Here are some tips to ensure that food is safe and sanitary:
• Check to ensure vacuum seal is intact
• Carefully cover and refrigerate all unused food immediately to prevent bacteria growth
• Leftover store bought baby foods should be properly stored in the refrigerator and used within three days (two days for meat), or otherwise discarded
• Do not feed straight from the jar as saliva can contaminate the remaining food – saliva transferred from the baby to the food can partially digest the food, making it watery on the surface
• Seal and store home-prepared food properly – containers should be thoroughly cleaned and have tops that screw on or otherwise fit snugly.
• Discard all unused frozen foods that have been thawed
• Throw away all unused refrigerated homemade foods after 24 hours
• When traveling long distances with your baby, vacuum-packed, store-bought baby food may offer greater food safety in preventing spoilage and bacteria growth compared to homemade foods
• To prevent infant botulism, do not use honey in feeding infants less than one year of age
• To prevent salmonella poisoning, cook all eggs and chicken well and do not use products containing raw eggs
• Check with your healthcare practitioner regarding any food allergies you may be concerned about, like milk or peanuts
• Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, pulses (lentils or beans)
• Mashed, well-cooked vegetables
• Mashed lentils (dhal), split peas and hummus mixed with veg
• Mashed well-cooked tofu or pulses
• Wheat and other grains, well-grounded nuts and nut butters
• Mashed ripe fruit e.g. banana or cooked, peeled apple and pear
• Full-fat yogurts and cheese
• Finger foods, such as well-cooked carrot sticks, melon slices or Heinz Farley’s Biscuits
• Mashed egg, cooked until solid all the way through
• Heinz Baby foods with mashed texture
Vegetables you can introduce at this stage:
Fruits you can introduce at this stage
• Blueberries
• Blackcurrant
• Lemons
Other foods to introduce at this stage
• Beef
• Cheese
• Chicken
• Coconut milk
• Fish (salmon, tuna, sardines)
• Lamb
• Lentils
• Oats
• Pasta
• Wheat and whole grains
• Yogurt
At first, offer them with mashed or pureed food. Don’t forget to always supervise your little one during feeding.
Here are some good ones to try:
• Finely minced meats, chicken and fish
• Mashed beans and lentils
• Chopped egg and avocado