Feeding Your Baby
Part II: Six to Twelve Months
Robert P. Lindeman, MD, PhD
Natick Pediatrics, PC

Here’s a shocking fact: There was a time in the not-so-distant past when there was no such thing as baby food. Once upon a time, babies ate…well, food! Parents cooked vegetables and fruits, strained them by hand, and served them fresh to babies.

The History
The revolution in baby-feeding began in the early part of the last century. Dorothy and Daniel Gerber started canning baby food in 1928. According to legend, Mrs. Gerber, who was home with the couple’s first baby, grew tired of straining peas by hand. She suggested to her husband that the machines in the family canning factory could do the job better. The rest, as they say, is history.

There is no question that straining vegetables and fruit by hand was hard work. The appeal of prepared baby food in a jar was unmistakable. With the addition of some clever marketing – a cute baby and a coupon were featured in print ads from the beginning - Gerber was a household name by the end of the year.

Competition for jarred baby food arrived in the form of the electric blender, which eliminated the drudgery associated with preparation of baby food at home. Unfortunately the first mass-produced household blenders did not appear until the late 1930’s. By the time most families owned a Waring blender or an Osterizer, it was too late: baby food in a jar was part of the culture.

"Babies Are Our Business – Our Only Business"
Gerber became a trusted brand name. And with trust came a mantle of authority. The public came to believe that jarred baby food was better than homemade. After all, babies were their only business, so they must be the experts! A new mother who is herself the product of three generations raised on baby food is not likely to know how to make baby food, or she might believe she can’t make it as well as the "experts".

Most parents would be surprised to find that good-tasting, nutritious baby food is not at all difficult to make at home. Those who do make their own baby food are gratified to learn that homemade is significantly less expensive than jarred food. In my opinion, homemade is better for babies’ health. Nutrients aren’t lost in the manufacturing process, so they don’t need to be returned to the product as additives. And of course, homemade baby food requires no preservatives.

Some Preliminary Questions

How often?
The normal healthy child eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This is a goal to shoot for, but many 6-month olds aren’t interested in all three meals at first. I usually recommend rice cereal at breakfast, one to two ounces, followed by breastfeeding or bottle. The decision to add lunch or dinner first is highly individual, but I usually recommend starting with dinner as the second meal of the day. Dinner is the beginning of the bedtime ritual, and therefore bridges two of the most important points in infancy: good nutrition and good sleep! I discuss briefly the choice of dinner foods below.

Protein
Parents of 6-month old are often concerned that their infant will not consume enough protein. I tell my parents that protein consumption is not a concern at this age: the primary source of protein at this age is breast milk or formula, and will remain so for some time to come. Any protein that is derived from cereal or vegetable sources is supplemental only. I’m more concerned with providing nutritious sources of carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

What about Organic?
I’m not convinced by the health claims made concerning organic vegetables and fruits, but it’s undeniable that they taste better than the non-organic varieties. The sweet potatoes and carrots tend to be sweeter, and many of the fruits tend to have softer textures. Organic foods are also more expensive, and I encourage parents to set their own priorities.

Vitamins
I’m also often asked about vitamin supplements. I tell patients that an infant who consumes a healthy diet doesn’t need supplemental vitamins. One problem with supplements is getting child to take them! I used to prescribe vitamin supplements to every patient, until I found that vanishingly few of my patients would actually tolerate the taste!

Allergies
Because of concerns over food allergies, many parents ask me how many days a baby should eat one food before starting a new one. There is no scientific answer to this question. I usually recommend feeding a new food for four days before adding a new one. I’m quick to mention that a parent isn’t required to feed only one food at a time for four days straight, I mean only one new food at a time!

Orange Vegetables
I counsel my patients that there are many "right" ways to begin feeding solids. What follows below is meant to illustrate a few approaches to feeding, and is not meant as an exhaustive study of the subject. There is nothing special about the foods my wife and I chose to feed our children at six months. Our criteria were simple: the food had to be simple to make, good for the baby, tasty, and easy to store.

The first vegetables I recommend for 6 month olds tend to be orange. I like to start with sweet potato. You peel and simmer a sweet potato (preferably in filtered water) until it is tender, then mash it adding some of the cooking liquid. At first you want the consistency of a puree, but later, as the baby becomes accustomed to the texture, you can add less water to make the mixture thicker. I usually recommend starting with one fluid ounce and increasing to two ounces.

Carrots can be prepared in the same way. There has been a fair amount of confusion over carrots and their safety. Some ‘experts’ suggest avoiding carrots because they contain a substance that, in industrial quantities, can cause cancer. These risks are exaggerated, in my opinion. The actual health benefits of carrots far outweigh the theoretical risks. A carrot that hasn’t been washed thoroughly is far more dangerous than any substance inside the carrot.

The butternut squash, also orange, tastes terrific and makes wonderful baby food. The only problem with the butternut squash is its size and shape: It’s very large and shaped like a dumbbell. Once you can get beyond the daunting dimensions of this vegetable, you’ll find it makes a delicious puree or soup that can be thickened with breast milk or formula.

If you decide to start with orange vegetables, you need to be aware that your baby will poop orange! If you start with sweet potato, your baby will appear to pass the sweet potato, undigested, into his diaper. In fact, the baby is absorbing quite a bit. You will notice that the baby nurses or bottle-feeds less often. Most babies also begin sleeping through night.

Fruits
Many fruits can be introduced early on as well. Probably the easiest fruit to serve is the banana. The banana enjoys the distinction of being the easiest to prepare, which is to say that it requires no preparation! Simply peel down one side of a ripe banana, and scoop onto a baby spoon.

Most food processors can reduce a peeled apple to applesauce in seconds. The peeling requires some work, but the results are very satisfying – no added sugars or preservatives to worry about! Ripe pears (Anjou and Bartlett in particular) can be prepared in the same way.

Meat
I’m often surprised that parents appear to be in a hurry to give meat to their babies. I ask them to consider early man, hundreds of thousands of years ago. He ate meat, but did his kids eat it too? Without food processors or ovens, early man had no means to render the flesh of animals into a form that could be eaten by a child who had no teeth! Perhaps they were tossed a scrap here and there, but it couldn’t have provided very much nutrition. A baby is not "designed" to eat meat, so a baby does not need to eat meat. Pureed meat makes no sense.

Do it Yourself
This article is intended to provide a broad outline on feeding your 6-12 month old, not to provide precise details about food choices, amounts, or timing of meals. My hope is that it will encourage new parents to consider making baby food at home. Remember homemade baby food tastes better, it’s better for your baby, and it’s significantly less expensive. Also you don’t have all those glass jars to throw out!

Now dust off the food processor and get started: your baby will thank you!

For more information about Natick Pediatrics, or to talk to the doctor, please call the office at (508) 655-9699.