For some time now, Health Canada has advised that a baby’s first solid foods should be something rich in iron; typically, that has been iron-fortified cereal. This would be followed by vegetables, fruits, meats, and then dairy products.
The rationale is that when healthy, full-term babies are born, they have enough iron reserves to last them until they are about 6 months old. Typically, babies begin transitioning to solid foods somewhere between 4-6 months, and considering how vitally important it is that iron intake be adequate to promote blood production and proper development, they need to be consuming foods rich in iron to fill the need. Cereals fortified with iron (which most are) are still suggested as a good first food, but meat (eg.poultry, beef, and fish), and meat alternatives (eg. eggs, beans, and tofu) are recommended to be consumed early on as well. In fact, underscoring the importance is the new recommendation that these iron-rich foods be offered to baby at least two or more times daily.
In serving meat – as with everything else – at this early age, one must be very careful that the food is well-cooked and in very small pieces, if not pureed, to avoid any choking hazards.
Another point of interest is that it is no longer recommended to delay the introduction of potential allergens such as eggs, peanut butter, and fish. Research has shown that delaying allergenic foods does nothing to decrease the prevalence of allergies. Still, one might want to be cautious about the introduction of highly allergenic foods by introducing them at home and having an antihistamine readily available in case of a reaction. Alternatively, some parents may wish to wait until the child is old enough to communicate experiencing allergy symptoms (eg. funny feeling in lips or tongue, or difficulty breathing).
Now that we’re realizing there’s no special order required for the introduction of foods, with the exception of dairy products, which should still wait until 9-12 months, I would personally recommend incorporating a wide variety as soon as possible to expose baby’s palate to a multitude of flavours. Many experts suggest fruit should be last as some babies might reject other foods if they develop a sweet-tooth early. The sooner they develop a taste for a variety of foods, the less picky they’re likely to be as they get older. And that’s something I can get behind!
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