Introducing solids: how & when to feed your vegan baby - Nutrition

When my daughter Emily was 5-1/2 months old, she started to show an intense interest in eating solid foods. I had planned to wait until she was six months old to start introducing fruits, but one day, my husband Steve was passing by her with a banana. She started reaching and grabbing for it and nearly launched herself at her daddy's feet to get some. Steve said, 'What do you think? Should I give her a taste?" I wasn't so sure this was a good idea, but it did appear as if she wanted it badly. He held it up to her nose and she smelled it and then started licking it. She opened her mouth to take a bite and I told Steve not to let her bite it since I wasn't sure she could chew it up or swallow it. We got out a little bowl and mashed the banana and held the spoon up to her. Her first bite was anything but tentative. She chomped the spoon and swallowed the food like she'd been doing it her whole life. She ate half a banana in less than 3 minutes, then wanted more. And that's how my baby came to be eating solids. S he was ready before I was!

Signs of Readiness

Maybe your baby isn't leaping out of her chair to take a bite of your lunch, but she might be showing other signs of readiness.

At around 4 to 6 months of age, look for these signs:

* Can sit up on his own.

* Can turn her head away to show that she is done.

* Can move food to the back of his mouth and swallow it without pushing it back out with his tongue.

* Eyes and grabs food from your plate.

* Seems interested in eating solids.

Just because your baby wants to eat solid foods doesn't mean that your breastfeeding relationship is over. Remember, your baby needs breastmilk (or formula) until she's at least 1 year old.

First Foods

So what should you feed your baby first? Usually people start with iron-fortified infant cereal; however, many moms start with fruits since they are so easy to digest. Babies will probably enjoy the natural sweetness of fruits; it is similar to breast milk, which may help them develop a taste for solids. And fruits are so nutritious. Vegetables are another good choice for beginning foods. However, don't start your baby on foods that are difficult to digest, like meat analogs, tofu, and hard-to-chew grains like rice. Whatever you decide to start with is up to you. Here are some ideas:

* 4 to 6 months: Try iron-fortified infant cereals, and mashed fruits like bananas or apples. Be sure the fruit is pureed and strained, and use organic fruits whenever possible.

* 6 to 7 months: Now you can introduce vegetables. Babies generally like sweet potatoes, peas, squash, and carrots. Avoid giving your baby spinach until he is over 1 year of age.

* 7 to 8 months: Now it's safe to add mashed tofu, and well cooked and pureed legumes.

* 8 to 9 months: Baby is ready for finger foods and whole grains. Finger foods should be easy to chew, or should dissolve quickly in baby's mouth, to avoid choking. Make sure grains are well-cooked and mashed.

* 10 to 12 months: Solid foods at this stage can be more chewy; baby is ready to start eating off your plate. Add nuts and seeds at the 1-year mark.

Food Allergies

When you introduce solids to your baby, you need to watch for allergic reactions. Start by giving your baby one food at a time, leaving three days or more before starting any new food. Watch for signs of allergy such as a rash, diarrhea, vomiting, sneezing, runny nose, ear infection, or hives. However, if one of these signs does appear, it may not be an allergy to the food; it might be something else. In that case, eliminate the food and try reintroducing it later to see if the same reaction occurs. If there is a strong family history of being allergic to a certain food, don't give that food to your baby for the first 1 to 3 years of his life.

Other Issues

* Choking hazards: Don't give your baby grapes, hard candies, whole tofu dogs, popcorn, or overly sticky foods like raisins that are tough to chew up and swallow. Make sure that if you feed your baby oatmeal or other grains and cereals, that it's not too gummy. I know a full grown adult who choked on oatmeal that was too thick.

* Salt and sugar: Babies don't have the same palates as we do. Don't salt their food or add sugar to it. They won't know the difference.

* Avoid non-nutritive foods: It might be tempting to give your baby juice, but make sure not to give her more than 8 ounces per day, or it will crowd out other nutritious foods. I always water down Emily's juice so that she is drinking between 50% and 80% water and only 20% to 50% juice. She thinks juice is supposed to taste like that.

* Use organic whenever possible: If you're making your own baby food, be sure to buy organic produce to avoid introducing pesticides and herbicides into your baby's diet. You can buy organic baby food in jars if you're not making your own. We relied on organic baby food a lot, since I didn't always have time to cook, mash, and puree.

* Don't skimp on fat: For the first two years of your baby's life, don't try to restrict fat intake. Babies need fat at this stage to grow properly. Good fat sources are avocados, nut butters, tofu, olive oil, and flax seed oil.

* Avoid too much fiber: When a baby eats too much fiber, his belly is full before you've had a chance to fill it with all the nutrients he needs. Limit really high fiber foods to occasional use only. That said, there's no need to give them white flour all the time. Use whole grains!

Before you know it your child will be eating like a champ, eager to try new things and new textures. Have fun with this time! It goes fast!

Resources:

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron

Pregnancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet by Michael Klaper, M.D.

Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis, R.D. and Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D.

Erin Pavlina is President of vegfamily.com, a website providing information about raising vegan children. Her articles have been published in VegNews, 9 Manths magazine, and keepkidshealthy.com. She lives in Las Angeles with her vegan husband, Steve, and lifelong vegan daughter, Emily.

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