When should you start introducing solid foods?
Breast-feeding is excellent for many reasons. Not only is breast milk full of easy to digest nutrition, nursing will help develop your baby's jaw and facial structure which is such an issue with our low tone/small mouthed babies. The feel-good and bonding hormones released in breast milk is helpful to counteract symptoms of autism as well, which is more likely to occur in males and in children with T21. Jett is still breastfeeding at 17 months old (although I'd be fine if he was weened).
Breast milk has everything a baby needs until six months of age when iron and Vitamin D become more necessary. Therefore, exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods (and sunshine for Vitamin D) up to two years of age or beyond. But, babies who had the benefit of delayed cord clamping right after birth will normally have much better iron stores, so it's usually fine to breast feed exclusively for those babies until 10 months or one year.
However, since our babies usually have sensory issues, especially in the mouth and tongue area, it is important to introduce tastes and sensations in the mouth for therapeutic reasons, at the very least, if not to actually feed them solid foods.
According to the book Super Baby Food, it is important to feed typical babies solid foods by 7 months to make sure that they develop eating and chewing skills. And no later than 8-9 months because otherwise they might "reject textured food later." I started Jett at 6 months and am happy I did. You'll have to follow your baby's cues. He'll let you know when he's interested. He'll watch intently as you eat or try to reach for your food when he's ready to try.
You can't follow the rule about waiting until your baby can sit himself up because most of our kids sit on their own much later than 6 months. Before Jett sat up on his own, my husband held him on his lap or when I was alone, I used a bumbo seat for feeding only. (You don't want to have them sit up too much until they are ready to support themselves. See Milestones: Sitting.)
The mesh-feeding bag is a great way for our kids to experiment with eating safely and to experience new textures. You can put anything in it--that's safe to eat--and he can chew it without fear of choking. Strawberries, tomatoes, apple slices, pepper strips, etc. Jett loved it!
What foods should I feed first?
Remember to add only one food at a time for four to seven days to see how he adjusts to it.
The first "food" I'd introduce is coconut oil. It starts off a firm texture so our babies can feel it in their mouth and then it quickly melts in the mouth so it's easy to swallow. It is also easy to clean from clothing and quickly soaks into the skin. See benefits of coconut oil below (*).
Next, I'd go for the bone broth -- chicken first. See posts First Foods: GAPS Introducing Solids and First Foods: Yogurt & Bone Broth for the amazing benefits of bone broth. I didn't start Jett on the broth until 12 months and it was only then that he really was able to get the nutrients he needed to grow better. He wouldn't always take his multivitamin and I'm not sure that he really was able to metabolize it very well. But the bone broth is easy for him to digest and full of nutrients.
Then, I'd go for the avocado. When you first introduce it, mix it with a little breast milk, bone broth or water. (Make sure your water is chlorine & fluoride free & not from a plastic source. I used non-sparkling/still mineral water in a glass bottle until we got a reverse osmosis filtration system.) Florida avocados (the bigger, greener, smoother ones) are better for baby than the Haas avocados from Mexico. But all avocados are full of nutrition and even help metabolize the nutrients better when paired with any food, which is super important for kids with DS. I serve a little avocado to Jett at every meal for this reason. Below is more info about avocados(**).
Banana is a great early food as well because it mashes easily and is full of serotonin-supporting substances like dopamine. Make sure the banana is very ripe in order to prevent constipation. I would wait until they were ripe and then freeze them. So I always had bananas whenever I needed them. (Don't feed foods and liquids cold though because it can cause stomach cramps.)
Then I'd go for butternut squash. Especially if it's winter when it's inexpensive.
One tool that's really helpful in making your own baby food is the Beaba Babycook steamer that also purees the food. Check out this website for their products: http://www.beabausa.com. It saves me soooo much time from doing it with all the pots and steamers & strainers & a food processor... The silicone freezing containers are great -- BPA free and perfect for freezing small portions.
In Super Baby Food, she does use the microwave, which kills the nutrients. Never use a microwave for baby food. You can heat up any food by putting a shallow dish of water in the microwave until it's hot and then set the baby dishes in the water & stir until warm.
She also introduces brown rice cereal & root vegetables, which I wouldn't do for our kids until a year. You'll have to ignore her info on iron & fluoride as well. Fluoride is not good for our kids and iron; you'll have to check his level individually. Traditionally, it's not good for our kids to be supplemented with iron. See Anemia & Iron and Why Fluoride is NOT good for our kids.
I would not give any grain until 1 year old. It is very hard to digest and often causes lots of problems, both digestive and allergy-wise. Babies do not have the digestive enzymes needed to digest grains until at least 9 months (may be 12, I forget). At 17 months, I've been able to avoid gluten (except for the food that he steals from my plate!) for Jett. At 12 months, I introduced quinoa, cooked in broth, and he loves it. Quinoa has the full range of amino acids that our kids need to grow. Careful, some babies with DS don't digest amino acids very well. If this is a problem, you may want to look into TriEnza enzymes.
Check out this website:
Another good link: http://www.homemade-baby-food-
Cereal not a good first food – Throw that Box Away
http://www.who.int/topics/
**Why Avocado?
Avocado contains health-promoting monounsaturated fats.
Your baby's body needs these fats for the healthy development of his brain and central nervous system. One of these fats, oleic acid, is believed to help lower cholesterol.
Potassium
Avocado is an excellent source of potassium, containing around 60% more of this valuable mineral than bananas!
Potassium plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure and, in later life, can help prevent heart disease, strokes and hypertension (high blood pressure).
Lutein
Lutein is a carotenoid (a nutrient in the pigment that gives certain fruits and vegetables their color). A natural anti-oxidant, lutein is responsible for promoting healthy skin and eyes.
Avocados also contain the following important nutrients...
* folate
* fiber
* vitamin E
* iron
* copper
* beta-carotene
* vitamin K
* B vitamins
Avocado Baby Food - Hidden Benefits
Not only is avocado baby food highly nutritious in its own right, avocado actually helps your baby's body more efficiently absorb the nutrients from OTHER fruits and veggies he eats them with!
Back in 2005, an interesting article about avocado was published in the Journal of Nutrition. It revealed that tests had shown how adding avocado to salad and salsa
"...significantly enhances carotenoid absorption"
and that
"...adding avocado fruit to carotenoid-containing meals as a lipid* source can facilitate carotenoid absorption while offering additional nutritional benefits"
*Lipids - organic compounds that are necessary for healthy cell growth.
Carotenoids are soluble in fat. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats, so it is believed that eating carotenoid-rich foods along with them makes the carotenoids more 'bioavailable' (which means that the body is able to absorb them more easily).
In addition to the wide range of nutritive benefits we mentioned earlier, avocados are highly digestible, rarely responsible for any type of allergic reaction and do not cause constipation.
Due to their high calorie content, avocados are an excellent food for babies with feeding difficulties (infant reflux, for example). Babies such as these will benefit from a generous amount of calories in a small quantity of food.
Read more: http://www.homemade-baby-food-
*Why coconut oil?
Coconut oil is important for our kids. Not only does it help support the thyroid but it also helps prevent Alzheimer's disease.
This link explains coconut oil and Alzheimer's: https://sites.google.com/site/
This link explains about hypothyroidism and coconut oil (and much more): http://www.naturodoc.com/
Here's an except from a website:
Coconut oil acts as a catalyst to the metabolic activities of the body. It not only regulates, but the proper dosage will bring to moderation all the functions necessary to burn energy and consume calories. Coconut oil consumption creates a hormonal balance and raises the stamina and energy and also brings about mood stability.
If coupled with a healthy diet and reduced intake of toxins (such as wheat flour, potatoes, refined sugar and other foods that rate high on the glycemic index) then the results will be immediate and physically noticeable. Not only do the symptoms of hypothyroidism disappear but also the body will feel fit and rejuvenated in comparison to the state of lethargy that is generally caused by a low hormonal level.
(As far as I know, coconut oil is not a CURE for hypothyroidism but it works really well to support the thyroid.)
I give Jett a tablespoon a day (mixed in with almost anything he eats). He loves it. It's easy to feed him (okay, I let him feed this to himself) because it just soaks into his skin and easily washes out of everything.
Once your little one is older, you may want to look into cooking with other parts of the coconut. I have tons of gluten free recipes I have posted using coconut flour, etc. (Lots of times our kids can't tolerate gluten.) Also, homemade coconut yogurt would be a really good first food. I have two recipes (one from this list) but I haven't made it yet myself.
Related Posts
Healthy Alternatives to Conventional Formula
Nontoxic Feeding Sets
First Foods: GAPS Introducing Solids
First Foods: Yogurt & Bone Broth
First Foods: How & What & When to Introduce
Heal the Gut, Heal the Child
Fermented Cod Liver Oil
Coconut Oil Info and Recipes
More Reasons to Avoid Processed Meats
Healthy Meal Planning Blogs
How to Bottle Feed & Nontoxic Bottles
Breastfeeding
Fats & Oils
