On The Menu...

With Heinz announcing today they are making the move towards BPA-free baby food, I thought it was the perfect time to cover baby nutrition.

When introducing solids for the first time, it's easy to go nuts over the huge range of pre-packaged foods available.  However according to Tizzy Hall, author of Save Our Sleep , babies fed purely on store bought baby foods will be more unsettled, possibly due to the lack of nutrients.  Where possible, make your own baby food out of fresh, organic fruit and vegetables.  Choosing organic means you are ensuring baby doesn't get a dose of pesticides or chemical based additives.  Organic food can be higher in nutrients too, as organic farmers must adhere to standards regarding crop rotation to prevent nutrient depletion in the soil.  Organic fruit and veg can be expensive- even if you don't use it for the rest of the family, I think it's worth the investment for your little one, as this is when they are going through an intense period of growth and development, physically, mentally and emotionally.

It's pretty easy to make baby food, and there are heaps of great books and recipes online but it's as simple as peeling, boiling and blending or mashing into a puree.  Don't add salt or sugar- babies don't need flavour enhancers and additives like salt can cause kidney damage (most breakfast cereals contain salt- don't feed these to kids under 2).  The Wholesome Baby Food website has step by step instructions on making and storing your own baby food- even your own rice cereal!

That's not to say you must never use packaged baby food.  There are some great ranges of wholesome, organic baby foods that are safely packaged- great for throwing in a bag and feeding when you are on the move.  I started my bundle of joy of Rafferty's Garden Rice Cereal.  Despite there being many organic rice cereals around, it's the only one I could find that contained wholegrain brown rice.  The Rafferty's range is available in Woolworths supermarkets- so easy to get!

I also just received some info on the Happy Baby range of foods- Amazing!  It is endorsed by Dr. Sears himself and has a range of not only organic, but nutrient enriched cereals and baby foods.  Happy Puffs are finger foods suitable from 6 months- they just melt on baby's tongue so there is no risk of chocking.

Some other organic baby food ranges include:

Bellamy's- available at Natures Child and in health food stores though you may have to get it ordered in (the QLD supplier is NRG).  They keep organic baby formula as well as a good range of organic food and yummy grain snacks for older kids.
Organics 4 Kids- these guys do a Gluten Free teething rusk for those wishing to avoid gluten. Available at some health food stores or online
Heinz - they only have a small range but it's a start
The Gluten Free Co - these guys make cereals and porridge lends with supergrains like Quinoa as well as a full range for grown ups.

You can find some great info on starting solids at the CYH website, Ask Dr Sears, or the Raising Children website.