This is not the be-all/end-all of baby feeding articles. There are plenty of excellent resources on the web, and I plan to link to some. Below are just a sprinkling of tricks, methods, insights, and facts--some of which you may never have thought of before.

Stay with your baby when she is eating or drinking anything so you can rescue her in the case of choking. The younger your baby and the less experienced she is eating and drinking apart from the breast, the more necessary this is.

You don't need to start solids until your baby shows an interest in food (is he trying to climb into your plate when you eat?), is able to sit up, and demonstrates an ability to swallow without gagging. The ability to swallow is difficult to determine without giving food first. If your baby is sitting up and showing interest in food, try putting him on your lap and offering a bit of very soft (mashed or pureed) food on your finger. If he handles that well, try a spoon.

Avoid feeding your baby the following foods the first year: sugar, wheat, dairy (cow milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, etc.), and eggs. These are common allergens and "they" say that many food allergies can be avoided by not introducing foods too early. Some babies are also sensitive to soy, corn, and strawberries.

Don't give your baby honey or foods containing honey the first year (due to botulism).

Avoid feeding your baby refined sugars (white table sugar, brown sugar, turbinado, raw sugar, corn syrup, sucrose, imitation maple syrup) and products containing refined sugars. Sugar is addicting and detrimental to physical, emotional, and mental health in persons of all ages.

Introduce fruits and vegetables to baby first, before grains, as they are easier to digest.

When you have time, make your own baby food by steaming fruits and veggies until soft and then pureeing (add water, if necessary, to achieve desired consistency). Mashing cooked foods with a fork is often enough preparation, especially if your baby is "chewing" and swallowing well. For an emergency stash in the diaper bag and times when you're in a hurry, buy organic baby food in jars that is free from sugar, salt, and fillers.

Raw food is a whole lot more nutritious than cooked food. Therefore it is a good idea to feed raw food to your baby daily. I myself am just learning to prepare raw foods for my baby. I purchased a $10 manual baby food grinder and am impressed. Many people probably don't realize that applesauce, canned fruits and vegetables, and commercial baby foods are cooked, which means many valuable nutrients babies need have been destroyed. So far with the baby food grinder I have made excellent raw, living apple and pear sauce in just a few minutes. The grinder is better than a blender because it is easier to make tiny baby-sixed portions and infinitely easier to clean. Plus I can take it with me on the road. Experiment with kitchen gadgets you already possess and see if you can produce raw fruit and veggie purees that your baby can deal with without choking. I have read that some juicers have a function that accomplishes this nicely. But if you don't get good results, spend the ten bucks and get the grinder. Makes a great baby shower gift, too!

Choose wholegrain foods for your baby, like whole grain breads, rolls, bagels, crackers, brown rice, millet, oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, cereals, pastas, cookies, and other baked goods. Don't give your child white bread or other white flour products on a regular basis. She will develop a preference for them and begin to reject wholesome wholegrains.

If you serve packaged cereals, buy them at the natural foods store and check labels for refined sugars, flours, and other unwanted ingredients. Try making your own cereals.

Just say "no" to artificial ingredients...such as color, flavors, and sweeteners. Red dye in particular seems to cause major problems in some children, such as excitability, crying, and anger outbursts--which may be wrongly diagnosed as ADHD. Saccharin and Nutra Sweet (aspartame) are also a no-no. You're better off giving baby sugar!

Please no soda pop! I know it's fun to watch little guy sip off your straw, but honestly! Get a cup of water and a straw, and let him practice with that. Soda is HARMFUL. It is full of sugar (or artificial sweetener), artificial flavors and/or colors, sodium, and phosphorous. The phosphorous content results in calcium loss--not a good thing for developing teeth and bones. Some soft drinks contain caffeine...as much as in 2-3 cups of coffee per 12-oz. can.

A small coffee grinder is great for grinding oats, barley, brown rice, millet, quinoa, etc. into baby cereal. Cook a tablespoonful of ground grain in a small amount of juice, breast milk, or water for a few minutes and voila! Add a bit of apple butter or mashed banana, if desired. Your baby will love it! NOTE: Grind it for immediate use, though, since ground grains begin losing their nutritional value immediately.

Using your teeth or a paring knife, remove a small patch of skin from a plum, peach, or apple and hold the exposed flesh to your baby's mouth. Once he gets the taste, he will lick and suck eagerly! Before long, he will be holding the fruit by himself. My husband came up with this idea. It works well when you are stuck in a grocery store with a hungry baby but can't stop to nurse. The fruit will occupy him until you can get home or wherever you need to go. One alternative to wearing your baby in a sling or pack while preparing meals is to sit him in his high chair and give him the fruit to happily pass the time. If your baby is already accustomed to eating and swallowing food, has teeth, or has a strong suck, some of the fruit may pull through the opening into his mouth. He may eat these bits just fine, but choking is always a possibility. Stay with your baby at all times. Dropping the fruit also happens frequently, so be watchful (baby will usually let you know). I definitely recommend a bib and a washcloth or wipes for this. Keep these items in your diaper bag or you'll be sorry!

Dried fruits are wonderful for tasting and teething. Pineapple is a favorite. Choose plain dried fruits, preferably organic, without sweeteners, additives, or preservatives. Large, thick pieces safeguard against choking. Usually the baby can suck and chew on a piece of dried fruit for quite a while without it falling apart. In the case that a chunk breaks away, it is usually easy to fish out of her mouth.

Cold carrots and stalks of celery are excellent teethers. They don't break up and are impossible to swallow, plus they are nice and hard, for the "counter-pressure" that brings relief to sore gums. It also helps familiarize your baby with vegetables he will one day be eating.

Healthy Times makes a maple-flavored WHEAT-FREE / DAIRY-FREE teething biscuit that is absolute tops. They contain no refined flours or sugars, are organic, and non-GMO. These biscuits are long, thick, and hard--perfect for even very young teethers because they don't fall apart in the mouth (at least I've never seen one fall apart on any of my three kids). They seem to slowly "melt" and they last a long time. My babies have never finished one. I store mine in the freezer for frehness and even greater teething satisfaction. I do recommend stripping your baby down to her diaper, as these can be messy. But I guarantee your baby will enjoy them immensely.

Healthy Times also makes arrowroot cookies that DO crumble easily, for older babies. Look for the maple flavored ones, as these are wheat-free. The vanilla flavor contains wheat.

Do you own a juicer? Fresh fruit and vegetable juices are great for babies! Try carrot juice first. You can dilute it if you want. Watermelon juice is great in summertime. Fresh apple or pear juice is also delightful for baby. Make sure to strain the juice well. Do not give your baby lots of juice. Once a day (perhaps 2-4 ounces) is plenty. Sometimes it takes baby all day to drink just that much. Especially for young babies, refrigerate unfinished portions of juice during periods of abandonment--this will inhibit bacteria from growing.

If you use bottled juices from the store, make sure they are not sweetened with sugar or flavored/colored artificially. Look for the "100% Juice" label. The word "natural" does not mean anything. Choose organic juice if you have access to it and can afford it. Bottled juices are almost always cooked (pasteurized) and they are high in sugar and calories--even though it's natural sugar. Again, please limit juice consumption!

Water is an excellent beverage for older babies and small children (young babies--6 months or younger--need only breastmilk). Get them started on the water-drinking habit while they are young.

Babies do not need dairy (cow) products at any age. But if you choose to give milk and/or dairy products after the first year, choose organic products. Non-organic milk and other dairy foods are laced with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones (like BGH--bovine growth hormone), and drugs (like antibiotics).

Pureed watermelon (or other melon) makes a very good first food. Babies love it, and it is mostly liquid.

Older babies (at least 6 months) that are beginning to "chew" (with or without teeth) will love overripe bananas. Instead of mashing, cut the banana into baby-bite-size chunks and set them on the high chair tray. The banana is pretty slimy and hard to pick up, so I usually take a baby fork and pierce a piece and hand it to my baby. He just loves feeding himself, and is pretty good at getting the banana in his mouth straight away. Try also chunks of steamed squash, making sure it is VERY soft.

Clumpy brown rice is also a fun, messy food for older babies. You might want to put a plastic sheet or table cloth under the high chair for this one.

Breastfed babies should continue getting mostly (or exclusively) breastmilk for the first year of life. Introducing solids can ideally be a long, slow process. Offer breast first and then solids if your baby is still hungry (especially if you don't want to wean her just yet).

Your baby does NOT need meat. Iron and protein sources are not limited to dead animals, and meats are hard on his digestive system. Consider feeding your baby vegetarian! If you or others in your household are omnivorous, your baby can choose to eat meat later on if he wants to. The longer he goes without meat, however, the better--even if you have no intentions of raising him to be a vegetarian.

If you do choose to feed your baby meats, if at all possible choose only ORGANIC non-red meats. I know it costs a small fortune, but do you really want to give your precious baby something that is laced with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones, drugs, dyes, and in some cases disease? Even if you serve yourself and the rest of your family regular old meat from the grocery store, consider buying "special" meat for your baby.

Your baby does not need candy! I have had loving family members suggest to me that my baby will feel deprived if he doesn't get candy! Nonsense! Unless your child has eaten candy already, she doesn't even know what it is. She isn't missing a thing! The people who are feeling deprived here are certain adults. The longer you put off candy-eating the better. There is no value of ANY kind in giving candy to a baby. If you do give it, she will simply learn early to crave something she will spend the rest of her life, probably, trying not to eat or to eat with more self-control. As your little one gets older and ventures out to birthday parties and Sunday school class, candy will happen soon enough. My experience has been that "unenlightened" fathers and grandmas also "sneak" baby treats when Mommy isn't around. Be watchful, and ask lots of questions. Be firm in your convictions, and convey them with the love that is in your heart. Knowing your nutrition facts is also helpful in stating your case.

Again, this is my experience, but it seems that Church is the worst offender of all when it comes to giving babies and small children junk food. The nursery is usually stocked with salty crackers made with white flour or sugary graham crackers, and older age babies and children are routinely given cookies, greasy chips, and eventually candy. The "food as a reward" system has died in most all childcare systems EXCEPT Church. Sadly so. I have tried to change this at my church, to no avail. Candy is cheap, I am told. SO, I have always made it abundantly clear to anyone who takes care of my baby that he is to be given NO FOOD unless I provide it. If you want your baby only to nurse, say so (and say so EVERY time you drop your child off)! I have always provided my children's food in most situations, without protest, until about age 4. Then they start wanting what the other kids are having.

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