Baby’s First Food: Things to Consider When Making Them

Around the time when your baby reaches six months old, they are likely to be showing signs that they are ready for solid food, and if you get the “okay” from your paediatrician — congratulations! Your little one has reached another key development milestone, and you can now start giving them solid foods.

But how do you get started? What are some of the tools you need and the baby food preparation pointers that you need to take note of? Here’s what you need to know about making your baby’s first food. 

Baby Food Preparation Tools You’ll Need

When your baby is just getting started on solid food around 6 to 9 months old, it’s best to start with food that has a smooth and lumpy texture, like puree, mashed fruits and vegetables, and porridge. This is because these foods are easier for your little one to swallow. To make these baby’s first foods at home, check if you have the following tools in your kitchen.

• Steamer: This is to steam your veggies and meat to make them soft and easier for your little one to consume.
• Fork: You can use it to mash up food like pumpkin, tofu, potato, banana etc.
• Blender: This comes in handy for making purees and fine chopping.
• Sieve or strainer: So that you can strain the puree and remove the bigger bits of food.

Alternatively, you can also get an all-in-one baby food maker, which usually offers the feature of steam-cooking and then finely blends the food to make it into a puree.

How to Make Baby Puree

Here’s a general guideline on how to make baby puree with some of the commonly used ingredients.

• Fruits: Puree it to a smooth and fine consistency, you can add some water or breast milk based on your desired consistency.
• Vegetables: Steam, blanch or bake the vegetables, then blend them to make a puree. You can also add breast milk or water to adjust it to your desired consistency.
• Meat: Steam, boil or bake deboned and skinless meat without using any oil. When the meat is fully cooked, cut it into small pieces and blend it with clear broth or water until smooth.

To monitor whether your baby has any allergic reactions to certain foods, introduce one new food at a time every several days. Some common signs of allergies include swollen face, eyes, tongue, mouth and lips, vomiting, watery stools, hives and worsening eczema. If you have concerns about food allergies, discuss with your paediatrician how to include them in your baby’s food.

Baby Food Preparation Health & Safety Tips

As your little one’s digestive system and immune system are still developing, you need to take note of these health and safety guides when preparing their food:

• Skip the Oil and Seasonings

Your baby’s delicate taste buds are just developing, so they don’t have a sweet tooth or a craving for salt yet. Hence, skip the salt, sugar and other seasonings like soy sauce or oyster sauce and keep your baby’s food unseasoned. Also, be sure to prepare your baby’s food without oil — that means no stir-frying or grilling yet! Prepare your baby’s food with healthy, oil-free cooking methods like steaming, boiling, baking, or microwaving.

• Avoid Raw and Chunky Food

Make sure your baby’s food has a smooth and fine texture without chunky or hard pieces to prevent the risk of choking, and do not mix raw food like meat with cooked food. If you are feeding your little one meat, please ensure they are fully cooked to avoid the risk of bacterial infection.

• Keep Your Kitchen & Utensils Clean

Allocate a designated space in the kitchen for food preparation, and make sure to clean the surface of the kitchen area before and after preparing food. As for your utensils, wash them thoroughly before and after using them. Moreover, do not use cracked or chipped utensils as the chipped areas tend to have a higher chance of retaining germs, and chipped pieces of the utensils might fall into the food without you noticing.

• Wash Your Hands Thoroughly

Keeping our hands germs-free is now more important than ever, so wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after preparing your baby’s meal. If you touch raw meat, fish, or eggs in the process, wash your hands again, as these ingredients may harbour bacteria.

Essential Nutrients Your Baby Needs

Your baby’s first few years is when most of the key developmental milestones happen, so make sure they get sufficient intake of the following nutrients:

• Vitamin A: Vitamin A is essential in helping your little one develop healthy vision. Some great sources of Vitamin A include orange-coloured fruits and vegetables like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and carrots. Dark leafy greens like kale and spinach are rich in Vitamin A, too.

• Vitamin B1 and B6: Vitamin B1 and B6 help your baby to support a good immune system. Vitamin B6 is also essential to support your baby’s healthy brain development. Foods that contain Vitamin B1 include cauliflower, oranges, eggs and kale. On the other hand, foods that contain Vitamin B6 include salmon, eggs, carrots, spinach, banana, chickpeas and avocado.

• Vitamin C: Your little one needs Vitamin C to support collagen growth and their skin, teeth, bones, joint tissues and blood vessels. Some Vitamin-C-rich foods include broccoli, strawberries, papaya, kiwi and mangoes.

• Vitamin D: To grow strong bones, teeth and immune system, your baby needs Vitamin D. You can include foods like salmon, tuna and fortified whole grain baby cereals in your baby’s diet to help them get sufficient intake of this vitamin.

• Vitamin E: Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps to keep your baby’s nerve cells and red blood cells healthy. Some foods that are naturally high in Vitamin E include kiwi, carrot juice, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and avocado.

• Folate: Folate, also known as Vitamin B9, is essential for your baby’s body to maintain healthy cells and support brain development. Foods that are naturally good sources of folate include lentils, iceberg lettuce, brussels sprouts, green peas and baked potato.

• Iron: Iron is a key nutrient for the human body to develop red blood cells and supply oxygen throughout the body. For babies, it is crucial for them to get sufficient oxygen throughout the body to support cognitive and behavioural development. Some great sources of iron are iron-fortified baby cereals, as well as dark leafy greens like spinach and kale.

• Fibre: Like adults, babies need fibre to support a healthy bowel system. Some of the best fibre-rich foods for babies are oatmeal, apples, pears, bananas, beetroot, sweet potatoes and broccoli.
• Calcium: Calcium is essential for children to build strong bones. Dairy foods like milk and yogurt and good sources of calcium, but be sure to consult your doctor before giving your baby a dairy, as some babies can’t eat dairy foods. Meanwhile, some dairy-free calcium sources include edamame, broccoli, kale, Chinese cabbage and chickpeas.
• Protein: Protein is important for children as it repairs cells and body tissues, as well as helps to build antibodies to support a good immune system. Some protein-rich foods for babies include beans and lentils, chicken, tofu and fish.

Portion Guide for Baby Aged 6 to 12 months Old

You already know how important it is for your little one to have nutritious foods, but how much should you feed them? Here’s a portion guide for infants from 6 months (181 days) to 12 months old, according to the Ministry of Health Singapore on the Health Hub SG website:

Food Groups	Number of Servings per Day	Examples of 1 Serving
Brown Rice and Fibre	1 to 2	2 bowls of porridge (500g)1 large mashed potato (180g)
Fruits	1 to 2	Pureed fruits like apples, oranges, pears, mango, papaya, or watermelon (130g)
Vegetables	1 to 2	Pureed leafy greens (100g)
Meat and Others	1 to 2	1 palm-sized piece of fish, lean meat or skinless poultry (90g)250ml cup of cooked lentils, peas or beans (120g)
Breast Milk / Follow On Infant Formula	750ml	N/A

Credit: Health Hub SG

Baby Feeding Essentials You’ll Need

Food’s ready. It’s finally time to feed your baby! But hold on! Do you have all these baby feeding essentials to make feeding a breeze?

• Baby Spoon: Baby spoons come with smaller spoon tips with rounded edges that are safer for your baby. Certain baby spoons also change colour to alert you when the food is too hot.
• Light & Easy-to-Hold Bowl: Using a bowl that is light and easy to hold makes it more comfortable for you to hold it throughout the feeding. BPA-free silicone bowls or plastic bowls are good choices. When your baby is older and ready to self-feed, you can get suction-based silicone bowls that stick to the table surface.
• High Chair: A high chair provides a safe and comfy place for your little one to feed. Remember to secure all the straps firmly to prevent your baby from standing up or climbing up.
• Baby Bib: A baby bib helps keep your baby’s clothes and the table surface mess-free. Silicone baby bibs with an open, structured pocket in front can help prevent food from falling on your baby’s pants and on the ground.  

Storage of Baby Food

To store the extra puree you made, freeze fruit or vegetable purees in ice cube trays and keep them for up to a month. This is also convenient if both you and your partner live a busy lifestyle; just remember to label your baby’s food with the preparation date. 

To heat the leftovers, pop the cubes out and warm them on the stove or in the microwave on low heat. Once it’s done, stir and test the temperature before feeding it to your baby.

There you have it! You are now equipped with the basics of making homemade baby food for your little one. Food preparation and feeding skills aside, it’s important to learn your baby’s cues during feeding time, as well as understand how to serve them a well-balanced and nutritious diet. So stay tuned to our upcoming blogs for the following weeks as we cover these topics!

Why You Should Continue To Breastfeed

Introducing solids to your baby doesn’t mean you should stop breastfeeding. Instead, you should complement breastfeeding with solid foods, and it’s best to keep breastfeeding for a year or as long as you can manage. Why? Here are some of the benefits of continuing to breastfeed your baby after 6 months.

• Breastfeeding in the early stage of offering solids to your baby ensures that they receive sufficient nutrients while they explore the taste and texture of solids.
• Breast milk helps your baby digest solids better.
• As breast milk changes in flavour based on what you have been eating, it allows your baby to have a wide variety of tastes and helps make introducing solids easier.
• During your baby’s teething phase, your baby might not be fond of solids due to their sore gums. Breast milk can help soothe your baby during this stage.
• As breast milk is filled with antibodies to boost your baby’s immune system, it provides your baby with ongoing protection as they explore their surroundings with all their senses.

All in all, starting solids is an exciting experience for both you and your baby, so try to cherish this stage in their life and be patient as you explore the many types of food together. Last but not least, the key to establishing a healthy diet for your baby lies in having a wide variety of nutritious whole foods and complementing it with breast milk. Have fun spending your mealtime together with your little one, daddies and mummies!

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