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First Ever Food!
Excellent recipe for a first time food.
‘Apple Mush’
You’ll need:
Apples (Golden Delicious work well)
What you do:
Peel and core the apples.
Cut in half and half again.
Place into a pan and cover with water.
Stew until really mushy.
Sieve the mush.
Serve as a first food or as a pudding with a dipped Rusk.
Current guidelines suggest that first foods should be introduced at 6 months.
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New Breastfeeding Course from MNT
Due to popular demand we have just added a new date for our fully accredited breastfeeding course. This course is designed for individuals who wish to deepen their knowledge of breastfeeding and ability to support women who are breastfeeding. The course is held over 2 consecutive days and is open to anyone who has an interest in breastfeeding, however anyone working as a maternity nurse, doula or nanny in a home with a new baby will find the course particularly beneficial.
Feedback from recent students on this course:
‘I have learnt things I didn’t know it was possible to cover on breastfeeding!’ Volunteer at Sure Start Centre
‘I feel much more knowledgeable and confident having attended this course and the tutor was excellent- thank you!’ Nanny
‘It’s great to learn more and become more confident in providing breastfeeding support’ Maternity Nurse
Course Dates in 2009:
17th-18th July (NEW DATE)
20th -21st November
For more information log onto www.mnttraining.co.uk or call 0844 8268 446
Baby Led Weaning, Fad or Fantastic? by Frankie Gray
Baby led weaning (BLW) has become the latest trend along with baby massage and baby yoga. For many mothers it provides a different route of weaning instead of the traditional route of starting with purees then moving on to lumpy foods and finger foods.
Baby led weaning allows babies to learn appetite control, so they eat when hungry and stop when full. This may help reduce the chance of obesity later in life.
If this is all news to you and you are probably wondering... what is baby led weaning and how do I do it? BLW involves offering babies a range of foods and allowing them to explore and select their foods and eventually self feed.
Initially your baby might only touch and play with the food, before moving on to licking, tasting and finally eating some. Be warned, this can be a messy process, so you might want to invest in a tray or messy mat a floor mat and some catch it bibs first!
Once your baby has developed enough to grasp and pick up food and guide it to their mouth, they should be ready to chew and swallow it. It's best not to place food in your baby's mouth for them.
Gagging on food is a fairly common occurrence in BLW, and this unnerves some parents, but this is simply a baby's natural reflex to stop them choking on food which they can't swallow. If you are afraid please attend a First Aid course for parents (a good idea anyhow). Harmony at home run these courses in West Sussex go to www.harmonyathome.co.uk
How do I start?
You might want to combine an element of BLW alongside spoon feeding - this is what I always do. However if your baby is used to swallowing purees first they may be more likely to try to swallow and then gag on finger foods.
On the other hand you might find that the baby led approach suits you and your baby, so you may skip spoon feeding all together.
Most parents choose to start on softer foods which area easier for babies to chew on.
Pros & Cons of Baby Led Weaning
Cons:
Gagging – Book yourself onto a baby & child first aid course.
Other people may stare!
If your diet is unhealthy you may find it difficult to offer the right foods.
Pros:
No pureeing, blending, freezing or defrosting.
Your baby can explore textures.
As you must watch your baby really closely this promotes good table interaction, and you can also eat with your baby more easily, and some of the same foods, leading by example.
Foods To Try
Cooked sticks/slices/chunks of carrot, broccoli, sweet potato, potato, courgette, butternut squash, apple etc.
Raw slices/chunks of banana, avocado, peaches, pears, melon, cucumber etc.
Cooked rice
Over 6 months old you can try your baby on other foods too:
Citrus fruits, strawberries and kiwi fruit.
Cooked pasta, without sauce
Cubes or fingers of bread/toast
Breadsticks
Grated or cubed cheese
Pieces of cooked fish or meat
Low Sugar Yogurt/fromage frais
Low sugar/salt breakfast cereal
Cooked pulses
Quorn/tofu in moderation
These foods should be avoided for babies less than 12 months old:
Honey
Salt
Shark, swordfish or marlin
Goats and sheep's milk
Mould ripened soft cheeses
Information provided by Frankie Gray – Harmony At Home Childcare Agency & Consultancy.
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