If there is anything that our modern culture gets totally wrong, it’s how to feed babies and properly introduce solid foods. Pediatricians, dieticians, and other “experts” are quick to recommend that the perfect first food for babies at about the age of 4-6 months is rice cereal.
Not only is this advice completely misguided, it is also extremely harmful to the long term health of the child. Such advice contributes greatly to the epidemic of fat toddlers and the growing childhood obesity crisis.
Rice cereal is not a healthy first food for babies
Rice cereal is an extremely high glycemic food. This means that it spikes the blood sugar rapidly. It also contains ample amounts of double sugar (disaccharide) molecules, which are extremely hard for an immature digestive system to digest. The small intestine of a baby mostly produces only one carbohydrate enzyme, lactase, for digestion of the lactose in milk. It produces little to no amylase, the enzyme needed for grain digestion.
Interestingly, avoidance of allergies is one of the reasons cited by pediatricians for using rice cereal as the first food! While rice may be gluten free, it is by no means disaccharide free. Thus, it can contribute to the development of allergies and other autoimmune disorders just the same as a gluten containing cereal such as wheat or spelt. This is why going “gluten free” does not solve digestive ailments in the majority of children with autoimmune issues linked to grain allergies.
This approach may reduce symptoms somewhat, but it does not solve the problem entirely. The disaccharide molecule is still present in high amounts in gluten free grains. A similarly hard to digest starch molecule is present in grain substitutes such as potato flour, arrowroot, bean flours, etc.
Rice Cereal Now, Weight Issues Later?
Why then, is rice cereal so very popular as a first food to feed babies? One reason is that it is so readily accepted by the baby (who wouldn’t like a food that spikes the blood sugar? It is a bit of a “high” after all) and it fills them up like a lead brick leading to longer and more frequent periods of sleeping and more passive behavior in general. Be aware that there are still some misinformed doctors that advise mothers of babies that do not sleep well to introduce rice cereal as early as 3 months old – sometimes right into the baby bottle if the tongue thrust reflex hasn’t yet disappeared preventing the baby from taking food off a spoon! This is a recipe for childhood weight problems if I’ve ever heard one.
If your baby zonks out right after eating on a frequent basis, this is a major clue that what the child has just eaten was not easily digested (this goes for breastfeeding too .. a poor diet that is not digested well by the breastfeeding Mother will result in toxins in her breastmilk which will have an opiate like effect on the child).
Dr. McBride’s book mentioned above discusses this huge issue of toxins from undigested food and gut pathogens in the breastmilk as well. The same goes for adults, by the way. If you get sleepy after eating, it’s because what you just ate isn’t getting handled very well by your gut. The body is basically compensating for the brick in your stomach by putting you to sleep so that a sufficient amount of energy can be diverted to digestion.
Even Health Canada recognizes the dangers of cereal as a first food for babies and recommends against it.
So What is the Right First Food for Babies?
A baby’s digestive system is much better equipped to handle fats and proteins than carbohydrates. For this reason, a wonderful first food for babies is a soft boiled egg yolk from a pastured hen. Take care to only use the yolk and not the egg white which contains difficult to digest proteins. For my own children, I started giving a taste of a soft boiled egg yolk from my own plate starting at about 4-6 months old. Just a taste! If the child is completely uninterested, then try again in a week or two.
If the child likes the little taste that you put on her tongue or lip, then give her two tastes the next day and three tastes the next day, gradually building up to the entire egg yolk. Never force the child to eat. Remember that egg yolk is an extremely rich food and force feeding any rich food can cause the child to vomit.
Benefits of Egg Yolk for Babies
Egg yolk from pastured chickens contain ample amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and natural cholesterol which are critical to a child’s mental development and may be lacking in breastmilk depending on the quality of the mother’s diet. Children who receive sufficient omega 3 fats in their diet tend to speak clearly and understand verbal direction from the parents at a very early age.
I just went back and looked at my children’s baby books and all 3 of them (even the boys) spoke short sentences by 15-17 months of age. First words (Mama or Dada) occurred around 7 months. While these sentences were very simple (“Get that”, “Don’t want that”, “More of this”) I have no doubt that getting ample omega-3 fats from their diet played a big part in their ease of communicating at an early age. The pronunciation was clear enough to be understood even by those outside the family too.
At 6 Months of Age
At about 6 months of age, grate a bit of raw, grassfed beef or chicken liver into the warm egg yolk for baby to eat. This mimics the traditional practice of African mothers who would chew raw liver and then give small amounts to their babies as a first food.
Make sure that the raw liver is frozen for a minimum of 14 days as recommended by the USDA to eliminate any risk of parasites. Mashed banana is also a wonderful carbohydrate to add around this time. Banana digests very easily due to the copious amounts of amylase present. When the enzyme is present in the food, there is no need for baby’s small intestine to produce it herself.
If you can’t source quality raw liver in your area, desiccated liver powder can be used instead.
At Age 10 Months
At the age of 10 months or so, add pureed meats, fruits and vegetables. Introduce one at a time to reduce any chance of a reaction. Best also to avoid high starch veggies like potatoes and sweet potato. These veggies contain very complex starch molecules. They are much more difficult to digest for baby than non-starchy vegetables. Take the time to make your babyfood at home with organic ingredients, and mash the veggies withgrassfed butter.
It is worth the effort! Organic jarred baby food is not only overpriced. It is microwaved, watered down and contains no healthy fats to facilitate absorption.
Consumption of veggies with a bit of healthy fat like butter increases mineral absorption tremendously! You can freeze your homemade baby food in ice cube trays. A quick thaw in a small sauce pan (not the microwave!) makes for a fast and nutritious meal.
Soups made with homemade broth rank as one of the most nutritious foods for babies at this age. The gelatin in the homemade broth is protective against any intestinal bugs. It facilitates digestion too so that baby absorbs as many nutrients as possible.
When Should Grains be Introduced?
It’s a good idea to delay introduction of grain based foods and starchy vegetables for as long as possible. Grains are the hardest foods to digest of all.
Some experts advise that a child pass his/her second birthday before eating these foods. Whatever you decide, it is wise to forgo them until well after the first birthday. Even then, the grains should be properly prepared. This means they are either sprouted, sour leavened or soaked to ensure maximum digestibility. This careful preparation breaks down some of the hard to digest starches, gluten and anti-nutrients such as phytic acid.
It will take every ounce of your will power to keep the grain based foods out of your child’s mouth until well after her first birthday. In fact, the longer you can delay, the better. Teething biscuits, cheerios, crackers, and bread are all favorite foods for moms to feed as soon as the child can sit up in a high chair and grab from a plate. The first thing most parents give a baby at a restaurant is bread from the bread basket.
Babies may love it, but don’t do it!
Resist the temptation to use these foods as a pacifier. Commit to offering only truly nourishing fare at such a young age. The time will come soon enough when your child will have more control over his/her food choices. Wisely use this time of complete control to make sure every calorie baby eats is nutrient dense and easily digested!
Skip the Fruit Juice!
On a final note, whatever you do, skip the fruit juice! Fruit juice from the store, even if organic, is just sugar water. All the nutrition, enzymes and probiotics has been pasteurized away. It just spikes the blood sugar and increase the risk of obesity.
Juice also kills a child’s appetite for hours, even a day or two. Many a Mom has told me that when she took away the fruit juice, within a few days, a picky eater suddenly started eating!
The one exception would be freshly pressed juice diluted with some filtered water. Fresh fruit juice is full of enzymes and nutrition and would be an acceptable drink for baby on occasion. This is acceptable after age 10 months or so.
Still unsure where to start? This video on how to prepare the best first food for baby can help too!
Sarah,
We’ve started our son on egg yolk and most recently banannas mashed with a bit of breastmilk or goatmilk formula to thin it out. Is it true that bananna can cause constipation? My son struggled with this early on when we were trying to find a formula he could tollerate. Is there cause for concern if he is eating bananna every night? At 21 weeks what else might I try? Is it too early to start meat and/or other fruits like apples?
thanks
Hi Danielle, I would give the bananas a break every couple of days. Eating a food every single day tends to cause problems after awhile. I have heard that bananas can constipate some people, but many folks are totally fine on them (including me).
I feed my 8 month old (since he was 6 months) an egg yolk and a whole banana every single morning for breakfast. He hasn’t shown any signs of problems, but am I doing something wrong for feeding it to him every day??
I’m an “old Mom” as my kids are now 35, 33 and 23 — but they were all breastfed (or raw goat milk), started on egg yolks at about 5 months, and went from there to meats and roasted winter veggies (like squash), plus a few green beans and peas tossed in as they acquired a yen for new tastes. One of their favorite foods (all 3 of them) was beets. Mashed beets with a dollop of real butter, a dash of gray salt and sometimes a few drops of breastmilk if things were too thick. Another favorite food for them was mashed avocado with a little gray salt and maybe a squirt of lemon juice.
All 3 are healthy, active, thin but not too thin adults. They junked it a bit when in high school, but always prefered real food — and I’m sure it’s because that’s what they were used to from the start.
Hi Sarah,
I’ve done everything you’ve written about above for my son who is now 9 months. We went to his 9 month check up yesterday and the Dr was not pleased that he has not gained too much weight since his 6 month check up. My daughter was the same way, very petite and they recommended her to a specialist. My son’s Dr. said to start feeding him grains (which I have not done) which would include rice cereal (I never would!) and cream of wheat (which I will not do). What are your thoughts on a small baby? I feel like I am doing something wrong, everyone critiques me and says that my children are small because they really only eat fruits, vegetables, no sugars, and small bits of meat. I feel pushed and I’m struggling. My son is 28 inches and only 15lbs. I know that his weight in comparison to other baby boy’s will be lower since he has only been breastfed, never formula fed (he still nurses every couple of hours a day) and he never has had any grains. Oh, and he seems to have an egg allergy, which breaks my heart. He gets extremely sick every time I feed him egg yolk. As a mother, I felt that I gave him that allergy by feeding it to him before he was ready (6 1/2 months old). Any advice or input would be great. Thank you!!!
6.5 months old shouldn’t be too young to start egg yolks, if your sure you’re removing all the white. He may have a true allergy though. Also, if he wasn’t ready, he would have rejected the egg in some other manner, like gagging or turning his head when the spoon approached his mouth, etc. I would not worry about what a pediatrician has to say. They’re as ignorant as can be, especially about nutrition. They judge babies height, weight and other “milestones” by other babies (which is wrong) and by superfluous charts put out by the baby formula companies (in which most doctors have mega-stock holdings). You should read the book called How to Raise A Healthy Child In Spite of Your Doctor by Dr. Robert S. Mendelsohn, who was himself a pediatrician for 30+ years and now knows the folly of his ways. It’s available at Amazon.com or any book store for a reasonable price. It was written back in 1984 and still has loads of very pertinent and useful information. Mother’s have been hoodwinked for almost 40 years, can you believe it?
To me, as a mother from way back, a “well baby check” is one of the most ridiculous ideas ever to have made an appearance in the history of babies. Why on earth would anyone take a well baby to the clinic?? It’s the pediatrician’s way of getting you in there so they can vaccinate your baby. Plain and simple. Don’t do it. You are perfectly capable of weighing and measuring your own baby for heaven’s sake! It sounds like you are doing most everything else right, so I would not give it another thought if you baby is healthy otherwise. He’ll eat when he’s ready, you have to keep offering foods to him. Try mashed avocado (mixed with a little breastmilk and some butter and just a smidge of gray salt). Babies love it. All those good fats are essential for growing bodies.
I learned much of my baby-raising knowledge from my grandparents (yes, the grandfathers contributed much, too) and I don’t regret listening to their advice one bit. It was more useful than anything any doctor ever tried to tell me from the get-go of raising my babies.
Hi Kristin, of course your children will be smaller than the ones the doctor is seeing all the time as they are all growing too fast for their age and many will end up overweight by age 10 or even earlier. You didn’t mention anything about your diet … You may wish to look at your diet because if what you are eating is high carb and low fat etc your milk will not be nutritious enough for him to gain proper weight. The Mother’s diet is extremely important when it comes to breastfeeding. You need many wholesome fats to produce good milk.
Sarah,
Last evening our 17 week old had his first taste of a soft boiled egg yolk….and we belive based on facial expression and subsequent tastes that he “liked” it. I hate to waste the remainer of the egg but could not eat it soft boiled. I remember eating soft boiled eggs as a child but haven’t done so in years. I’m going to need to acquire a tastes or waste eggs!
Thanks again for this post – it has been very beneficial.
Blessings!
Mix the soft-boiled egg yolks that are left over with other egg yolks and make scrambled eggs.
;->)
Thank you so much for posting this!!! I am trying to learn as much as I can about how to best raise my 4 children and eat right myself. I can’t tell you how much this has helped!!
I thought of this article this morning. I am a graduate student in Speech-Language Pathology and part of our scope of practice is feeding and swallowing disorders. I was in a meeting this morning with fellow clinicians that are working at a preschool with me this quarter- and we were handed a worksheet on the normal feeding milestones of infants. And I quote…Stage 1:-Introducing Solids “Every baby is different, but a rule of thumb is four months. Start with rice cereal; most babies don’t have an allergic reaction to rice. Start with a thin mixture of 1 to 2 T warm breastmilk or formula with 1 to 2 teaspoons of rice cereal.”
I will certainly not be making this particular recommendation!
GREAT article!! Do you know when it would be okay to introduce raw milk? We have a 5 month old. I know the homemade baby formula is made with raw milk, but apart from that is there a timeline for it?
Joanna, use the homemade formula until a full year old and then you can go to straight grassfed raw milk.
He is breastfed, sorry for the confusion! I totally worded that comment wrong, sorry about that. I meant to ask, while being breastfed, when is the best time to introduce raw milk into his diet? Is there a recommendation for that?
Hi Joanna, you can being to introduce it anytime after your baby is 1 year old. I nursed until my children were 2 so they really didn’t take much in the way of other liquids besides breastmilk until then. Of course they were eating food as well, but breastmilk was their primary liquid until I weaned.
Babies can have raw goat milk from birth on, if necessary – like if you can’t breastfeed for some reason, or if you prefer a bottle in church rather than breastfeeding in public, or whatever.
Here’s what Sally Fallon from WAPF has to say about babies and raw cow milk:
“as with all foods, raw milk must come from healthy cows and be carefully handled and stored. The same technology that we use to pasteurize our milk also allows us to keep raw milk fresh and clean. If you are buying directly from a farmer, be sure that the cows are mostly on pasture and that the barn is kept clean. The milk should go directly from the milking machine into a stainless steel tank or clean containers and be kept chilled. It should be used within a period of one week, after which it will begin to go sour (although it is not dangerous when it does so). With these precautions, raw milk is not only healthy but a safe food for all members of the family, even babies.”
Taken from this link: http://www.realmilk.com/raw-milk-babies.html
Hope that helps.
Do you know when it is ok to give a baby kefir –either from raw or pasteurized milk? My baby is 9 months and I have been giving her homemade yogurt, so I don’t see why homemade kefir would be a problem, but was wondering if anyone had any thoughts. Perhaps kefir made from raw goat’s milk would be ok/better than cow’s milk? I’m looking to supplement my breast milk with something else (besides pumping) when I have to leave her for a few hours. Thanks!
Thanks for this post. I really need to look into baby led weaning, etc more. With my son I breastfed for 2.5 years, bu I certainly don’t have a good enough diet to have done that exclusively for long.
Here in the UK they tell us to wait until 6 months, and not to give egg until a year old! I started with rice like many do. And quickly moved on to veg. I had to mash for a long time because my son did not develop teeth until he was much older.
I am worried that with my second child I will need to return to work before she is 6 months. I am really concerned about pumping enough milk and convincing the childminder to feed in this way. (I won’t be able to pump at work)
Rather than plague you with questions about introducing foods I will look for the book you suggested…
Is avacado the only first food you could/should use if you are vegan?
Hi Sarah!
I am wondering what your thoughts are on giving little ones avocado.
Thanks!
Hi Sarah, avocado is a wonderful first food! It is loaded with enzymes and good fats and is so easy to digest. After about 6 months, this would be a lovely addition to your baby’s diet. I have this to my own children and had excellent results with it.
Thanks so much for the reply! 🙂
My baby is 7.5 months old and I had already started feeding her the way most people in the US do. I am phasing her into better first foods.
I found she was very satisfied with the avocado when I tried it this morning. In fact, she ate a smaller portion size than if she would have had jarred fruit and was nice & full.