The Nutricia feeding guide for babies
Until 4-6 months
Breast milk or infant formula is all that baby needs.
Around 4-6 months
Baby may now be ready for solids. Remember breast milk or
formula is still the most important food. Please consult your health
professional for advice. For signs of readiness and how to introduce solids see
overleaf.
From 4 months
(After the milk feed)
- Rice-based, iron-enriched infant cereal mixed smooth with boiled, cooled water, or breast milk or formula.
- Cooked and pureed apple, pear, apricot, peach, nectarine.
- Raw, ripe mashed banana, mango. (Tinned fruit may be used).
- Cooked and pureed pumpkin, potato, kumara, carrot, marrow, courgette (zucchini).
- Raw, mashed avocado. (Remove skins and seeds from fruits and vegetables).
After 6 months
Add to foods introduced earlier -
- Infant muesli, wheat-based infant cereal, porridge made from oatmeal or rolled oats.
- Iron-rich foods -lamb or chicken livers, kidney, beef, lamb, venison, pork, chicken. Cooked egg yolk. Gravy or liquid from meat casseroles, or home-made meat or vegetable soups or stock, mixed with vegetables.
- Yam, cauliflower, broccoli, taro, swede, puha, bok choy, green beans, parsnip, beetroot (cooked).
- Melon, plum (remove skins and seeds). Raw persimmon (scooped out soft pulp or peeled wedges if firmer).
- Dried fruit - prunes or apricots, cooked to soften, then drained.
- Serve with other fruit or infant cereals.
- Toast fingers, rusks.
Around 8-9 months
(Solids before milk). Baby is interested in an extended range of foods and
varied texture. Some of these foods will still need to be modified by mashing
and/or finely chopping.
Include first and second stage foods plus -
- Fish, fresh or canned.
- Tofu, legumes such as lentils (dhal), kidney beans and chickpeas, cooked, mashed and sieved.
- Luncheon/sausage (use only occasionally).
- Silverbeet, spinach, peas, cabbage, tomatoes, creamed corn, celery, brussel sprouts, mushrooms (cooked).
- Vegetables suitable from 4-6 months on, (e.g. potato, kumara, pumpkin) can now be offered baked in wedges instead of mashed.
- Onions, leeks and turnips can also be used in soups and casseroles.
- Orange, mandarin, kiwifruit, feijoa, pineapple, berries.
- For finger foods offer small amounts of prunes, apricots, raisins, sultanas, soaked in hot water for ½ hour).
- Pasta, white rice. Spaghetti, mashed baked beans
- Custard (made with egg yolk or custard powder), cottage cheese, grated cheese. Vegemite/marmite.
- Smooth peanut butter.*
Leave until after 12 months
Cow's milk as a main drink, adult breakfast cereals, honey, egg white.
After 12 months, baby can join in family meals and eat a wide variety of foods.
Milk remains important for calcium. 1 to 3 year olds should include at least 2 to 3 servings of milk and/or milk products each day. A serving is 1 cup (200 to 250ml) of milk, or 150g tub of yoghurt, or 2 to 3 slices (40g) of cheese. Karicare Toddler milks can be used as an alternative to cow's milk. Karicare Toddler milks contain additional iron, Vitamin C and inulin, a type of dietary fibre. Karicare Gold Toddler 3 is enriched with omega DHA.
For teething, offer
A piece of fruit or vegetable wedge wrapped in muslin, e.g. a
peeled apple quarter, stick of carrot. After 6 months rusks or dry toast can be
used.
If allergies run in the family delay until 12 months:
Cows' milk, cheese, yoghurt, icecream, tofu, wheat, fish,
peanut butter* (*if there is a strong family history of peanut allergy, delay
until after 3 years.)
REMEMBER
- If extra fluids are needed in addition to breastmilk or formula, under three months use cooled, boiled water.
- Bore or tank water may need to be boiled for babies beyond three months of age.
- Discard any uneaten food left on baby's plate.
- Babies have small tummies and too much fibre can prevent adequate energy intake.
- From 8 months of age, in addition to infant cereals use low-fibre cereals (less than 3 grams fibre per 100 grams) e.g. cornflakes, puffed wheat, ricies.
- For babies under one year, wheat biscuits (e.g. Weetbix) are too high in fibre so limit to small servings, 1 Weetbix, 2 to 3 times a week.
- Never leave a baby or toddler unattended when eating in case he/she chokes.
Do not give small, hard foods such as peanuts, whole nuts and popcorn.
Click on link below to download file:
Feeding and Solids Guide 2.pdf
