QUESTION FROM THE AUDIENCE:
"I WANT TO FEED MY BABY FRESH FOODS, WHAT DO I FEED THEM"
I love to help and share. First I will answer from a place of knowledge-information and second from experience, what we learned along the way when feeding our raw children from birth.
What is ALWAYS best for any baby is mothers milk when ever possible and as long as possible (world average child-led weening is 7 yrs). Yes, around 5 month or so babies will start to put everything in their mouths this is how they learn (taste, touch, hear, see, feelings) this does not mean they are ready to sit up and eat. The more you nurse and the more you eat a healthy diet your baby with be getting all the nutrition he/she will need. What I have also learned and experienced is babies develop their taste buds between the ages of 9 to 18 months of age. So what your feeding your baby between these ages will influence their palate for taste, keep in mind breast milk is very sweet and perfect in digestion depending on what the mother is eating. As humans when come into this world we are born with a knowing how to suckle for nursing (if at all possible) this is our natural instinct. As we grow and begin to get teeth we also develop skills of chopping or up and down chewing motion. For what I have observed this chewing motion develops after 1 year.
My grandson is 9 months and my daughter is choosing to start him on other foods. One day as I was feeding him banana ice cream I observed that when I put the food in his mouth he was confused at first then he started to suckle not chop or chew. When Mitchel and Carter, our 8 and 6 year old, we babies they did not really start on any foods until 14 to 18 months of age, as their chopping/chewing skills become developed and they had more and more teeth to chew with. Perhaps a little banana or avocado here and there and mostly both their diets consisted of mothers milk for at least 18 months. I feel because we fed these little men green smoothies and all fresh foods during the first 9 to 18 months of their life, now that they are older they still love and want to continue eating their living/raw food diet (and we take life a day at a time).
Now you have information about to answer the question:
For first foods I recommend starting with SOFT SWEET FRESH FOODS:
bananas, avocado, mango, green smoothies, watermelon (in very tiny pieces), young coconuts.
I would wait until at least until 2 years of age to start them on any citrus, berries, or nuts. Even though they are fresh they can be harder on a growing digestion.
Ultimately you are the parent and what we have found to be most important and influential is what your eating. Your little one will see what you, as parents, are eating and that will be the biggest influence in their lives.
If you are a parent of older children and you would love them to eat healthier and they are not wanting that for themselves now, I recommend you keep on inspiring them with your actions and perhaps some new stories and inspiring information to help them come to a decision on their own. Their current palate may be accustomed to what they are eating now. Later it may change, I was raised on a very SAD (Standard American Diet) with maybe 10% fresh in my growing years and NOW I am and have been eating 100% live vegan foods for 5 years because I made the decision. We are all changing and growing I know with a little faith, understanding, love and inspiration anything is possible.
I was able to inspire our whole family of 7 including 5 children (ages 12, 10, 6, 2. and baby) and husband to eat a 100% living/raw diet for 4 years. It took 1 year of integrating more and more delicious living foods in our lifestyle along with compassion, understanding and story telling and it was all worth it. Even though the 3 older children make different choices now they still have a fresh living foods foundation of knowledge they may choose someday. Still I hear comments like "those were the best times" "mom, you make the best raw foods" "mom we only like the foods you make" "mom, now that I am gone I miss all the fruits and vegetables we use to eat".
Our Babies Favorite Food:
Grinch Pudding:
3 Bananas
1 handful spinach
1/4 avocado
Blend and Enjoy!
Life is for fun enjoy the journey!!
A whole food diet is the key to a long and healthy life. New recommendations encourage consuming more fruits, vegetables and whole grains every day. This is easily accomplished by eating terrific-tasting, nutrient-rich whole food meals made in the Vita-Mix machine. Imagine...
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2 comments:
Hi Darlene, Thank you for your wonderful tips on giving babies first food. My son Sebastian is 6 months old. I'm still breast feeding but it does drain me. I want to introduce him to solids. He is not taking to mashed banana or avocado and spits it out. He likes some sweet potato but sometimes it just goes all over him. I'm constantly wasting food and my family keep pushing formula. What do you think of Gerbers Single Rice Cereal? Do you have any more tips?
Being tired while nursing can happen especially when your whole body health may be lacking. First I start with myself, asking how is my own health? Am I getting enough water, whole fresh fruits and greens, sleep, exercise, mental wellness, etc.. I feel so much better when I simply add 3 or 4 liters of water to my diet everyday. I am sure a green smoothie made with organic greens and fruit would also be fabulous for anyones health especially a nursing mom. Remember whatever you are eating and drinking so is your baby through your milk.
Now for baby, from what you are describing about your little ones dislike of certain foods I would venture to guess that he may not be ready for solids yet. As I described in this article most babies are not ready for solids until at least 1 year. His instinct is to suck not chew and take from a spoon. You are giving him the best food for his perfect development, breast milk, and he knows how to suckle the breast.
Formula is full of sugars and whey and not much nutritional value, not even in the same nutritional category as breast milk. Rice cereal is a complex carbohydrate, not a simple carbohydrate like your body needs and may cause digestive issues for your little man. If you need to feed him something keep trying different sweet fruits, mangos and very ripe bananas (spotted and banana smelling), apples and soaked raisins and blended.
Hope this helps, if not please email me and I can ask you more about the situation.
With love,
Darlene
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