Babies favorite foods

Baby's first foods: The 10 best foods for babies

These 10 first foods are ideal for your baby because they're full of essential nutrients, reasonably priced, easy to prepare, and delicious. Avocados contain healthy fats, while bananas are loaded with potassium. Blueberries are bursting with antioxidants, whereas broccoli offers fiber and folate. Both lentils and meat are packed with protein. Prunes can help with constipation, and yogurt helps form healthy bones and teeth. Sweet potatoes and winter squash are great sources of beta-carotene and vitamin C.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it's important to offer your baby a variety of healthy foods. There are lots of healthy, baby-friendly foods out there, but these 10 recommended by doctors and dietitians alike stand out from the pack. From vitamin-rich fruits and veggies to meats and beans loaded with protein, these superfoods are full of essential nutrients, reasonably priced, easy to prepare, and delicious.

Many are also favorite first foods. Before introducing solids, talk to the doctor about your baby's readiness for solids, and which foods to introduce and when. Then introduce foods one at a time, waiting at least three days after each new food to watch for any allergic reaction.

Avocados

BabyCenter parents are all about avocado as a first food. This buttery fruit-vegetable is rich in healthy unsaturated fats that help boost brain development. In fact, the fat composition of avocados is somewhat similar to that of breast milk.

Serving ideas: Mash avocado with a fork, or make baby guacamole.

Bananas

Known as a good source of potassium, this grab-and-go fruit also contains vitamins B6 and C, fiber, and magnesium.

Serving ideas: Make banana and mango puree. Or, for your little one's first smoothie, puree banana and peach chunks with whole-milk yogurt.

Blueberries

Blueberries are bursting with antioxidants. The deep, brilliant blue of these berries comes from flavonoids that benefit your baby's eyes, brain, and even urinary tract.

Serving ideas: Blend or mash blueberries well and swirl a spoonful of the juicy purple puree into yogurt, or top silky coconut milk rice pudding with blueberry compote.

Broccoli

This cruciferous vegetable is a rich source of essential nutrients, including fiber, folate, and calcium. Introduce your baby to broccoli's bold flavor early, and you'll be expanding their tastes and encouraging a lifelong love of green vegetables.

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Serving idea: Steam until soft, cut into pieces small enough for your child to eat safely, and then chill. Steaming takes the bite out of broccoli, and some babies prefer the texture and taste when it's cold.

Lentils

Beans and other legumes pack lots of lean protein and fiber. But unlike larger beans, little lentils simmer into a pleasing mush just right for baby bites. They're also one of the cheapest healthy foods you can buy.

Serving ideas: Cook finely diced carrots along with the lentils. As your baby gets older, double up on nutrient-rich foods by making lentil and spinach stew.

Meat

Lack of iron can cause anemia. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends meat as a first food because it's such a great source of protein, zinc, and iron, especially red meat and dark poultry meat. Plus, babies absorb iron more easily from meat than from iron-fortified cereals, another common first food.

Serving ideas: If your baby is new to solids, try our easy turkey or chicken puree recipe. As they get older, introduce new flavors with chicken curry with green beans and zucchini or shepherd's pie.

Prunes

Whether you call them "prunes" or "dried plums," these humble fruits don't sound glamorous – but they're soft, sweet, and full of fiber. Your baby may suffer from constipation when switching to solids, as it's a big change for their system. Add pureed prunes to your baby's diet to aid digestion and keep things moving.

Serving ideas: Serve pureed prunes alone or mixed with other foods, such as oatmeal, cereal, or applesauce, for a naturally sweet treat.

Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are one of the more popular first foods for babies, who tend to like both their sweetness and texture. These colorful root vegetables are packed with beta-carotene, vitamin C, and minerals, including iron and copper.

Serving ideas: Serve sweet potato puree alone or swirled into pureed chicken or turkey.

Winter squash

Orange- or yellow-fleshed hard winter squashes such as butternut, acorn, and pumpkin boast many benefits, one of which is they're exceptionally rich in beta-carotene, recognized for being great for eyes. Squash is also an excellent source of vitamin C. Natural sweetness and a creamy texture add to the appeal of winter varieties.

Serving ideas: Roast a winter squash like butternut, scoop out the flesh, and puree it for an easy first food. As your baby gets older, introduce new flavors and textures with dishes like smashed chickpea and butternut chili.

Yogurt

Creamy yogurt is rich in calcium and vitamin D, necessary for healthy bones and teeth. Your baby can have it at 4 to 6 months, long before they'll be ready for cow's milk.

Opt for plain yogurt with no added sugar. Also look for a brand with the most live cultures, which help regulate the good bacteria in your baby's digestive tract. Make sure you pick up whole-milk yogurt – babies need the calories from fat.

Serving ideas: Yogurt is fine on its own, or swirl in pureed berries or other fresh fruit, applesauce, or mashed avocado.

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Best Foods for Baby (and What to Avoid)

When it comes to feeding baby, there’s no “Top 10” list of superfoods for you to print out, stick on the fridge and follow to a tee. (Sorry!) In fact, experts agree that limiting your little one to only a few “best” foods in their first year (or any year, for that matter) would actually do them a disservice. “The first year of life is when the palate is trained,” says Tina Ruggiero, MS, RD, LD, coauthor of The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet. “The three rules I tell my clients to follow are: Go for color, think fresh and introduce new flavors and different textures at age-appropriate stages. Following these guidelines, parents will find more than 10 fruits, more than 10 vegetables and more than 10 proteins to try.” And while you’ll also want to talk with baby’s pediatrician for guidance, adding the following great options to baby’s diet—and avoiding a couple first-year no-no foods—will get your kiddo off to a healthy start.

Breast Milk

If you’ve been breastfeeding baby, know that just because your little one is now ready to start solids doesn’t mean you should stop nursing. After all, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for about six months, and then continuing to breastfeed along with giving solids until baby is 12 months old—or longer, if it works for both mom and baby. “The very best food for the first year is breast milk,” says Loraine Stern, MD, FAAP, coauthor of the book Nutrition: What Every Parent Needs to Know. If you’re using formula, continue until baby is 12 months old or until your pediatrician gives the okay to stop.

Best age for breast milk: Birth and older

Iron-Fortified Cereal

Baby is born with a natural supply of iron, but it’ll be depleted by the time they’re around 6 months old, Stern says, so introducing iron-rich foods is essential. One that fits the bill: Iron-fortified cereal. It doesn’t have to be the traditional first food of rice cereal—oatmeal and barley are good options too—just make sure you start with a single-grain formula.

Best age for iron-fortified cereal: 4 to 6 months and older

Avocados

Avocados are a great first fruit to offer baby, because they’re loaded with monounsaturated fats (that’s the good kind!) and have a mild taste and smooth consistency. They’re super-easy to prepare too: Simply mash a very ripe avocado with a little breast milk or formula until it reaches a pureed consistency.

Best age for avocados: 6 months and older

Sweet Potatoes

Okay, so there’s no baby superfood—but sweet potatoes come pretty close. According to Ruggiero, they’re one of the most nutritious foods for baby. Why? They’re rich in beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A—and that’s important for good vision, healthy skin, normal growth and protection from infections. Plus, many babies like the soft, pudding-like texture of pureed sweet potatoes, says Susan Casey, RD, CD, pediatric clinical dietitian at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Best age for sweet potatoes: 6 months and older

Meat—like chicken, lamb or beef—is an excellent source of protein, as well as iron, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and zinc. Just make sure it’s pureed to a smooth texture. (According to Nutrition, for infants, “even finely chopped meat may be hard to handle and cause choking.”) Try mixing the pureed meat with breast milk and a favorite veggie puree if you’re preparing it yourself, or buy plain pureed jarred meats.

Best age for meat: 7 to 10 months and older

“Beets are an extraordinary nutrient source,” says Ruggiero. “They’re a good source of folic acid, high in potassium and beta-carotene, and they’re a sweet veggie—which babies take a liking to quickly.” Roast or steam them until they’re super-soft; then mash them.

Best age for beets: 11 months and older

Yogurt

Plain (not vanilla) whole-milk yogurt is another protein-rich option for baby—plus, it contains calcium and beneficial live active cultures. (Confused as to why yogurt made with cow’s milk is okay for babies, but actual cow’s milk isn’t? “Very simply, lactose is already broken down with the culturing of the yogurt, and milk proteins are either removed or limited, so it’s easy for baby to digest,” says Ruggiero.)

Best age for yogurt: 9 months and older

Cheerios

Believe it or not, many experts love good old-fashioned Cheerios. The little O’s in the yellow box are an excellent finger food and a good source of fiber. “I don’t think childhood would exist without Cheerios,” says Stern.

Best age for cheerios: 9 months and older

Check out The Bump’s Finger Foods chart:

Image: The Bump

Foods to Avoid Giving Babies

There’s a plethora of healthy options out there to feed baby–but there are some things you do want to avoid. Make sure anything you offer your little one isn’t a choking hazard, and hold off on the following items:

Honey

Tempted to sweeten up baby’s bland pear sauce with a touch of honey? Don’t. According to Nutrition, “Honey is linked to infant botulism, an illness that can be fatal.” The tummies of babies under age one simply can’t deactivate the botulism spores that might be in honey, Stern says. So avoid this food until baby has passed their first birthday.

Cow’s Milk

Babies can’t easily digest cow’s milk, which is one reason why experts recommend waiting until the one-year mark before offering it.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.

Plus, more from The Bump:

Dig In! A Guide to Starting Solids

A Fool-Proof Guide to Making Baby Food

The Best Finger Foods for Baby

Top 7 favorite children's dishes. articles The editors of Restoran.ru, together with the director of the "Interesting" restaurant & academy, Ekaterina Erokhina, prepared the top 7 popular children's dishes. In our top, you will surely see what you yourself loved to eat as a child.

Chicken cutlet with mashed potatoes

Without a doubt, chicken cutlet with mashed potatoes comes first. the dish simultaneously combines the useful properties and taste of classic Russian cuisine. Mashed potatoes are one of the best side dishes for kids, it has Baby-friendly texture and easy to digest. To diversify diet, boiled pumpkin or celery can be added to the puree , such an addition significantly improve the taste and increase the level of usefulness of the dish. However, as everyone knows, children are of little interest in vitamins, therefore, in order to to please little gourmets, you can add grated cheese to the puree.

Use the secret of famous chefs: beat the puree with a mixer or blender, so it it will be really airy! Cutlets or meatballs can be cooked in many ways, but the most suitable for children will be steaming.

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Macaroni and Cheese

The second most popular children's dish is macaroni and cheese. Even the most capricious children as a rule, do not refuse pasta - this is universal solution for parents of picky babies . So that the child is not only tasty, but also interesting, buy curly and colored pasta. Not worth it be wary of bright colors: pink, green and even black products are obtained with adding natural ingredients to the flour, such as spinach or beets. Multi-colored bows, shells, letters, stars and hearts will not leave a single child indifferent. Add grated cheese, tomato or cream sauce to the dish, to balance the taste.

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Burger

The third place is rightfully the most popular dish American cuisine - burger. Children's mini-burgers are increasingly on the menu, they have a simple recipe that includes a bun, a cutlet and various vegetables. Today, restaurants have burgers that fit all principles of proper nutrition, so for the health of the child, you can not worry .

You can prepare this dish yourself. Use wholemeal flour buns, quality cutlet meat and add more healthy vegetables. Offer vegetable straws with sauce instead of french fries to make lunch or dinner really healthy.

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Pizza

In fourth place is the Italian dish that won love children and adults around the world - pizza. As practice shows, most often for children choose "Margarita" . She has a simple recipe that includes cheese. mozzarella and grated fresh tomatoes. Nothing wrong with that there is no dish for children, the main thing is to use it in moderation. Recently, sweet pizza has become quite popular, reminiscent of baked fruit pie. It's hard to say if it's dessert or main dish, but children definitely like this interpretation of the classic pizza.

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French fries and nuggets

Belgium. Despite its simplicity, it remains one of the most popular side dishes in the world. Children love to eat french fries both as an independent dish and in as a side dish. Chicken nuggets are also firmly established in the diet of modern children - a simple but tasty delicacy can be a great snack in tandem with cheese sauce or ketchup. Among parents, such food is considered harmful, because the method of its preparation involves frying in a large amount of oil. If you cook these dishes at home, then use oven roasted ingredients , to avoid excess carcinogens.

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Vegetables and fruits

The real dream of all parents is children who love vegetables. TO Unfortunately, there are very few such gourmets, so parents have to invent different ways to cook vegetable dishes that kids will love. Most Pureing is a popular way to feed vegetables to your baby. As You can use mashed green peas with celery or pumpkin as a side dish.

Offer your child a fruit and berry smoothie instead of dessert, and cream soup for lunch. Cream soups are a great way to combine tasty and healthy in one dish. You you can cook it with mushrooms, pumpkin, zucchini or broccoli, use your imagination to diversify the diet. Combine soups with ingredients to enhance the taste and texture, such as cheese or toast. Your the child himself will not notice how vegetable and fruit dishes will become his favorites.

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Sweets

It's no secret that all children love sweets and Dessert. If it were their will, all breakfasts, lunches and dinners would consist exclusively from cakes, ice cream and sweets. Naturally caring parents are not satisfied with such a menu, so sweets are either an addition to the main course, or as a delicacy on special occasions. A good example of delicious and a useful combination of products are cheesecakes and casseroles . Their basis is cottage cheese - a source of calcium and phosphorus, and in order to like the dish child, add caramel sauce, condensed milk or jam. good replacement dried fruits can become chocolates, from which you can independently make homemade sweets.

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Total: 6

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Tell Friends

What are the favorite dishes/foods of today's children?

February 16, 2014, 20:12

Fried chicken

puree soup from forest mushrooms

Pies (home)

Bolshebits lazy

pestering

Fried potatoes with low salted cucumbers

pancakes with condensed milk

iga 9000 9000 9000 9000 2 Homemade dumplings.

This is something that is always eaten with great pleasure.

Daughter (10 years old) Slim (if anything)))))))

February 16, 2014, 20:15 9son The little one is very well fed.

February 16, 2014, 20:43

February 16, 2014, 20:47

Baked in the oven, with potatoes. Mashed potatoes, meat cutlets, pasta with gravy, naval pasta, cabbage soup, vegetable salad: cucumber-tomatoes, chips, Pepsi, chocolate, chocolates, bananas, black bread with butter and salt, and black bread with butter and honey.

Son, 8 years old. The little one is very well fed.

February 16, 2014, 20:58

Trinity

Guest Oven baked chicken with potatoes. Mashed potatoes, meat cutlets, pasta with gravy, naval pasta, cabbage soup, vegetable salad: cucumber-tomatoes, chips, Pepsi, chocolate, chocolates, bananas, black bread with butter and salt, and black bread with butter and honey.

Son, 8 years old. The small one is very well-fed. It would be strange if he remained thin with you)

February 16, 2014, 21:09

#9,0003

February 16, 2014, 21:19

#10

February 16, 2014, 21:57

#11 9000 9000 9000 9023 16 February 16 February February 16 February 16 2014, 22:02:02

#12

Favorite poultice dishes and potatoes with a cutlet or sausage, potato soup, if only loves

February 16, 2014 22:03

#13

February 16, 2014 , 22:05

#14

Guest

Oh, my topic is out. I read the previous topic (which dishes were loved in childhood and our generation, the older one, of course, unsubscribed there) I immediately remembered a conversation with a friend who has children 5 and 7 years old, says they would eat one fry with ketchup, colla and chips, everything else doesn’t interest them at all (((. So I decided to ask how other people are doing with children.

I have never tried cola, chips or hamburgers. she is indifferent to sweets.0003

February 16, 2014, 22:09

#15

Guest

pizza

Fried chicken

Puree soup

Pies (home) 9000 potatoes with salted cucumbers

Pancakes with condensed milk

Fried eggs with tomatoes

Homemade dumplings.

This is something that is always eaten with great pleasure.

Daughter (10 years old) Slim (if anything)))))))

February 16, 2014, 22:11

#16

Fried chicken

puree soup from forest mushrooms

Pies (home)

Bolshebits lazy

pesfinery

fried potatoes with low -salted cucumbers

Pancakes with condensed milk

Fried eggs with tomatoes

Homemade dumplings.

This is something that is always eaten with great pleasure.

Daughter (10 years old) Slim (if anything)))))))

I must be your daughter)))

What, do you like all this too??)))))

February 16, 2014, 22:15

#17

Guest

Fried chicken 9000

puree soup

Pies (home)

Povers Lazy

pester with a sour cream

Fried potatoes with low -salted cucumbers

Pancakes with condensed milk

Eggs with a 9000,

dumplings homemade.

This is something that is always eaten with great pleasure.

Daughter (10 years old) Slim (if anything)))))))

I must be your daughter))) : 21

#18

February 16, 2014, 22:22

#19

Guest

Pizza

Puree puree soup

Pies (home) 9000

Draniki with sour cream

Fried potatoes with salted cucumbers

Pancakes with condensed milk

Fried eggs with tomato

Homemade dumplings.

This is something that is always eaten with great pleasure.

Daughter (10 years old) Slim (if anything)))))))

February 16, 2014, 22:24

#20

Guest

My 10 years old.
I have never tried cola, chips, or hamburgers.
And she is indifferent to sweets.

February 16, 2014, 10:41 pm

#21

older, five months old, eating poorly. eats only what loves:

Vegetables - broccoli, pumpkin, potato, cucumbers, peas

Chicken

Sosiski

Sausage

9000

cottage cheese

fiercely hates tomatoes, does not eat if they are in food, mushrooms, onions, carrots, green beans.

Until the age of three, he ate ONLY chicken, macaroni and cheese without a fight.

apart from everything else, he likes marmalade, marshmallow, marshmallow, chocolate, lollipops.

February 16, 2014, 22:49

#22

Fried chicken

puree soup from forest mushrooms

Pies (home)

Bolshebitsi Lazy

pesfinery

fried potatoes with low -salted cucumbers

Pancakes with condensed milk

Fried eggs with tomatoes

Homemade dumplings.

This is something that is always eaten with great pleasure.

Daughter (10 years old) Slim (if anything)))))))

To hell with that figure, don't you worry about her health???

Didn't understand?? What could be wrong with her health? O_O.

Over there they feed the children with chips and Cola, mine has never even tried it. Always only homemade food and no semi-finished products.

16 February 2014, 22:54

#23

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February 16, 2014, 10:57 pm

#24

jet

22, lots of fried things: potato pancakes, pancakes, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, chicken. .. if that's all she eats there may be problems with the stomach later.

February 16, 2014 11:43 pm

#25

The rest is optional)

February 16, 2014, 23:51

#26

but in general there are a lot of things and a lot of things do not eat

February 16, 2014, 23:55

#27

Guest

Pizza

Fried chicken

puree soup from forest mushrooms

Pies (home)

Bolshebits lazy

pester with sour cream

Fried potatoes with small -salted cucumbers

pancakes with condensed milk

003

Fried eggs with tomatoes

Homemade dumplings.

This is something that is always eaten with great pleasure.

Daughter (10 years old) Slim (if anything)))))))

I must be your daughter)))

What, do you like all this too??)))))

My husband and his children and grandchildren piss me off.

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February 17, 2014 01:43 am0128

#29

Very simple. Mix the fillet pieces in spices and mayonnaise, then each piece into purchased crackers (it turned out to be very tasty, crispy and with a taste of fresh crust) and into hot oil. All. No eggs or flour. The breadcrumbs are juicy, crispy and don't fall off. Delicious!

My son ate a whole dish with mayonnaise sauce. Now he will do it himself!

17 February 2014, 01:56

#30

It's better in batter.

February 17, 2014, 06:03 AM

#31

Guest

29. Are you hoping to divorce us? ))))

It's better in batter.

February 17, 2014, 11:09 am

#32

Dunyasha

Guest29. Are you hoping to scam us? ))))

It's better in batter. I haven't tried it and I'm not going to. Stupid transfer of eggs. In my mayonnaise, they turned out the same as in the store, only homemade))

Normal people try to do it not like in the store, but you, on the contrary, reach for rubbish and teach the child.

February 17, 2014, 13:04

#33

February 17, 2014, 14:18

#34

)

17 February 2014, 22:25

#35 9000 She loves: vegetable soup, vegetable salads without mayonnaise, pollock baked in foil, steamed cutlets, any dishes with mushrooms (she loves them))), pasta, fish soup, canned peaches and pineapples, cocoa, almonds, and of course sweets ( where without them), but the latter is regulated - 1 candy per day. Vegetables - carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, boiled beets - she loves, she can only eat them. I tried soda, chips, crackers, but I know that although they are tasty, they are very harmful and you can use them very rarely - about once every half a year, and in small quantities. She does not argue with this, for her the best argument in choosing food is good. McDuck did not try at all - somehow there was no need to feed her with this.

March 12, 2014, 06:50

#36

March 21, 2014, 12:49

#37

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