Second: give your baby a chance! For some reason, we get very excited in France when the baby starts eating vegetable purees, while mothers in the U.S. start by thinking of ways to "hide" the vegetables. It's incredible to me that before your baby has even tasted a single spoon of vegetable, you anticipate his/her reaction as negative. If you think like this, and start saying things such as "it's not that bad, eat it!" you might not get anywhere - but it shouldn't be this way. The first time they try a new vegetable or fruit, they might make a little face, which goes away right after they try it again - they just need to be accustomed to something new to them.
Thirdly: cook your baby's food yourself. As simple as that. I don't care which brand, and I tasted the best organic ones out there myself, they taste bad. I wouldn't feed it to my dog. Most of them are good for a couple years...isn't that scary? Would you eat food out of a pouch that is good 2 years from now? I wouldn't. So why give it to your baby? Another thing I don't like: a lot are filled with more than one ingredient, use fillers such as potato or rice, and do odd mixes of fruits and vegetables (I couldn't understand why when my husband clarified that it was due to American mothers trying to hide vegetables - again, why hide?!)
And my favorite offender: rice cereal. I had never heard of this until I came to the U.S. Why would you use rice cereal? It has no purpose at all. It's a filler. No nutrients. No vitamins. What's the purpose? Just forget about it.
A few rules followed in France:
Some start by fruits, some by vegetables but most good and renowned pediatricians will tell you to start with vegetables, around 4 and a half months (unless there food allergies in the near family).
- Introduce vegetables at lunch time, start with just a tablespoon of vegetable puree, before the milk feed.
- Never force your baby
- Use organic vegetables if possible, especially in the U.S. where GMO foods are everywhere
- Give your child the same vegetable 2 or 3 times in a row, feeding him/her every other day, to check for any allergic reaction
- Once a vegetable is checked (no suspicious reaction), move on to the next one, trying to diversify as much as possible, following the seasonal vegetables and fruits
- Vegetables only, no starch! (yes, sweet potato is a starch)
- If everything goes well, 15 days later you introduce bebe to fruit, during his/her afternoon snack, before the milk feed.
- Start by vegetables that are easy to digest and have a sweet taste naturally: in France, most of us start with carrot and zucchini.
- French pediatricians recommend not to use vegetables that have too much fiber or can be hard to digest for baby so wait until your little one is 6-8 months for peas, and 9 months for cauliflower and celery.
- Peel the vegetables and fruits, cut them up in pieces, steam everything, mix to a smooth puree.
- Don't mix multiple vegetables or fruits at first, so you can check your baby's reaction and also give him/her the opportunity to fully discover one taste
- Don't add any salt, sugar, sweetener (honey not before a year old due to potential allergies found in new research) - only some of the cooking water depending on the vegetables and fruits, to keep the nutrients
Be creative, go to your local market or organic supermarket and see what's out there. For ideas, here's what Margaux had to start:
Vegetables: carrot, zucchini, green beans, spinach, avocado, broccoli, parsnip, butternut squash.
Last but not least: have fun with it! Eating should always be a pleasurable experience, not something on your 'to do' list.
Disclaimer: I am using the guidance of my wonderful Parisian pediatrician and the classic French book of Laurence Pernoud on how to raise your child. I am not a pediatrician nor a nutritionist, just a French mother sharing recipes. Always check with your own pediatrician especially if your baby has any allergies or health issues.
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