Menu & Activities

 We hear the term “food before 1 is just for fun” implying that the idea that EXPOSURE to food is unimportant before 1 could not be further from the truth for a variety of reasons. (This phrase is literally keeping some parents from offering any food before one.)

 Feeding a baby or toddler can seem very overwhelming. There are so many routes to take, potential products to buy, things to consider. In a time when parents are bombarded with too much information, choosing the right approach for introducing solids may be more overwhelming than ever.   

    The goal for every baby (barring health or medical issues) is independent, safe self-feeding. This may happen at a different rate for each baby. 

 There are essentially two main approaches to infant feeding – Baby-led Weaning (infant self-feeding) and Traditional Feeding (sometimes referred to as Traditional Weaning). While the approaches seem different, the eventual goal for both BLW and traditional feeding is self-feeding all safe textures. 

  Anything that’s not breast milk or formula is considered a “solid” or a “complementary food.” 

Some parents confuse the guidance on offering complementary foods because they assume that pureed food is not a “solid.” Recommendations to wait until around 6 months for solids apply to feeding your baby any type of food that isn’t breast milk or formula. In assessing readiness, keep in mind that sitting with minimal assistance is key. For most babies, this is around 6ish months.  

 You want to see a trend in the improvement of your baby’s self-feeding skills. 

 While babies' milk provides most of their nutrition, at around 6 months of age babies need iron and zinc from sources other than milk. Food does have a nutritional role. That’s why it's recommend adding high-iron foods  to your babies diet. 

Additionally, allergenic foods are important to introduce by around 6 months, even if your child has a higher allergy risk (talk to your doc if they do). We now know that in most babies, the delay of allergenic foods (peanuts, shellfish, eggs, etc.) actually INCREASES a baby’s risk of allergy to that food, so not introducing these foods close to 6 months can actually increase risk in the long-term.

 Some parenting circles consider it best to not give baby any food except breast milk until 1, which can set baby up for a host of developmental, allergenic and nutritional issues. 

 Research suggests that babies who don’t get to practice with foods of various textures by 9 months are statistically more likely to have feeding issues in elementary school. Furthermore, not exposing a baby to food until they are 1 ignores their biological drive to eat and interest in food.

  For sensory, developmental, motor, social, nutritional, allergenic, and oral coordination reasons, please start introducing foods to your baby when they’re around 6 months and start showing readiness signs like sitting unassisted, bringing foods to their mouth, no extrusion reflex, and good head/neck control unless told otherwise by your pediatrician.

Make sure baby can pick up the size food you offer. This is especially important in Baby-led Weaning, where baby feeds themself from the start. Since 6-month-olds lack a pincer grasp, offering diced up food can make them frustrated. As your baby becomes a more skilled self-feeder, she can handle smaller pieces of food.   

 For many babies new to self-feeding whole foods, gagging is a common thing. It should get better with practice. If your baby continues to gag very frequently after many weeks of practicing with real foods, talk to your pediatrician. Excessive gagging can lead to a feeding aversion. 

 Some parents become frustrated when their spoon-fed baby starts grabbing for the spoon. Remember, we want all babies to eventually self-feed, so this is a great first step! Offer her the spoon loaded with some mashed or pureed food, and try some soft finger foods like avocado or banana spears, softly cooked chicken, or cooked sweet potato spears after that.  

Above all of these reasons, we encourage parents to watch their baby’s cues and to follow their lead with feeding. Many babies are interested in food as they approach 6 months of age. Not letting them eat food of any kind until 12 months hinders their natural interest in the world around them and doesn’t let them model what they see adults and other children do every day – eat food! They also miss out on the social and language-building element of eating together. 

 Even though it’s a messy process, let your baby and toddler feed themselves a variety of foods. 

If you have decided to spoon-feed your baby, we recommend encouraging independent self-feeding by no later than 14-16 months. 

It’s important for babies who are spoon-fed to eventually try finger foods and various soft textures. Spoon-feeding and using purees or lumpy food are simply a stepping-stone in traditional feeding; we don’t stay there forever so offering a combination of spoon-fed and self-feeding is a great way to encourage this.

It is easy as caregivers to sometimes miss fullness cues and want to make a toddler finish a certain amount of food when spoon feeding helps them developed the skills needed to self-feed. You want to see a trend in the improvement of your baby’s self-feeding skills. 

A choking hazard is a choking hazard for all babies, independent of feeding style. 

 Cut grapes, cherries, and cherry tomatoes into quarters, and remove skin or small bones from meat. Avoid popcorn, chips, gum, and hard candy until age 4. Apples and raw carrots are unexpected choking hazards; it is recommended to soften both or shredding before serving (until age 4).

You do not have to offer only vegetables if you want to raise a veggie-lover. 

Starting on just vegetables hasn’t been shown to improve his diet quality long-term. What does help foster adventurous eating is exposure to ALL foods, with lots of repetition – some babies don’t like foods until they’ve seen them 20-30 times!

You don’t have to offer fruits with every meal, but rather make sure to have at least one veggie and/or fruit at every meal for exposure to different flavours and nutrients. Don’t forget to pair the produce with a high-iron food like beef, salmon, chicken, whole grains, lentils or beans! 

  Just remember that exposure matters – babies who get more practice with food are generally more skilled eaters.