Weird question about first foods for baby and different cultures

[Lucy in Australia]

I've been intrigued by the different approaches mothers have to feeding their babies their first foods. It seems those with a European background (myself included) started solids early, but we feed our babies vegetables first and don't bother so much with the rice cereals an such. Out of interest, I had a look at a few French "mother and baby" forums to see what they were feeding their babies: cauliflower at 4 months, leek soup at 6 months, vegetable soups with garlic and so on, which is very different to the "softly softly" approach we are taught here in Australia. (I've stopped telling the clinic sisters what I give my babies - I'm sure they thought I was crazy :lol:)

 

I would be interested to hear what those with Asian backgrounds feed their babies, too. I'm sure it's something more interesting than the bland rice cereal :)

 

PS I'm talking about families with no know allergies, here. I would be very careful too if we had any allergies.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Actually, Japanese mothers feed their babies a sort of soft rice gruel - so it isn't the "cream of rice" cereal but it is close!

 

Here is a good link that talks about what Japanese mothers feed their babies. They do add other foods too so I found it interesting. http://www.japaninc.com/fw91

Edited February 18, 2010 by Jean in Newcastle

[Liz CA]

Very interesting. I never thought much about it but I started feeding veggies too and then out of curiosity bought a box of rice cereal once - I think.

As soon as ds ate one item with no problem, I ground up something else for him.

I remember making him applesauce and cutting grapes really small - he was very intrigued with the grapes and this fascination has continued all of his 18 years. :001_smile:

We had a little manual grinder for baby food - very inexpensive and effective. It even ground up cooked chicken.

Oh...and yes, I grew up in Europe. Don't know if this makes any difference because I did not have any experience in baby care while I was there.

 

[Melissa in Australia]

I have always just given the baby whatever I was eating. I just mushed it up with a fork. I didn't start solids until 6months for the first 4, and didn't start solids until 11 months with the 5th.

 

I started solids later with the last, because I had heard that it is recommended to start solids later, as early introduction to solids might be the cause of irritable bowel syndrome.

[Ibbygirl]

I started my kids on veggie puree too when they were about 4 months and then gave them rice and beans (mashed up) at about 6 months I guess. At 8 months my daughter decided she wanted curry chicken. lol She wouldn't eat her food at all until we gave her some of the chicken off of our plate. :)

[TravelingChris]

I never went with the bland diet thing other than very early on with food, like first few weeks. SInce we travel a lot and move a lot, we quickly introduced regular food. Certainly we had no reason to withhold spices. As it is, all my kids can tolerate hotter foods than me.

[ChristusG]

I started my kids on vegetable baby food at 6 months. I never understood the whole rice cereal thing.

[....]

My husband and his family are from Korea. My MIL always tried to feed our babies seaweed soup with rice stirred into it.

[Laura Corin]

I seem to remember feeding Hobbes hummus fairly early on.

 

Laura

[Alphabetika]

I've been reading Nourishing Traditions, and it recommends the first food for babies be cooked egg yolk,, smushed with a bit of salt and (if you choose) liver grated into it.

 

I am skipping bland cereals with dd#3, who is 6.5 months and hasn't started solids yet. With the other two, I steamed and pureed veggies and froze them in ice cube trays, then heated them as needed. I also used to mix pureed butternut squash and couscous, then later added ground turkey to the mix. With this one I think I will just grind up whatever we're eating, within reason. Anyone know where I can get one of those nifty food grinders where you just pop the food in and turn the handle?

[MelanieM]

We've never done packaged foods for babies. I figure I don't want them eating processed food as bigger kids, why would I choose that for them as their first foods?

 

We mash real foods up and give them to our babies as they show an interest. Both of my older kids tried their first foods at 6+ months, but neither really ate much quantity of solids until over a year. At that point they don't even really need mashing!

 

The newest bean is almost 8 mos and he's tried banana, avacado and pear in small quantities. I think his stomach is still a little too sensitive for much food, so it will be a while before he's eating "meals".

[Parrothead]

It never occurred to me to mush up regular food for baby so she had canned baby food. Her first was about 4 months and she had peas. It was veggies first then fruit. I often wonder if that is why she likes veggies more than fruit.

[Osmosis Mom]

I'm from DK and I start with rice cereal and probably something like apple sauce. In DK they give strawberry sauce, but that is so allergenic. When I had my kids in Japan I gave them the rice stuff (slightly different texture from here) with breast milk as a first food. I remember reading that in Au and New Sealand the kids were fed avocado as infants, but that never flew here.

 

Laura Corin, I am surprised at you feeding your then-baby hommus as chick peas are known to give tummy-aches. Also, in general, then garlic can cause allergies so again, that is something I'd avoid. Eggs, I'd avoid it in all forms (it surprised me to see pudding for babies in Japan), until 9 months or more. I know in some cultures it is fed to babies, but I suspect some of those people develop allergies later on if not as infants.

[4kiddies]

I'm in the US. My first baby I started on rice cereal at 4 months and quickly went to pureed veggies and fruit. By 6months most food was what we were having mushed up and whole milk. For my other three I skipped the rice cereal and went right to fruits and veggies and still did table food mushed up around 5 months and again whole milk in a cup.

 

ETA: None of my kids have allergies. I also did eggs and peanut butter by 6 months. The only thing we held off on were hard nuts and honey. If it was soft then they could have it.

[Tangerine]

I've been reading Nourishing Traditions, and it recommends the first food for babies be cooked egg yolk,, smushed with a bit of salt and (if you choose) liver grated into it.

 

I am skipping bland cereals with dd#3, who is 6.5 months and hasn't started solids yet. With the other two, I steamed and pureed veggies and froze them in ice cube trays, then heated them as needed. I also used to mix pureed butternut squash and couscous, then later added ground turkey to the mix. With this one I think I will just grind up whatever we're eating, within reason. Anyone know where I can get one of those nifty food grinders where you just pop the food in and turn the handle?

 

Honestly, you can buy the food mills at Target now. Munchkin makes one. I also had this one. I liked the muchkin one better. It had a wider base.

 

Also, I did the egg yolk first with my daughter. She broke out in hives. First and only time. I waited a few months and tried again, and she did fine.

[LibraryLover]

We started solids later, offerred single foods at a time: yams, sweet poatoes, banana, squashes, avocado, cooked aduki beans (really tiny/mushy beans), rice etc. They were older, so I didn't mash anything. We put little pieces on a plate at the table for them. My MIL did give my oldest a little rice soup as one of his first foods at around 8 mos. On seaweed; lol My kids loved toasted nori strips as tots. They melt in your mouth. Salty, but easy to eat.

Edited February 18, 2010 by LibraryLover

[angela in ohio]

We started wtih veggies, fruits, eggs, and yogurt. I started solids late, so we never did much with cereal or anything pureed, though I did give Cheerio-type cereal for a treat and french fry when necessary. :001_smile:

 

I never got the cereal as early as possible thing. My s-i-l is trying to get cereal down my niece now (3 months old or so,) and I just don't see the point.

[Laura Corin]

 

Laura Corin, I am surprised at you feeding your then-baby hommus as chick peas are known to give tummy-aches. Also, in general, then garlic can cause allergies so again, that is something I'd avoid.

 

Tummy aches in general, or just for babies? I find them quite digestible.

 

He was a baby who had never been offered something that he didn't love and there I was at lunch eating something that was the right consistency for him. I wasn't particularly picky about what I fed him: I avoided intentionally feeding him peanuts when he was small, but otherwise he ate much of what I did.

 

Laura

[missmoe]

My ILs are from the Phillipines, and rice gruel is a traditional first food. 2nd food is yams. I did it with all my babies because it was so easy. What's easier than cooking a little bit of rice in a pot of water. I would nuke the yams in the microwave and then mash them up with a fork.

 

Veggies and fruit came next. I waited on eggs because I didn't want to have any problems with allergies.

[LibraryLover]

Tummy aches in general, or just for babies? I find them quite digestible.

 

He was a baby who had never been offered something that he didn't love and there I was at lunch eating something that was the right consistency for him. I wasn't particularly picky about what I fed him: I avoided intentionally feeding him peanuts when he was small, but otherwise he ate much of what I did.

 

Laura

 

All of my kids still like hummus. I never noticed any issues myself. Waiting until babes are a bit older until offering solids felt simple enough. I only have one who went through a picky phase...and she was breastfed the longest..so my theory is a little shaky with that one. lol She can still have her pick-pick moments.

 

Interestingly, breastmilk also changes flavor somewhat depending on what mothers eat. So if one eat lots of curry, fi, the baby will have tastebud 'memory' of that flavor when it's offerred in food-food.

[Mrs Mungo]

I'm from the US but 2 of my kids were born in Germany. We never did rice cereal or packaged baby food. I just mashed up bananas, cooked apples, avocados, cooked sweet potatoes, cooked squash, etc. I was surprised when we lived in Germany how many babies were weaned from the breast or bottle at around 6 months and switched to table food.

[momto5blessings]

Mom's here generally begin feeding their babies solid foods at about 4 months...a lot of the people here are very poor and boxed infant cereals or baby food is not an option. And they don't have mixers, puree machines, etc...SO the moms here will put the food in their mouths, chew it really well, and then put it in the baby's mouth.:001_huh: It surprised me at first, and I am a bit OCD about these types of things but I have gotten used to it, and in fact did this with my youngest, as it was so much quicker than trying to puree something. (Daily living takes a lot of time here.)

They will feed them what ever they eat, the food is generally pretty bland, but as the average family rarely eats meat more than once a month, and not so often even fruits and vegetables (other than carrots and potatoes and onions) in the winter, it is usually bread, potato, carrots, and then if the baby is still hungry "cand-choi" which is strong tea with lots of sugar that they feed either by bottle or with a spoon.

Hunger is a real problem here, and because the moms have poor diets, they often don't have enough milk for their babies. Anemia is a big problem too. Diets are better in the spring and summer (no meat, but at least fruit and veggies too.)

I will go back to responses, as I am interested to see what others have seen.

[stripe]

I just wanted to throw in a comment that in many cultures, hot cereals are not the exclusive domain of babies -- adults regularly consume them. I'd include Japan as one of them, but there are plenty others.

 

I fed my kids veges and fruit as early foods with some cereals. I never bought rice cereal; when I wanted to feed them rice, I just overcooked it.

[Mrs Mungo]

I just wanted to throw in a comment that in many cultures, hot cereals are not the exclusive domain of babies -- adults regularly consume them. I'd include Japan as one of them, but there are plenty others.

 

Isn't this fairly common in the US as well? Oatmeal and grits are pretty common in the south. In Germany there was a sweet rice and milk dish that was extremely common for breakfast.

Edited February 19, 2010 by Mrs Mungo
I can't type on my phone

[Susan in KY]

When we were in Africa, most locals started with the basic corn staple (tza-tza). But we used bananas, oatmeal, papaya, avocado, that sort of thing.

 

PS I'm talking about families with no know allergies, here. I would be very careful too if we had any allergies.

[Susan in KY]

I'm from DK ....

 

Do indulge me... would that be Denmark?

[Lilymax]

With my other two, I did the traditional American rice cereal first, then jarred fruits and veggies, then other baby foods for the first year, barely integrating real table food until they were over a year old. Both were breastfed until around a year old, and I never watched what I ate spice-wise while nursing. So theoretically, they were exposed to strong flavors from birth. (Actually before...they say mom's diet flavors the amniotic fluid, too!)

 

I have two picky eaters. Whether this is partly a result of the bland baby food diet for so long or not, I am not sure. But I have a four-month-old, and around 6 months, I plan to start giving him soft-cooked table food (whatever we're eating) instead of baby food as much as possible. I'm hoping it might help him not turn out as picky as the other two. (DH and I are not picky eaters, at all.)

 

DS1 loved banana baby food, but the first time I gave him mashed real banana, he gagged. I think it was a texture thing, and he hates bananas to this day. So I'm thinking there's value in introducing textures along with flavors, so the child realizes they go together, KWIM?

[SnowWhite]

My pediatrician said the traditional cereal start is for iron which is in Gerber style enriched cereal(shrugs). She said we didn't need to do a multivitamin with breastfeeding and cereal at 6 months. That would explain the egg yolk and liver (shudder) from Nurturing Traditions.

[rose_king]

I nursed with all three of mine. They were all picky. I tried the cereal and baby food. They hated it! DD now 15 nursed for 6 months, and went almost straight to table food. DD now 12 nursed for 15 months, wanted nothing to do with anything but fruit. DS nursed for 3.5 yrs. He still only wants meat, strawberries, bananas, and apples. Picky, Picky, Picky! If you can believe it, they are very rarely ever sick. Very few doc visits. I keep trying to introduce new foods. Not real receptive children:D

[Peela]

I think its worth considering allergies even if you dont have any....because so many kids have allergies nowadays- it is an epidemic. I kept cows' dairy, wheat and sugar from my kids for quite a while.

I think if a baby can handle it, waiting till 6 months is also good- again, because of allergies. An immature digestive system is more likely to react.

A friend of mine with a baby has fed him organic avocado as his first food, and then various fruits. Not "baby foods" as such, but he sucks on fresh nectarines and pineapple and its sooooo cute to watch his face as he responds to different foods.

[stripe]

Isn't this fairly common in the US as well? Oatmeal and grits are pretty common in the south. In Germany there was a sweet rice and milk dish that was extremely common for breakfast.

Historically, yes, but not anymore. I think southerners and those trying to lower their cholesterol are the key exceptions. And oatmeal is common in Scotland and Ireland too. But for most Americans these days, cold cereal is apparently too much of a hassle (it requires a bowl, and a spoon, and cannot be eaten on the run), so hot cereals are not "in" at present, from what I observe.

 

There are cultures where adults have or do eat way more cereals than most American adults, that was my point. People see them as baby food.

[anabelneri]

I did some online research about this a couple years ago for a presentation I was leading... here's what I found:

 

----------------

 

Africa (general): Maize porridge or rice, with vegetable and protein-rich foods added gradually

 

Caribbean: Steamed white fish and pumpkin, cho-cho (a local vegetable)

 

China: Congee (rice porridge) with a little ginger, with some boiled chicken or pork; egg yolks

 

Egypt: Foods from the adult's plate, including cheese and coarse breads, fried bean cakes

 

France: artichokes, tomatoes

 

Hawaii: poi (a pudding made with taro and water)

 

India: Khichree: rice and moong dal with a little ghee, mabe a pinch of tumeric and hing (asofaetida) well mashed. Veggies added to the moong dal as child gets older. Also, chapattis or idli cooked in milk. Yogurt. Paneer served as a finger food.

 

Inuit: Canadian goos liver, seaweed, seal blubber, caribou

 

Japan: Rice porridge, made thicker as the child grows older, and eventually topped with small dried fish, tuna, tofu, vegetables (such as radishes) or mashed pumpkin

 

Korea: Seaweed soup?

 

Mexico: based on potatoes, corn, peppers, beans, and tortillas

 

Niger: millet

 

Oceania: prechewed fish, headless grubs, and liver

 

Polynesia: poipoi, a mixture of breadfruit and coconut cream with a pudding-like texture

 

Puerto Rico: potatoes mixed with milk, mashed boiled plantains, rice, mangoes, fresh juices including pineapple juice (sometimes juices are diluted), and many other tropical vegetables and fruits, herbal teas

 

South Africa: Butternut, mashed potatoes, boiled eggs, mashed rice and curry, soft porridge with eggs, peanut butter

 

Syria: Mashed potatoes, carrots cooked in meat broth, and as a child got older, meats

 

Thailand: Bananas

 

-------------

 

YMMV with this list re:allergies. Take what works for your family and leave the rest. :)

 

I'm happy to update my list (I do this meeting every now and then) with what other folks share on this list. Also, very eye-opening for me was the WHO's document on complementary feeding. It didn't have as much about specifics, but it had a lot about helping meet babies' nutritional needs as solids were being introduced. It made me realize that my (very well fed) children probably aren't getting the iron they should.

 

This topic is fascinating!

Edited February 19, 2010 by anabelneri

[Mrs Mungo]

I'm happy to update my list (I do this meeting every now and then) with what other folks share on this list. Also, very eye-opening for me was the WHO's document on complementary feeding. It didn't have as much about specifics, but it had a lot about helping meet babies' nutritional needs as solids were being introduced. It made me realize that my (very well fed) children probably aren't getting the iron they should.

 

As long as you're still nursing (and you don't have dietary issues), iron isn't really a problem. The iron in breastmilk is *extremely* easy for the body to absorb. Studies have shown that breastfed babies absorb more iron than formula fed babies even though formula is much higher in iron.

[anabelneri]

As long as you're still nursing (and you don't have dietary issues), iron isn't really a problem. The iron in breastmilk is *extremely* easy for the body to absorb. Studies have shown that breastfed babies absorb more iron than formula fed babies even though formula is much higher in iron.

 

To be specific, breastmilk actually has very little iron. Towards the end of a pregnancy, the baby's intestines store iron for digestion during the first months of life. Breastmilk helps utilize those stores, whereas formula does not. These stores of iron start to run out sometime around the middle of the first year. It depends on a variety of factors as to when it will run out for the specific baby... I do know that it's a good idea to keep an eye on premature babies as they get closer to the middle of that first year, because preemie babies have less time to build their stores than full-term babies.

 

The thing that's so exciting to me about the WHO document is that it's based on supporting the nutritional needs of breastfeeding babies who are starting to eat solids. The article is "Complementary Feeding: Family Foods for Breastfed Children". It's really geared toward working with families in areas who might have limited resources, but I still found it helpful and fascinating.

[nd293]

Interesting question! In South Africa people generally start with pureed fruit or veggies, adding pureed meat and working from there to a more solid version. Salt, butter etc are frowned upon.

 

In the Middle East we had a Carrefour supermarket - it's a French chain, and they stocked lots of French products. I can say with absolute certaintly that French babies have gourmet palates! Food for a baby under a year might be a salmon dish which includes cream, herbs, salt and butter. Can't think of more examples off hand, but my 3yr old was fed on it - sure tastes better than the yucky "sanitised" baby food I'd seen with my dd9.

[Arch at Home]

My last two only got interested in food after getting a bit of pasta with pesto. They definitely wanted something with stronger flavor.

[Jen in PA]

My dc liked banana, avocado, mango, whole milk yogurt, mashed black beans, sweet potato, egg yolk, and chicken as babies. They both detested the infant cereals except for dd, who would eat the oatmeal if I stirred mashed banana and yogurt in.

[stripe]

The thing that's so exciting to me about the WHO document is that it's based on supporting the nutritional needs of breastfeeding babies who are starting to eat solids. The article is "Complementary Feeding: Family Foods for Breastfed Children". It's really geared toward working with families in areas who might have limited resources, but I still found it helpful and fascinating.

Thank you so much for sharing this -- I want to give this to my sisters in law too! It's so informative.

[juelle]

My sister's Chinese-heritage surgeon friend says her family gives littlies cooked chicken bones to gnaw/teethe on.