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There is a lot of guidance on what you can feed your baby and when.

I know:

  • Some food at 4 months but you should wait for six
  • No milk before 1 year but cheese before then
  • No Salt (ever?)
  • No peanuts before 5 years but peanut butter at some stage before then

I am really interested in knowing what is safe for baby to eat and when (and possibly why) I am sure there must be some good guidance but I can't seem to find it.

Jeremy French
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  • Possible duplicate? http://parenting.stackexchange.com/questions/770/when-should-i-introduce-different-foods-to-an-infant-or-toddler –  Aug 28 '12 at 17:08

2 Answers2

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I'm not sure where you have gotten this information but it doesn't sound right. There's no reason you can't give milk before 1 year, in fact as you wean your child you should introduce milk unless they show signs of intolerance as they need the vitamin D, Calcium, and fat. As for salt children need some salt in their diet, but they should get what they need from natural sources. It's OK to add extra salt for flavor to your children's meals once they start to eat what you eat as long as you keep it moderate.

Peanuts and honey I've heard avoid until they're one year old, then to introduce them one at a time and gradually. The UK gov says 6 months here. Here's another good site for Child nutrition information.

As for why there's confusion the fact is that nobody really knows as there's loads of contradictory information, and "Experts" who compete against each other in how paranoid they can be. My advice is to relax and not let the parenting extremists rule your life. If you limit your child's intake of processed food and encourage your child to eat a balanced diet with a reasonable amount of fruits and vegetables then your child will develop good eating habits that will serve him/her later in life.

GdD
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  • We've been advised to wait with milk until 1 year. Formula is considered OK before that. Drinking milk too early can possibly lead to some allergies and in rare cases autoimmune conditions... Or at least that's the prevailing wisdom at the moment. – Ana Aug 28 '12 at 18:25
  • You've asked for advice, and I've given mine. If you feel differently then go with the best information you have. – GdD Aug 29 '12 at 08:29
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I highly recommend Anabel Karmel's books. She is the food editor (or was for a time at least) at Parenting Magazine and has published numerous cookbooks for parents. The one I had, First Meals, is now with my sister and was already worn and loved and used when I gave it to her recently. It had all kinds of recipes for a variety of ages and situations as well as nutritional advice and "do's and don'ts" Things change, I know, but she is always publishing so it seems updates are available.

Our pediatrician was also helpful when we first began with fliers and all kinds of info when Alice was an infant.

balanced mama
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