When, what and how to diversify baby's diet ? "under one year old"
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Baby first foods under one year old
From 6 months, your child has increased nutritional needs. This is the time for the infant to discover new flavors: his food diversification will be progressive. Here is how to start food diversification by integrating new foods into your child's meals until 1 year.
The needs of the infant change from 0 to 1 year
During the first year of life, infants triple their birth weight on average! This rapid growth explains why the nutritional needs of babies are specific and can change in a few months. Milk remains the cornerstone of baby's nutrition.
Milk, baby's exclusive food until 6 months
Until the age of 6 months, milk covers the specific nutritional needs of babies. It is the exclusive food of the infant during the first half of life. Be careful, this is not just any milk: only breast milk or a specially formulated 1st age infant milk are recommended. To find out more, you can read our article Why no cow's milk for babies.
Breastfeeding and infant formula provide all the macronutrients and micronutrients that the child needs: carbohydrates and lipids (fats) to cover energy needs, proteins for the development of the body, vitamins and trace elements, fibers, etc. Milk will nevertheless retain a predominant place in the baby's nutrition: he or she will need to be given at least 500 mL per day until the 12th month.
Increased nutritional needs of babies after 6 months
After the age of 6 months, breast milk or specially formulated 1st-age infant formulas are no longer sufficient to cover the nutritional needs of the infant. The 6th month is ideal for starting food diversification for several reasons:
baby begins to chew and swallow better;
their digestive capacities are better, although it is still necessary to select the most digestible foods (see the paragraph below "Introducing foods");
the risk of food allergies is lower: in the past, food diversification took place from the 4th month or even before. But these too early beginnings could be responsible for food allergies, particularly in children born into predisposed families.
1st-age infant formula can be continued at the start of baby's food diversification. Once your child has a full meal per day, you can move on to follow-on milk or 2nd-age milk. These follow-on formulas are suitable for children up to the 12th month as a complement to dietary diversification and as a follow-up to breastfeeding or first-age milk.
The beginning of food diversification
From the 6th month, the child's digestive system is not yet fully mature. To give your child time to get used to the tastes, textures, and digestion of each food, only introduce one new food at a time. Baby must also get used to the solid consistency of new foods.
Creating a new eating rhythm for baby
Diversifying baby's food is a daily discovery that will gradually open your child up to different flavors. It is necessary to respect their rejections so as not to put them off. If baby does not want a food, do not force them: it will always be possible to offer this food again later. It is also possible that baby may feel discomfort related to teething. Read our article Teething: how to relieve baby.
To liven up mealtimes and keep them in a good mood, do not hesitate to play with your child: make an airplane with the cutlery! "and a spoon for Dad, and a spoon for Mom"... Did you know that there are heat-sensitive spoons for baby meals? Their material changes color if the food is too hot for the baby to ingest.
As this dietary diversification progresses and the baby absorbs new foods, you can remove part of a feed or bottle, then the entire milk meal. One to two weeks later, you will probably be able to remove another feed or bottle.
Ideally, at 8 months, your baby should eat two whole diversified meals and two milk meals (feedings or bottles) during the day. Your child will gradually go from 6 meals to only 4 meals per day. Each of these meals will therefore be larger to continue to cover baby's nutritional needs.
Introducing foods
Meat, fish and eggs
Did you know that your child has significant iron needs during the first year? This trace element is found in large quantities in meat and fish. These foods are also very rich in protein. All meats (without skin or rind) and all fish can be eaten mixed or mashed in a variety of ways. However, avoid breaded fish.
Eggs can also be eaten hard-boiled. From 6 to 8 months, the daily intake of 10g per day of meat or fish or eggs is ideal. This amount corresponds to two teaspoons of mixed meat or fish, or a quarter of an egg. This is also the amount provided in the small 100g pots of "vegetables-meat" or "vegetables-fish". The intake will be increased as your child grows.
Vegetables and fruits
Some vegetables are harder for babies to digest than others. Cooked in water or steamed and blended, spinach, green beans, carrots, leeks and zucchini without seeds or skin are recommended at midday to supplement milk. On the contrary, vegetables that are too rich in fiber are not recommended at this age because they are too difficult to digest: this is the case for legumes (dried beans, lentils, broad beans, peas, etc.), artichokes or salsify.
At midday or in the afternoon, in addition to a milk meal (bottle or breastfeed), fruits can be offered in the form of a compote made with very ripe fruits cooked first and then raw. Later, just try to crush these fruits.
Starchy foods
Steamed, mashed potatoes can be added to vegetable soup to soften the taste.
From 4 months, it is possible to offer your child gluten-free infant flours ("1st gluten-free cereals") in small quantities in a bottle of 1st age milk. From 6 months, flours with gluten can be added to dairy products or soup. These flours can have several roles: satiating a child who often asks for it, increasing the nutritional value of a bottle for a small eater, or slowing down the digestion of the evening bottle to facilitate nighttime rest.
Pasta, bread, biscuits and wheat semolina will only be introduced in small quantities from the 7th month only.
Drinks
Only low-mineralized bottled water (see the mention "suitable for feeding babies" on the label) or tap water (if the town hall confirms its quality) is recommended. Herbal teas should not be used without medical advice. Syrups and sodas should be avoided: they are too rich in fast sugars and above all are very acidic. Fruit juices are not essential, it is preferable to diversify the diet with compotes and crushed fruits.
For all foods in the diversification of food, do not add salt or sugar to your preparations or baby food jars. These bad habits could have repercussions on your child's health. However, you can add fats such as a teaspoon of vegetable oil to each meal (olive oil, rapeseed oil, etc.) or a knob of butter.
If in doubt, ask your doctor for advice.
