Food Before One is NOT Just for Fun

Food before one is NOT just for fun:

Breast milk and/or formula are still the primary source of nutrition before the age of one. However, the introduction of solids plays an important role in your baby's life. 🍽🍽🍽

1. Around 6 months, the iron in breast milk is limited (post on iron coming up next week)..
2. Food is also a sensory experience for babies, allowing them to appreciate the different textures and colors. There is a critical window between 6-10 months where babies learn how to chew food. If you go the puree route, then it is important to wean your child starting around 8-9 months in order to make sure they learn how to chew their food.

3. Fine Motor Development: The child learns to develop and perfect their pincer grasp when interacting with different foods.

4. At this stage, babies are typically babbling and making a variety of sounds. In order to facilitate speech development, manipulating foods in their mouth allows the baby to exercise the over 40 muscles they have in their face.

5. Eating regular foods will allow your child to appreciate the shared experience of a family meal. Conversation, eye contact, community, and routine can all be learned through the mealtime experience. Meals can also be a way to anchor your child’s daily rhythm.

📷 Pictured above: my youngest eating daal. Later added some almond/cashew based yogurt from @cookwithdanny
And then gave her some steamed broccoli with @jovialfoods organic olive oil drizzled on top

Do you want more ideas of the foods I give my little one? Would it be good to put all of the ideas in a highlight? ⤵️⤵️⤵️