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]]>Bumbles™ rather encourages moms to watch for the weaning window (which is usually between five and six months) and then gradually start to introduce solids. The reason for this is that your baby’s digestive system isn’t fully mature before this age and foreign proteins may increase the likelihood of food allergies.
The minimum age for introducing solids is 17 weeks
The “first tastes” that you introduce to your baby are more a learning experience than a nutritional necessity. It’s about getting baby exploring more than eating.
We like to offer foods that are easy to digest and low-allergenic such as steamed root vegetables like carrot, parsnip and sweet potato. These veggies are also naturally sweet and make a lovely smooth purée.
If your chosen weaning method is “Baby Led Weaning”, start by cutting small pieces that your baby can pick up using the “pincer action”, but is still soft enough that it will “melt” in his mouth.
Your baby’s first tastes are about exploring more than eating
Best first fruits include:
Best first veggies include:
When introducing a new food, allow three to four days before bringing something new to their diet. This is so it’s easily identifiable should there be any allergic reaction or digestive discomfort.
You will hear a lot about baby rice. If you are going to buy a cereal of some kind, try choosing or starting with a gluten-free range.
Bumbles™ loves Quinoa (pronounced keen-wha). Quinoa is a seed that’s naturally high in complete protein. It is gentle on their little tummies and helps to replace the protein that otherwise gets “lost” when babies gradually start to drop milk feeds during weaning.
Quinoa is a complete protein and contains:
Quinoa also a natural source of Vitamin E, Vitamin B1, Calcium, Potassium, Zinc, Magnesium and Copper.
Stick to gluten-free cereals
1. Salt
Babies under one year should not have any salt as it can strain immature kidneys and cause dehydration. Also avoid smoked foods.
2. Sugar
Unless food is really tart, DON’T ADD SUGAR. Adding sugar is habit-forming and increases the risk of tooth decay.
3. Gluten
Foods containing gluten (such as wheat, oats, barley and rye) should not be introduced before six months. When buying baby cereals and rusks before six months, make sure that they are gluten-free.
4. Unpasteurised cheese
No Brie, Camembert or Blue Cheese before 12 months due to the risk of Listeria infection.
5. Eggs
Eggs should not be given before six months, afterwards though ensure yolk and white are cooked solid.
6. Shellfish
This should not be given until at least 12 months old due to the risk of food poisoning and potential allergy.
7. Nuts
Chopped and whole nuts are not recommended due to the risk of choking but also because of the risk of your baby developing an allergic reaction.
8. Honey
Honey should not be given before one year, as it contains a type of bacteria that can result in a potentially serious illness called “infant botulism”.
About the Author: For more information on informative weaning and introducing your baby onto solid foods, contact Bumbles™ Cookery Club.
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]]>The post Toddler nutrition: Why your toddler should play with his food appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>Researchers at the University of Iowa studied how 16-month-old children learn words for non solid objects, from oatmeal to glue. Previous research has shown that toddlers learn more readily about solid objects because they can easily identify them due to their unchanging size and shape. But the oozy, gooey, runny stuff? Not so much, researchers said.
Yet, according to the latest findings, that changes if you put toddlers in a setting they know well — a highchair. Word learning increases, because children at that age are “used to seeing non solid things in this context, when they’re eating,” says Larissa Samuelson, head researcher and associate professor in psychology. “And, if you expose them to these things when they’re in a highchair, they do better. They’re familiar with the setting and that helps them remember and use what they already know about non solids.”
In a new study published this week in the journal Developmental Science, Samuelson and her team exposed 72 toddlers to 14 non solid objects, mostly food and drinks such as applesauce, pudding, juice, and soup. They presented the items and gave them made-up words, such as “dax” or “kiv.” A minute later, they asked the children to identify the same food in different sizes or shapes.
The task required the youngsters to go beyond relying simply on shape and size and to explore what the substances were made of to make the correct identification and word choice.
Not surprisingly, many children gleefully dove into this task by poking, prodding, touching, feeling, tasting, and throwing the non solids in order to understand what they were and make the correct association with the hypothetical names, the researchers said.
The toddlers who interacted the most with the foods were more likely to correctly identify them by their texture and name them, the study determined. For example, imagine you were a 16-month-old gazing at a cup of milk and a cup of glue. How would you tell the difference by simply looking?
The setting matters, too, it seems. Children in a highchair were more apt to identify and name the food than those in other venues, such as seated at a table, the researchers found.
“It turns out that being in a highchair makes it more likely you’ll get messy, because kids know they can get messy there,” Samuelson said.
Access the new study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/desc.12147/abstract
(AFP Relaxnews)
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