Inside this email: food before one is not just for fun, how to build a balanced plate for your baby, introducing allergens, preparing for the pickier phases of toddlerhood
Reader, how shocked are you to find out that food before one is NOT just for fun?
This saying is something that we see everywhere, and while we love the premise behind it...that parents should stress less about solids and how much their baby eats...we don't love that it implies solid foods aren't important before 12 months old.
Because nothing could be further from the truth!
Solids are needed before 12 months for lots of reasons...
- While breast milk or formula provides the majority of your baby's nutrition, it doesn't provide all of it - some nutrients still need to come from what they eat!
- If you wait until 12 months to practice eating solids, your baby won't have the skills needed to eat enough food to fill them up or to fill in the nutrition gaps left behind from weaning off formula or reducing breast milk.
- Babies need exposure to various textures to develop chewing skills, avoid texture aversions in the future, reduce the risk of picky eating, etc.
- It's crucial to introduce top allergens early, around 6 months, and keep them in the diet often to help prevent an allergy from developing later on.
There are more reasons but let's start there.
The one that catches a lot of parents off-guard is the nutrition piece. Yes - breast milk is incredible and provides the vast majority of the nutrition your baby needs at this stage. BUT - it doesn't provide enough iron.
This is why offering solids, particularly high-iron foods, is crucial as soon as your baby is showing the developmental signs of being ready for solid foods.
It's also important to balance those high-iron foods with other food groups to create an optimal meal that is highly nutritious and filling for your baby.
How to build a balanced plate for your baby
This week, we're giving you everything you need to know to put together a balanced baby meal quickly. We cover...
- Components of a balanced plate
- Balanced baby plate examples
- Balanced baby plate: mix and match
- Why learn how to build a balanced plate for babies?
- How much food should I include from each category?
- Do I need to offer a balanced meal from day 1 of starting solids?
- Is it safe to offer different foods in the same meal?
- FAQ's
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
|
Newly released
ALLERGEN GUIDE
- Comprehensive 60-page guide covering the introduction of the top 10 food allergens for infants
- Detailed step-by-step instructions on how to safely introduce each allergen one at a time
- Includes a convenient food tracking sheet to monitor your baby's reactions
- Emergency response information to help you handle allergic reactions
- Instant digital download available for immediate use
|
|
|
Stop picky eating in its tracks!
Even if you're still in "baby stage bliss", toddlerhood is coming around the corner eventually. And with it brings more stubbornness, pushback, and a strong desire for independence!
This isn't a "bad" thing - but - it does require new strategies for feeding, and your reaction is critical in how mealtimes will look moving past 11-12 months+.
Sign up for our live workshop on preventing picky eating to get a head start! Learn how to recognize the beginning signs of pickiness, understand how to react, and feel confident moving into this next stage of parenting.
Workshop is on April 2nd at 7PM Eastern time (but we do send out a replay!).
|
Have a great week,
Edwena Kennedy, RD
Registered Pediatric Dietitian & Feeding Expert
Owner, My Little Eater
Creator of The Texture Timeline™
Instagram: @mylittleeater
