Baby Care: First Year

Lesson 6: Nutrition: Introducing Solid Foods

Nine to Twelve Month Feeding and Nutrition

At this age, she eats courser foods. Her swallowing is more coordinated. She feeds herself by picking up bite-sized pieces of food with her thumb and forefinger. These foods should still be soft and dissolvable such as ripe fruit, cooked pieces of vegetable, and toast. Her front teeth are for biting only. Her chewing teeth won't appear until she's around one year old. She may delight in mess making, but avoid laughing at her, because her laughter could be a choking hazard. (See page 213 in The Baby Book for safe feeding tips.)

Your baby's sugar and salt content could go way up if you're not careful as she may be sampling food from your plate. Eat healthfully. If you give her juice, dilute it with two-thirds water. Juice is more caloric than it is nutritious. Avoid cow's milk, other dairy products, and egg whites until she is at least one year old. Even after one, dairy product allergies are common. Foods high in animal protein, including dairy products, inhibit the absorption of calcium. Kids need fruits, vegetables, sunlight, and exercise to build strong bones. (Visit strongbones.org for more information on kids and calcium.)

As your baby eats more solids and drinks less breast milk or formula, the nutritional balance of her diet is more important. Although, she should still be receiving most of her nutrients from breast milk or formula. The five nutritional elements you monitor are proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

Proteins: These are the structural components of your baby's cells. Protein accounts for approximately ten to fifteen percent of her total calories. If she gets too little, her body doesn't function properly. If she gets too much, she uses energy disposing of waste that she could use for growing.

Complete proteins, such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products, contain all nine essential amino acids that our bodies can't manufacture, but many of these protein sources also contain an excess of unhealthy nutrients like saturated fats. Incomplete protein sources, such as vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, can be combined to form complete proteins without the unhealthy saturated fat. (Soy can cause calcium and vitamin D deficiency, and may interfere with your baby's thyroid function.)

Complex Carbohydrates: These energy foods are your baby's main fuel source. Pastas, potatoes, legumes, and whole grains provide slow, steady energy. Fiber, the nondigestible portion of carbohydrates and fruits provide a natural laxative effect that removes food waste products from the intestine.

Fat and Cholesterol: Your baby needs fat and cholesterol to grow and develop. Breast milk contains forty-four percent saturated fats. The only fats she needs to avoid are artificially processed hydrogenated fats. Your baby is naturally chubby until she becomes more active. If you are worried about her weight, ask your doctor for an opinion.

Vitamins and Minerals: These micronutrients help your baby's body work better. Give her a variety of foods and she should get all the vitamins she needs. Human milk and fortified formulas contain all the essential vitamins. Avoid iron-deficiency by spacing solids and breast milk or formula by twenty minutes as foods, such as dairy products, may interfere with your baby's absorption of iron. Salt occurs naturally in nearly all foods so she won't need extra.

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