fed her, how I prepared them, her reaction to each food, and a mood and poop analysis? Here you go! I choose to start her on vegetable purées., followed by fruit. Some good first solids choices are: pumpkin, butternut squash, avocado, carrots, parsnip, potato, apple, pear, banana and papaya. I get all her vegetables and fruits from Opentaste.sg. Use my code ‘240D2E’ at checkout to get $15 off your first order. Why not rice cereal? Cereal or baby rice CAN BE a baby’s first food, but they don’t HAVE TO be. Don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with it. I choose not to give cereal at this stage because what is cereal? It’s essentially carbs and sugar. Cbb is getting both from her milk. And she’s hardly active, she doesn’t need the extra energy now. Same goes for porridge. But there’s nothing wrong if you choose to give it. They’re also widely given because rice/grains are safe (and convenient) choices that rarely cause allergies (but many fruits and vegetables rarely cause allergies, too). Depending on the texture, you may or may not need to add milk to your baby’s purée. I didn’t add any to most of her food (except sweet potato) as the texture is fine enough to be eaten like that. Most of the solids are prepared in the Philips Avent Baby Food Maker. Read my review here! Here are the first foods that I fed cbb (ok not exactly 5 but 6): Food #1: Pumpkin Puree How to prepare: Cut pumpkin into cubes, place in Philips Avent baby food maker, steam for 20 minutes, then blend till smooth Amount: 1-2 baby teaspoons Did she like it: Not a fan! Hahaha Mood: The first she had solids, she WOKE UP 4 TIMES THAT NIGHT, whining!! I instantly regretted giving her solids but I believe it’s just a matter of her tummy getting used to eating. Poop: Orange but normal frequency Food #2: Avocado How to prepare: Cut avocado into half, scrape, mash and feed (no need to cook). There’s no need to add milk but you may if it makes it easier to mash. Amount: 2-3 baby teaspoons Did she like it: Initially so-so, but lapped it up after a while Mood: Still woke up a few times that night! Poop: Normal poop, smelt nice and light like avocado haha Food #3: Carrots How to prepare: Cut carrot into chunks, place in Philips Avent baby food maker, steam for 20 minutes, then blend till smooth Amount: 1-2 tablespoons Did she like it: OH YES! CBB loved carrots…. but it’s not her favourite food, yet! Mood: Slept through the night! Poop: Orange poop, very fibrous Food #4: Apples What happens when you take away her apple……. How to prepare: Cut apple into cubes, place in Philips Avent baby food maker, steam for 15 minutes, then blend till smooth Amount: 2 tablespoons Did she like it: OMG did she like it! Cbb absolutely lovesssss apples! Mood: Slept through the night! Poop: Poop was hard.. she had a hard time pooping. I gave a bit more water when she was on apples. Food #5: Pear How to prepare: Cut pear into cubes, place in Philips Avent baby food maker, steam for 15 minutes, then pulse a little Amount: 2 tablespoons Did she like it: Quite neutral, not much excitement when eating leh Mood: Slept through the night! Poop: She might not love pear but I love it. No pooping problems and poop was soft and regular Food #6: Japanese Sweet Potato How to prepare: Cut sweet potato into cubes, place in Philips Avent baby food maker, steam for 20 minutes, then blend till smooth. I added some water from steaming as the texture is very sticky as the starch breaks down. Amount: 1 tablespoons (cos I think sweet potato is very filling) Did she like it: She loves it too! Mood: Slept through the night! Poop: Pooped once every two days instead of pooping daily, but when she did poop it was normal and not hard like the time she was on apples —————— I’m really happy that cbb enjoys eating. Many times when I take away her bowl she cries and wants to eat more. But take note not to overfeed your baby as at 6 months, solids are not meant to replace milk. Overfeeding them could lead to throwing up, indigestion and a rejection of milk, which means less nutrients intake (from milk!). The small amount of solids you feed them is not equivalent to the nutrients they get from milk. Happy exploring! p/s: I get ALL of my cbb and my family’s fruits and vegetables (not necessarily organic) from Opentaste.sg. Use my code ‘240D2E’ at checkout to get $15 off your first order. Minimum delivery is just $35 so with the $15 off, you pay only $20 for groceries at prices even lower than supermarkets. Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed. GET FREE $15 FOR ORGANIC/NON-ORGANIC FRUITS & VEGGIES FROM OPENTASTE.SG If you like my posts and updates, or would like to be informed of baby/cooking-related giveaways and promos from time to time….. Like my Facebook page or follow @budgetpantry or @chuabeebee on Instagram! Yes, I just started an Insta account for CBB too!

The post First stage weaning: First 5 solids for my 6 month old appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

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Cbb has started solids for over two weeks now! Want to know what I fed her, how I prepared them, her reaction to each food, and a mood and poop analysis? Here you go!

I choose to start her on vegetable purées., followed by fruit. Some good first solids choices are: pumpkin, butternut squash, avocado, carrots, parsnip, potato, apple, pear, banana and papaya. I get all her vegetables and fruits from Opentaste.sg. Use my code ‘240D2E’ at checkout to get $15 off your first order.

Why not rice cereal? Cereal or baby rice CAN BE a baby’s first food, but they don’t HAVE TO be. Don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with it. I choose not to give cereal at this stage because what is cereal? It’s essentially carbs and sugar. Cbb is getting both from her milk. And she’s hardly active, she doesn’t need the extra energy now. Same goes for porridge. But there’s nothing wrong if you choose to give it. They’re also widely given because rice/grains are safe (and convenient) choices that rarely cause allergies (but many fruits and vegetables rarely cause allergies, too). Depending on the texture, you may or may not need to add milk to your baby’s purée. I didn’t add any to most of her food (except sweet potato) as the texture is fine enough to be eaten like that.

Most of the solids are prepared in the Philips Avent Baby Food Maker. Read my review here!

Here are the first foods that I fed cbb (ok not exactly 5 but 6):

Food #1: Pumpkin Puree
first-foods

first-foods16

How to prepare: Cut pumpkin into cubes, place in Philips Avent baby food maker, steam for 20 minutes, then blend till smooth
Amount: 1-2 baby teaspoons
Did she like it: Not a fan! Hahaha
Mood: The first she had solids, she WOKE UP 4 TIMES THAT NIGHT, whining!! I instantly regretted giving her solids but I believe it’s just a matter of her tummy getting used to eating.
Poop: Orange but normal frequency

Food #2: Avocado
first-foods3

first-foods2

How to prepare: Cut avocado into half, scrape, mash and feed (no need to cook). There’s no need to add milk but you may if it makes it easier to mash.
Amount: 2-3 baby teaspoons
Did she like it: Initially so-so, but lapped it up after a while
Mood: Still woke up a few times that night!
Poop: Normal poop, smelt nice and light like avocado haha

Food #3: Carrots
first-foods24
first-foods5
first-foods6

How to prepare: Cut carrot into chunks, place in Philips Avent baby food maker, steam for 20 minutes, then blend till smooth
Amount: 1-2 tablespoons
Did she like it: OH YES! CBB loved carrots…. but it’s not her favourite food, yet!
Mood: Slept through the night!
Poop: Orange poop, very fibrous

Food #4: Apples
first-foods7
firstfood
first-foods8
What happens when you take away her apple…….

How to prepare: Cut apple into cubes, place in Philips Avent baby food maker, steam for 15 minutes, then blend till smooth
Amount: 2 tablespoons
Did she like it: OMG did she like it! Cbb absolutely lovesssss apples!
Mood: Slept through the night!
Poop: Poop was hard.. she had a hard time pooping. I gave a bit more water when she was on apples.

Food #5: Pear
first-foods9
first-foods10
first-foods11
first-foods12

How to prepare: Cut pear into cubes, place in Philips Avent baby food maker, steam for 15 minutes, then pulse a little
Amount: 2 tablespoons
Did she like it: Quite neutral, not much excitement when eating leh
Mood: Slept through the night!
Poop: She might not love pear but I love it. No pooping problems and poop was soft and regular

Food #6: Japanese Sweet Potato
first-foods13
first-foods14
first-foods15

How to prepare: Cut sweet potato into cubes, place in Philips Avent baby food maker, steam for 20 minutes, then blend till smooth. I added some water from steaming as the texture is very sticky as the starch breaks down.
Amount: 1 tablespoons (cos I think sweet potato is very filling)
Did she like it: She loves it too!
Mood: Slept through the night!
Poop: Pooped once every two days instead of pooping daily, but when she did poop it was normal and not hard like the time she was on apples

——————

I’m really happy that cbb enjoys eating. Many times when I take away her bowl she cries and wants to eat more. But take note not to overfeed your baby as at 6 months, solids are not meant to replace milk. Overfeeding them could lead to throwing up, indigestion and a rejection of milk, which means less nutrients intake (from milk!). The small amount of solids you feed them is not equivalent to the nutrients they get from milk. Happy exploring!

p/s: I get ALL of my cbb and my family’s fruits and vegetables (not necessarily organic) from Opentaste.sg. Use my code ‘240D2E’ at checkout to get $15 off your first order. Minimum delivery is just $35 so with the $15 off, you pay only $20 for groceries at prices even lower than supermarkets. Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed.

GET FREE $15 FOR ORGANIC/NON-ORGANIC FRUITS & VEGGIES FROM OPENTASTE.SG

opentaste

If you like my posts and updates, or would like to be informed of baby/cooking-related giveaways and promos from time to time…..
Like my Facebook page or follow @budgetpantry or @chuabeebee on Instagram! Yes, I just started an Insta account for CBB too!

The post First stage weaning: First 5 solids for my 6 month old appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

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