Preparing to Wean Your Baby

You may have decided that it is now time to begin feeding your baby solids. If so, here is some handy advice about preparing foods and feeding your little one. You want to preserve as many of the vitamins in your baby’s food as you can so prepare her food just before she eats it. Once you have cooked and puréed her food vitamins B and C will begin to deplete. If you want to make enough purée to feed her multiple meals then put the extra purée into the fridge or freezer to rapidly cool it. Freezing is the best method to hold onto the food’s valuable nutrients and a handy way to do this is by using soft ice trays to put the mixture in. This way you can just take out little portions as you need them. You can boost your baby’s vitamin intake by offering her fresh fruit in a puréed form. Once your baby reaches seven months to nine months old you can begin to vary the texture of her food by adding lumps. The best way to do this is to mash rather than purée. Finger foods can be introduced once she can grasp onto things. At this stage you can let her hold onto a plastic spoon when you are spoon-feeding her mashed meals so that she can start to play around with feeding herself. From nine months old you should be able to feed your baby minced foods. Your baby is unique like all others and she will want to do things in her own time but it is good advice to not delay too long introducing lumpier and thicker foods. If you keep her on puréed meals for too long she may become pretty resistant to eating lumpy food! The nutrients which are most important for your baby are: •    Calcium •    Iron •    Vitamin C •    Vitamin A (referred to as beta-carotene in plant foods •    Omega 3 fatty acids Here are a few recipes containing important nutrients and are great for those first meals. Cauliflower and Broccoli purée – A good source of vitamin C and iron •    1 large floret of cauliflower •    1 large floret of broccoli Steam the ingredients until tender, then purée in a blender. You can perfect the texture by adding boiled and cooled water or her milk. Banana purée – A good source of potassium •    1 ripe banana •    1 or 2 teaspoons of baby rice •    1 or 2 tablespoons of formula or breast milk Mash the banana until it becomes smooth and then add the rice and milk by stirring it in. You can make it thinner or firmer depending how much you add. Papaya purée – A good source of vitamin C and beta-carotene •    I ripe papaya (its yellow-green skin should have an orange blush) Cut the papaya in half and scoop out the back seeds. Using a sharp knife cut away the skin from the flesh and slice the fruit. Then using a fork mash the papaya into a purée. Again if you want to alter the texture you can add baby rice or mashed banana. By Eirian Hallinan