thread: What is a good first food?

  1. #1
    Registered User

    May 2008
    North side, Brisbane
    754

    What is a good first food?

    What did you feed your baby as their first solid? I'll be starting Lily on BLS in a couple of weeks and will be giving her whole foods (very very soft ones or cooked well) and I am looking for suggestions on what would be good to start her on.

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Feb 2007
    In the jungle.
    4,809

    avocado was our first food. Followed by pear.

  3. #3
    BellyBelly Life Subscriber

    Feb 2006
    melbourne
    11,462

    avocado here too, then pumpkin

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Mar 2006
    4,542

    I'm going to subscribe to get some tips. We'll be going down this road again soon and I can't remember what I did last time, LOL!

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Jul 2006
    Melbourne
    3,715

    It was either apple or pear I think, closely followed by pumpkin. Avocado is a no-go for our DS, so it wasn't a first food for him.

    I feel like a bad mum that I can't remember! It must be in a photo somewhere

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Victoria
    7,260

    porridge lol she LOVES it, lumpy, untouched porridge

    We did try banana, but she hates it! Avacodo and apples and pumkin were all first food hits.

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Jul 2008
    Brisbane
    592

    Hi Joey

    I did a fair bit of research and spoke to several doctors, nurses and specialists about what early foods are good at reducing potential allergic reactions.

    Pear is great one as there is minimal evidence of any allergic reactions in babies - one of the safest foods around. The downside is that it is sweet and ideally you don't want bubs to get a taste for sweet things so early.

    Vegetable-wise, pumpkin is a very common first food, but isn't free of documented allergic reactions, particularly with a specific pumpkin grown in North QLD (can't for the life of me remember the name). Sweet potato has a very low rate of allergic reactions, but if you look online you will see some issues that mums have experienced.

    Cereal-wise, in the last decade or so, rice cereal has been a common first food because, like pears, it has such a very low risk of reactions. Furthermore it is good because you can mix it with breast milk and bubs will still recognise the family taste. This may not be an option if you are looking to do BLS. The downside to rice cereal is that it does have some (albeit minimal) protein content. This can pose a risk to bubs who already have some form of protein intolerance e.g cows milk protein intolerance in formula-fed bubs.

    You will know bubs is having an allergic reaction if they have a violent vomiting episode about 2 hours after ingesting said food. The general consensus amongst the medical professionals I spoke to is to only introduce a new food every 4 days.

    Anyway, I am not advocating any of the above, I am sure everyone has their specific opinions on this topic and I really don't want to enter into a discussion re the above. I am simply sharing what I have found out whilst doing some research.

    Joey, feel free to PM me if you want some more info.

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    Melbourne
    2,008

    I just wanted to subscribe, I'm also beginning to start thinking about introducing solids and wondering what is best to start with.

    I've heard that it's best not to start with fruit because of the sweetness factor. I was wondering if there are similar problems with things like pumpkin and sweet potatoe because they also have a sweet taste... Be great if someone could advise.

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Dec 2006
    Gippsland Vic
    1,686

    Hi I started with the not so sweet foods, my bubs tend to have a sweet tooth anyway (runs in the family ) so if we start sweet they reject the not so sweet things zucchini, pumpkin, sweet potato, apple, pear.. are our first foods...along with the baby cereals/ porridges...although now they are saying that maybe we are holding back /delaying start age too long and thats why there are more allergys? More and more people are going with baby lead solids. Your MCHN should have given you a list of what to eat at what ages?

  10. #10
    Registered User

    Jul 2006
    Logan
    2,991

    I am subscribing too. Miss E I tend to agree with introducing veg and cereal before sweet fruits. I did this both my older girls and I didn't have any issues with them eating veg or prefering fruit. Where as my SIL introduced fruit first and ended up having to put fruit with veg just to get her kids to eat any veg at all.