Infant firsts are the best, aren’t they? From when they learn to walk using a baby walker for carpet to their first bit of solid food. But there are always doubts, especially if you’re a new parent, as to whether you’re starting them out on these new things properly or not. When it’s time to replace purees with solid foods, these baby superfoods are great ones to introduce to your sweetie.
1. Oats
A nutritious breakfast for mommy and the newest addition to your family are oats. Whole grain oats are full of B vitamins and fibre.
Be sure to choose the unflavoured ones as they have less sugar and sodium than the instant packets. Try adding some stewed fruit too for extra nutrition for their first meal of the day.
2. Eggs
Of all the baby superfoods on this list, eggs are likely the ones to surprise you the most. Traditionally, eggs weren’t something to introduce to youngsters until the 1-year mark because of allergy risks.
However, recent research suggests that delaying the introduction of certain foods early on, such as eggs, has actually contributed to the prevalence of food allergies in recent years. Instead, there is a paradigm shift to giving children cooked eggs from 6-months-old onward.
Eggs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and good fats. Of course, check with your doctor first if you’re not comfortable with feeding eggs to your young one.
3. Spinach
If it was good for Popeye… It’s no wonder that it’s on this list of solid eats for baby!
Spinach is high in vitamins C, A, and K. It’s also full of calcium and beat-carotene. With these nutritional benefits in its favor, many parents are feeding pureed spinach to baby when they’re ready to take on solid foods.
4. Bananas
Along with introducing a vegetable like spinach, it’s time for fruit too. A great quality of bananas is that they have slow-release sugars to provide a steady amount of energy to the body rather than a sudden spike, making them one of the best baby superfoods.
That’s not all the benefits of this carbohydrate, either. Bananas are a great source of fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6.
5. Broccoli
A range of veggies is great for your kid now that they’re opening their mouths to new experiences, literally. Broccoli has a ton of vitamins, such as vitamin C, and strong anti-cancer properties too. It is filling, as well.
This vegetable can be tough to digest, though, even as a puree, so you might want to wait until 8-10 months of age before introducing it to your cutie. It can also cause your baby to be gassy.
6. Red meat
For iron-rich eats, it’s hard to beat a terrific source like red meat. While you might assume breast milk is full of iron, unfortunately it’s not from 6 months old onward, so getting additional amounts of it is beneficial in pureed form.
Speaking of iron, opt for iron-fortified baby cereal to provide a bit more iron when your baby is ready to take on solids. Iron is important for healthy development because this mineral is imperative to making hemoglobin, which is the protein that takes oxygen to cells across the entire human body.
As your little one evolves daily, it’s important to feed them foods that help them grow physically and mentally. Start to include these baby superfoods within a balanced eating plan for their proper development.
About the Author
Stella Ryne is an art historian, traveller, conscious consumer and a proud mother. When she is not trying to improve the things around her (and herself, for that matter), she likes to lose herself in a good book. Stay in touch with Stella via Twitter and Facebook.
LifeAsMama
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