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Baby’s First Foods…Why Rush??

by Patti Wardlaw, Marlyce Rankin and Riki Winkler

Your baby is now 6 months old. Time to introduce solids, right? Well, maybe not. Here are some reasons why you may want to consider delaying this important step.

According to the Canadian Pediatric Society your baby will be ready for solid foods somewhere between the ages of 4-6 months. They say that by 6 months most babies cannot get everything they need from breast milk or formula alone. It is recommended that parents start with iron-fortified rice cereal and then progress to fruits, vegetables and other foods. These guidelines are widely accepted and supported by most family doctors and community health nurses. Although many babies thrive under these guidelines, there are cases when it may be harmful to introduce foods this early.

We believe that breast milk is all your baby needs until at least 7 months for as long as 12 months. Although waiting this long is recommended by most pediatricians, a baby can thrive on breast milk alone until his first birthday. Most babies will not want to wait this long, nor is it necessary to do so. However, by waiting until at least 7 months or, better yet, 8 or 9 months you can reduce the risk of your child developing allergies, asthma, and digestive disorders. To understand how this may be true, it is helpful to gain a little bit of knowledge about the digestive system of an infant, and how it differs from that of an adult.

A baby’s system is designed for maximum absorption of breast milk. From the mouth to the colon, their system is designed to digest and absorb the nutrients found in breast milk alone. They do not produce sufficient enzymes to digest a wide variety of foods. Their stomachs produce minimum amounts of gastric acid to ensure the survival of the live immune cells and beneficial bacteria found in breast milk. Finally, and most important, their small intestines are relatively permeable and absorb foods with much less discretion than that of an adult.

Unfortunately, these enhanced absorption characteristics can also allow undigested proteins from other foods to pass into the bloodstream. This is where allergies can begin. When an undigested protein enters the bloodstream the body recognizes the substance as a foreign invader (or antigen) and produces an immune response to fight it. This immune response is what we recognize as an allergic response. The allergy can be permanent or the baby may outgrow it at a later date. Either way it is a stress that you and your baby can do without.

So when will your baby be ready for solids?
Unfortunately, there are no clear signs as to when your baby’s digestive system is ready to process solid foods. Some babies produce sufficient enzymes and develop a less permeable intestinal membrane as early as 6 months and others may not accomplish this until as late as 12 months or longer.

If you are breastfeeding, rest assured that your baby is getting everything she needs. The longer the duration of exclusive breastfeeding, the better - with at least 7 to 9 months being a good goal. Most nutritional studies on exclusive breastfeeding have gone as far as nine months, finding no nutritional deficiencies by that age. Please note that formula-fed infants should begin solids at 6 months, as formula will not provide adequate nutrition beyond this time.

When it comes to feeding our children, there is no shortage of advice out there as to what foods should be given when. As a parent it can be a very confusing and frustrating time, as you try to find the “right answers”.

It is important to remember that there is no right answer when it comes to the health and nutrition of your baby. Each baby and parent combination is unique - what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for the other. The most important thing is to provide whole, natural foods and to avoid the most allergenic foods.

Saying that, here are the guidelines and food lists that we, at LifeThyme Wellness, have compiled. The following recommendations are based on our personal experiences, education and opinions and are not to be considered to be a substitute for consultation, diagnosis, or treatment with a licensed health practitioner.

Introducing Solid Foods - Recommended Guidelines

• You have a family history of allergies
• If your baby has had colic, eczema, or other digestive problems (especially if these conditions were remedied by changes to mother’s diet while nursing)

• Has several teeth and able to make chewing motions
• Able to sit-up on own
• Has lost the tongue-thrusting and gag reflex when foods are put in her mouth
• Able to pick-up food and put in mouth
• Grabs at and shows interest in your food
• Your maternal instincts (and not your neighbour or well meaning mother) tell you that he is ready

Guidelines for food introduction:
The ages to give certain foods will vary depending on when you start solids. The order is more important than the age of the baby.

The recommendations below assume baby gets most of her calories from breast milk for the first 12 months. If baby is formula fed then you will want baby to get more calories from food and introduce protein foods like egg yolks and legumes between 8-10 months.

First foods: Vegetables (squash, sweet potato, potato, green beans) and avocado. Carrots, spinach, beets, turnips or collards are too rich in nitrates for baby until he is 9 months old.

Second: About a month after giving vegetables, add fruits (applesauce, peaches, apricots, pears, nectarines, & plums). Start with cooked fruit. Once cooked fruit is accepted try raw mashed fruit.

Third: Assuming baby is at least 9 months old, add more vegetables (zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, kale, tomatoes, spinach, beets, turnips, carrots, collard greens)

Fourth: Somewhere between 9-12 months add grains. Try to use whole grains versus refined baby cereals, brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, barley, millet. Buy commercial whole grain cereals or make your own by toasting the grains and grinding in a mill.

Fifth: Between 10-12 months, add nuts (except peanuts which are allergenic) and legumes and egg yolks (egg whites are highly allergenic)

Sixth: After 12 months add meat, poultry, beans, egg whites.

Once all foods are tolerated, add foods from the allergenic list and any other fruits and vegetables.

What about dairy? We do not recommend that you ever give your children cow’s milk (whether they show signs of intolerance or not). Yogurt can be beneficial and can be added to the diet between 10-12 months.

What about supplements? We do not believe that breastfed babies need Vitamin D supplements or iron-fortified foods as long as the nursing mother has a healthy, iron rich diet and the baby isexposed to at least 5 minutes of sun per day. After 10 months add flaxseed oil (1 tsp per day) or cod liver oil (1/4 tsp per day). After 12 months you may want to add a multi-vitamin supplement and beneficial bacteria to your child’s diet.

Foods to avoid: Avoid sugar, salt, refined flours, processed foods, foods with additives, preservatives, colors, and hydrogenated fats. Prepared fruit juices (especially concentrated) should be limited or not given as they overly high in natural sugars and are proportionally low in nutrients compared to total calories.

Additional Feeding Tips:

• Introduce one food at a time and wait at least 4 days before introducing another. Monitor your baby for any adverse or allergic reactions (see list below). If an allergy is suspected, discontinue the food and try again after at least one week. If symptoms reappear then discontinue that food until baby is at least two years old. We recommend keeping a food and symptom diary.
• Wait to introduce all highly allergenic foods until baby is at least 12 months old.
• Choose organic, homemade foods as much as possible.

Respiratory Passages:
Runny nose, sneezing, wheezing, stuffy nose, watery eyes, bronchitis, recurring ear infections, persistent cough, congestion, rattling chest

Skin:
Red sand paper like facial rash, hives, swelling in hands and feet, dry, scaly, itchy skin (mostly on face), dark circles under eyes, puffy eyelids, lip swelling, tongue soreness and cracks.

Intestines:
Mucousy diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gassiness, excessive spitting up, vomiting, intestinal bleeding, poor weight gain, burn like rash around anus, abdominal discomfort.

Specific to Infants:

• Redness around mouth usually within 1-2 hours or around the anus within 12-24 hours,
• Abdominal bloating, gas and distension
• Constipation, diarrheaa or foul odour to stools
• Vomiting or frequent spitting-up
• Nasal and/or chest congestion and runny nose, chronic middle ear infections, asthma
• Red, chapped eczema-like skin on face, groin, bottom or anywhere on the body.
• Colic, fussiness, difficult sleeping
• Failure to thrive, loss of appetite

*Allergic symptoms can occur within minutes or within days after the food is ingested.

Most-Allergenic Foods

Canadian Pediatric Society
Peggy O’Mara, Natural Family Living, Mothering Magazine Guide to Parenting, (New York: Pocket Books, 2000)
Dr. Linda Folden Palmer, D.C., Baby Matters – What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Caring for Your Baby, (Lucky Press, LLC, 2001)
David W. Rowland, Digestion: Inner Pathway to Health, (Rowland Publications, 1996)
Dr. Linda Folden Palmer, D.C., Baby Matters – What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Caring for Your Baby, (Lucky Press, LLC, 2001)
H.C. Borresen, “A questionable guideline on introduction of solid food to breast-fed infants”, Norway 114, no. 26 (Oct 30, 1994): 3087-9
Dr. Linda Folden Palmer, D.C., Baby Matters – What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Caring for Your Baby, (Lucky Press, LLC, 2001)

About the Authors:

Patti Wardlaw, Marlyce Rankin and Riki Winkler are three Calgary mothers who share a passion for natural nutrition. They met at the Synergea Parent Support Group and discovered they shared common backgrounds. Marlyce is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Patti is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, and Riki is a New York trained Vegetarian Chef.

In the fall of 2003 they formed the company “LifeThyme Wellness”, and currently offer a variety of Holistic Nutrition and Cooking Workshops. Their workshop, “Nourishing Your Infant Nature’s Way” delves into further detail on the information presented here as well as information on feeding a toddler.

For more information or to register for a workshop please visit www.lifethyme.ca or call Patti at 403-283-7388.

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