Parents usually want to give the best to their kids, including good food. As a parent, you may be excited to share the foods you find delicious to your baby. But just like anything else, there is a right time for that.
Once your baby has turned 8 or 12 months old and has already mastered basic purees, you can start exploring and provide your little one exciting, thicker, chunkier (but still nutritious) foods. The foods that are given for babies in this age range are called Stage 2 baby foods. It is the time when feeding the baby becomes a more interesting, fun, and somehow a messier experience
Choose the Right Stage 2 Baby Foods
Stage 2 is the right time to introduce new flavors and texture to the baby. It can also be a great time to know which foods can cause allergic reactions to the baby, so it helps if you feed the baby individual food first before creating exciting combinations.
There will be many food options. You can start giving the baby fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and even meat. But as you’d know, babies at the age of 8-10 or 12 months are still developing their teeth and still have a delicate tummy. So it is important to be careful in preparing the foods. If you are going to give the baby meat and vegetables or fruits, make sure you strain them like the baby food you can buy in the store. Avoid giving the baby big chunks of food.
At 7 to 8 months, you can try giving the baby a half cup of baby cereal with some mashed banana. You can also add things such as sweetened yogurt, pureed tofu, and cottage cheese. If you need to make the mashed or pureed tofu thinner, you can add breast milk or formula.
You can also start giving the baby some veggies. Choose a variety of green, orange, and yellow vegetables. Blended vegetable mixtures may contain squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, and zucchini. Soft-cooked and unsalted vegetables can be diced, or you can add a little amount of water to it. Also, you can strain fruits like apples, prunes, pears, and peaches.
There is also a baby cereal specifically formulated for kids age 8-12 months that you can find in the market. You can have it for your baby but make sure you check the ingredients to see whether it contains something that your baby is allergic to.
Introduce your little one to new food and flavors and take note of his or her reactions. If the baby is allergic to the food, tell the pediatrician about it and stop feeding her the food immediately. Symptoms of food allergies may include diarrhea, vomiting, or rashes.
Stage 2 is Also the Time for Babies to Start Learning How to Feed Herself
Let your baby hold the spoon when you are feeding her. It will help her learn to eat by herself using a spoon. If you are excited to feed her new food, so she is.
