introducing solids- looking for alternative perspectives

[LiLStar]

The mainstream method of introducing solids seems to be to start with least allergenic and go from there. In recent years there's been speculation that delaying certain foods until some magic date might not do anything to the rate of food allergies in children who do not have a family history. Mainstream advice seems to completely disregard how well the food is digested. I've noticed with my older kids, that even well into toddlerhood, most fruits and vegetables come out looking about the same as they went in. And I'm not convinced that this is simply due to chewing skills either. Because chicken sure takes a lot more effort to chew than say, steamed carrot, and guess what comes out the diaper completely "identifiable"? And I know babies cannot digest grains properly, so I am currently delaying those. So far, my 7mo has tried foods that are pretty "mainstream" accepted first foods (well, aside from the strawberry one of the older kids dropped on the floor. I bet he thought he'd won the lottery when he found it.. LOVED it!) pears, avocado, bananas. Not much pear or avocado made it to his tummy, since those were the first two he tried and it was too new, but he did pretty well with the banana. I gave him about half a banana to hold and he sucked and gnawed on it and played with it, loved it. I got an adorable video. But then he had diarreah for about a week. Possibly coincidence, because the next day dh got a tummy ache, and dd got a nasty stomach bug that laid her up for a few days. So it seemed something was going around. The next time I offered bananas, an hour-ish later he threw up. He was coughing and then threw up (and he'd had a little bit of a cough for a few days) so who knows if it was just a coughing thing. but it wasn't "spit up" it was full on vomit. So I don't know. Maybe bananas don't agree with him. Anyway, what I remember from my older kids, is that as infants/toddlers, they seemed to digest proteins pretty darn well. (If my measure of digestion is what it looks like coming out. Admittedly, I don't know how legit that is) So, is it really that reckless to feed an infant scrambled eggs? (white included) And conventional wisdom seems to suggest no meat before a year.. but is there evidence behind that advice or is it more cultural? Baked salmon seems like a yummy, soft food for a baby to eat! I'm remembering an article about how our culture vs other cultures approach feeding solids that was published a few years ago. I'm not sure if I'd be able to find it again but it was an interesting read! The conclusion seemed to be, around the world babies are eating much more flavorful (spicy, whatever) and varied food than american babies and are no more worse off.. and maybe we should lighten up and feed our babies more interesting foods.

[fruitfulmomma]

Weston A Price Foundation and Nina Planck's book 'Real Food for Mother and Baby' are both good sources for info on traditional baby feeding. (I prefer Planck because she is much more in tune with ap and breastfeeding.) 

We did egg yolks with our last two as first food, the older loved them, younger one not so much. We've never done baby foods, just fed them off our plates. Our youngest has numerous food intolerance issues so her diet consists mainly of animal proteins with a few grains, nuts, and veggies and only pear and lime for fruits, so first foods for her were mostly ground meat, cheese, yogurt, beans, and potatoes. And of course continuing with breastfeeding.

Reaction to banana can indicate a latex allergy so you may want to watch him for that. If he reacts the same way again I would hold off with them plus avocados, pineaple, and other tropical type fruits which can produce a similar reaction.

[flightgoddess]

My babe is almost 8 months and is nearly eating what we eat. I did do egg separate, soft boiled or poached egg and then I just drained the yolk out of it, a dash of salt, and then I fed it to her. About a month ago, we tried diced hard boiled egg, white and yolk, she seemed fine. She loves scrambled egg. Now I feel safe giving her anything baked/cooked with egg too. I usually soak my flours/grains to aid digestion.

The only thing I still spoon feed her is her  fruit with homemade yogurt. I just tried pancakes with Pamelas gluten free mix, which has almond meal in it, and she seems fine so far! She's had salmon patties, and was ok too. I'm introducing the allergenic foods one at a time (but not waiting til she's older), as her older borther has a cashew allergy.

I thought my lil gal had banana issues too. Just wait a couple weeks and try again. Also, test it with different ripeness. Super yellow/brown bananas make me gag (unless they are turned into banaba bread) but firm mostly yellow/some green bananas are ok.

[BabySmurf]

i think that the "conventional" feeding methods are confusing and weird! My son is 20 months, so i don't have a ton of experience, but I'm on the same vibe as you in that veggies come out the same way they go in, and what's the point? I did give my son meat and fish pretty young, and he did fine with it, and liked it a lot too.  The process of exposing children to allergenic foods is a total guessing game i feel like too.  Every couple of years they switch the recommendation, and i feel like they wait and see what happens.  If you guys don't have digestive issues or allergies, I wouldn't be too concerned, so long as you are careful and paying attention for reactions. 

i also second that bananas are related to latex, so that is something that i would keep an eye on, in addition to the other foods mentioned in the above post.

as for eggs, the white is the part that has the most allergenic proteins, which is why people usually start with the yolk. 

i do think that i will read the nina plank book though, i have seen that recommended several times now.....

[MrsGregory]

I am also confused about feeding my 9 1/2 month old. 

We have no allergies or concerns in our family, so she's been getting pretty much everything except nuts and shellfish.  I figure she can have nuts and shellfish when she's about a year or a little older - she's been exposed but hasn't ingested them.  (I've finger fed her chicken while eating soft-shell crab myself.  I eat nuts all the time, so I'm sure she's had quite a bit of nut-dust rubbed on her face.)

So the way we see it, babies needs a bunch of fat and calories.  So I started giving her things likes eggs, avocados, soft meats,  full-fat Greek yogurt and plenty of vegetables and fruits.  Lately she's been getting some quickbreads, like zucchini or banana, homemade with whole wheat.

Then the doctor says no dairy, no yogurt, no meat, nothing but cereal and veggies and fruit...  I called my mother and she agreed that doctor is not entirely up-to-snuff on his food advice. 

It's really, really terrifying, but I can only go with what works.  Little Miss is fat and sassy, no tummy troubles, we occasionally get back exactly what we put in, but we chalk that up to a learning experience and don't offer that food again for a little while.  She enjoys her meals.  I keep thinking, if I lived 10,000 years ago, what would I feed her so she would survive?

[marsupial-mom]

About meat for infants...
Pros: iron, protein, easy for parents
Cons: choking, contaminants (e coli, salmonella, etc - particularly dangerous for children under age 5), cholesterol

Alternative: mashed beans and other legumes offer healthier sources of protein and iron without the risk of deadly food poisoning.