by Maggie Meade

Finger foods for babies do more than provide nutrition! Finger foods help baby learn fine motor skills and also allow baby to engage in the wonder and fun of food experimentation. Allowing your baby to explore and have fun with foods may be messy however it will help your baby develop a positive relationship with food. When your baby reaches between 7-8 months old and has a developed pincher grasp, you may think about offering him finger foods to engage fine motor skills and food exploration. The pincer grasp does not have to be perfect but if your baby is able to pick up small finger foods, it will help ease frustration.

While all babies are different and there is no set-in-stone age for when to introduce finger foods, the average age for introducing baby finger food is between 7 and 8 months of age. Your baby should be able to “chew” using his or her gums to mash foods. As mentioned, your baby should also have a pretty good pincher grasp. The pincher grasp is the ability to grab and hold objects between the thumb and the fore finger. If your baby has the fine motor skill to maneuver, grab and hold onto foods with the pincher grasp, then your baby is more than likely ready for finger foods.

As with anything your baby is learning to accomplish, there is a level of frustration that comes with each milestone and accomplishment. If you offer your baby finger foods and your baby is not physically ready to pick up and hold onto the small bits of food, your baby may become frustrated. It is important to limit baby’s frustration so as not to inadvertently begin to foster a negative relationship with food and self-feeding.

What are Good Finger Foods to Offer Baby?

Ideal finger foods are those foods that baby can easily pick up and easily mash between his gums. Finger foods help baby begin to learn to self-feed. Appropriate baby finger foods are any foods that baby has already had, and anything that you can make into small soft and mashable bits! Even if your baby does not have teeth, your baby can still eat finger foods. Babies do not chew until they get their molars in and molars generally appear between age 16 months and 24 months of age! Babies mash food between their gums!

â—ŠIMPORTANT NOTEâ—Š

 

Some parents will tell you one brand or recipe for teething biscuits or rusks is great and never crumbled or broke. Other parents will tell you the very same brand/recipe was horrible and their child almost choked due to crumbling or breaking. There is no brand of teething biscuits/crackers or recipe for teething biscuits/crackers that is guaranteed not to crumble or break off into pieces!!

The homemade baby finger food ideas below are healthy to make and easy for baby to eat. Baby finger food does not have to come from a box of cereal or a tube of puffs! Try these healthy baby finger food ideas and encourage your baby to self-feed.

FRUITS take out seeds!

Fruits make great baby finger foods! Colourful and highly nutritious, small soft bits of fruit will have your baby’s fingers pinching away for hours!

 

VEGGIES - Vegetables, like fruits, make great baby finger foods!

 

Remember, you can make your baby any type of finger food as long as that food is soft and mashable and is something your baby has already had! Try small bits of shredded meats, and cheeses even! Allow your baby to explore finger foods and help your baby develop a positive relationship with foods!  Visit wholesomebabyfood.com to learn more.

By Kelly Gough 

Even though breastfeeding education has come along way many mums still feel uncomfortable about breastfeeding in public due to a perception that it is unacceptable.

New mums can also feel a bit self-conscious about feeding in front of others and it is one of the reasons the women stop breastfeeding early.
However with a few tips and clever tricks, breastfeeding in public is possible and no longer a reason to feel stuck at home with your baby.

It’s a wrap

A large muslin wrap, shawl or baby blanket wrapped around your shoulder and back is an easy way to give you more privacy while breastfeeding. It’s easy, portable and will keep baby nice and cosy, especially in winter.

Breastfeeding Clothes

Breastfeeding clothes – also known as nursing wear – really have come a long way and are fantastic for discreet feeding in public. With clever built-in nursing access you can quickly latch baby on without anyone noticing or having your breasts on display. Breastfeeding tops today look like the latest fashion, so they help you to look and feel good as well.

Baby Slings and Carriers

Many baby slings allow you to carry your baby and also breastfeed your baby at the same time without anyone even knowing.  Make sure you wear clothing that allows you easy feeding access for your baby.

Nursing Rooms

Many large shopping centres and public places offer modern and comfortable parenting rooms that allow you to breastfeed your baby with privacy and a little quiet too. This can be great if you are a new mum and a bit self-conscious as a bit of space allows you to concentrate. Can also be handy if you have a toddler to manage as some have playpens to keep bigger brothers and sisters amused.

Plan Ahead

If possible try to plan ahead and give a feed just before leaving on an outing or going shopping so you can limit the number of feeds while you are out.

As you can see with a bit of practise breastfeeding in public is possible and also convenient, as you don’t have to carry or heat up bottles. With more women breastfeeding in public it will also become more socially acceptable and viewed as a normal part of mothering.

Kelly Gough is a business mum who runs online boutique Nuvo Maternity while also caring for her two small boys aged 3 and 1.

At some point before your baby’s first birthday, you will probably be thinking about giving him a sippy cup. Maybe you would like to give him a little water, or perhaps you plan to pump your breast milk and would like to bypass bottles altogether, weaning your baby straight to a cup. You may just want to get your baby accustomed to a cup in preparation for the transition from formula later on.

But when is the best time to start?Well, this varies widely from baby to baby. Some babies are interested in sippy cups from as early as 6 months, whereas others show no interest at all until much later. It doesn’t do any harm to offer your baby a sippy cup at any stage, although he may need a lot of help at first, particularly if he is very young.

There are many different styles of sippy cups on the market and it’s very difficult to recommend the “ideal” variety - as you know, babies have their own opinions and preferences about many things and sippy cups are no exception!

Some models have valves and require your baby to suck quite vigorously. Some babies - younger ones in particular - don’t get on so well with this type of cup and prefer a more “free-flowing” spout. While this may be a bit messy at first, it can get your baby used to the idea of what a cup is all about.

MY BABY WON’T DRINK FROM A SIPPY CUP!This is very common — and many parents worry unnecessarily that their babies are somehow “falling behind” if they’re not using a sippy cup by their first birthday.

Be patient. It is not essential that your child drink from a sippy cup — supplemental water and juice are, in general, unnecessary during baby’s first year anyway.

Don’t compare your baby to others — all babies develop differently and “sippy cup skills” may not be your baby’s area of expertise!

He’ll work it out eventually - but in the meantime, here are a few tips to make the introduction of a sippy cup a little easier…

• If he’s struggling to get a drink from the cup but doesn’t seem to be able to suck hard enough, try removing the valve. Watch out, though, because the liquid will flow far more rapidly.

• Dip the spout into the liquid, so that your baby knows what’s inside. Don’t assume that he will automatically realize that a cup contains a drink!

• Demonstrate how to use the cup and display exaggerated enjoyment as you drink… so he really wants to taste some, too! Alternatively, have a sibling or little friend use a cup in front of him — babies are natural mimics and seeing a friend enjoying a sippy cup may provide just the incentive he needs!

• Don’t introduce the cup when he’s tired — if he’s thirsty, he’ll become frustrated and upset very quickly. Early in the morning, when he’s wide awake, is the best time to try.

• Try different kinds of cups and spouts until you find the one your baby prefers. For a first cup, many babies like soft, rubbery spouts, which feel closer to a nipple.

• Try using a feeding set with interchangeable spouts. Some sets feature bottles on to which you can attach a regular nipple OR a sippy spout. Your baby may be happier about trying the spout if the bottle looks familiar.

• If you are planning on giving your baby formula or breast milk from the sippy cup, then make sure you put milk in the cup when you introduce it to him. If you use water or juice, he may associate the cup with these drinks only — and then refuse to take milk from the same cup.

IMPORTANT: Allow your baby to use a sippy cup in moderation only. Don’t put him to bed with a cup of milk or juice as these drinks will “pool” around his teeth, leading to tooth decay. Always clean your baby’s cup thoroughly — particularly the valve, which can harbour bacteria.

SKIPPING THE SIPPY CUP

Some parents prefer not to use sippy cups at all — they’re certainly not essential and didn’t even exist when WE were growing up!

There is some concern among speech therapists that the extended use of a sippy cup can affect oral development and speech skills — and some parents just find these types of cups somewhat unhygienic, due to the need for scrupulous cleaning of the valves.

Some breastfeeding mothers have found that using the types of sippy cups that require vigorous sucking can cause their babies to latch on a little differently — sometimes painfully — as they become accustomed to sucking on the cup. If you are breastfeeding, you might want to consider using a free-flowing spout, or trying these alternatives to using a sippy cup…

• Some babies will readily drink from a regular cup, using a straw. If your baby is happy to do this, then cut the straw down to a length that’s easier for him to control. Remember — never allow your baby to walk or run with a straw in his mouth.

• Many parents find that “shot” glasses are perfect for babies (used under strict supervision, of course). The size is perfect for baby’s little mouth and hands — and, because it’s so small, there’s not much to spill if he tips it over!

Christine Albury is the owner/editor of Homemade Baby Food Recipes - your guide to dealing with the many aspects of introducing solid foods to your baby.

As adults, we know that we should avoid the full-fat versions of many foods - so doesn’t this rule apply to our babies, too?

Well, not for the first 2 years of life. Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics place your baby in the very enviable position of being encouraged to eat foods such as full-fat cheese, yogurt and fromage frais.

This is because babies grow very rapidly at this stage - amazingly, the average baby will triple his birthweight and grow 10 inches in length during his first year alone! Unsurprisingly, his body requires an enormous amount of energy to support this growth - and he obtains this energy from fat.

Fat is also important for the development of your baby’s brain - did you know that 60% of the brain and the sheaths around the nerves are actually made up of fat?

At first, your baby’s fat requirements are met by breast milk or formula. Once you introduce him to solids, the extra fat he needs will be provided by full-fat dairy products. And, of course, dairy foods will supply your baby with additional calcium, too - yogurt is a particularly excellent source and provides your baby with more calcium than milk!

Remember, though, that cow’s milk should not be given to your baby as a main drink before his first birthday. This is because it is too low in iron to meet your baby’s essential iron requirements and also because the protein in cow’s milk can sometimes cause allergic reactions.

But once your baby is at least one year of age, you should give him full-fat cow’s milk until the age of two. At this point, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends switching to a lower fat variety - if you postpone the introduction of reduced fat milk much later than this, you may find that your child is unwilling to accept it!
Christine Albury is the author of http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/index.html, a site providing a range of recipes for baby’s first year, plus information, tips and advice for successful infant feeding.