At 7-8 months, your baby will be very familiar with swallowing soft, mushy pureed food. Now it’s time to develop their palette and expand the culinary and nutritional options. Experiment and find out what your baby likes, keep nutrition at the forefront and keep things varied.
While you should never add salt to a baby’s food, now is the perfect time to introduce naturally salty foods such as mild soft cheese or cheddar. Add a little to mashed potato or make some homemade cheese sauce to pour over pasta.
Broaden your baby’s appetite for vegetables by concocting some fruit and veg combinations such as apple, carrot and spinach mash. The sweet tasting fruit will make the veggies more palatable. The Philips Avent healthy baby food maker helps you prepare nutritious meals, and comes with an app packed with tasty recipes.
Make savory dishes sweeter and more appealing to tiny mouths by adding dried fruit such as sultanas, raisins, mango, pineapple or apricots to dishes like casseroles and soups in moderation.
The health benefits of fish are tremendous, so if you can give your baby a taste for it early on they’ll be at an advantage. Start with a mild flavor such as skinless,boneless poached haddock or cod in a white sauce or fisherman’s pie. Once your baby is used to the taste and texture, introduce stronger tasting omega-3 rich fish such as flaked salmon or mackerel.
Lentils, pulses and chickpeas are all forms of protein packed with nutrients. They can be consumed in a multitude of baby-friendly ways from home-cooked dals to dips such as hummus.
You might think a strong taste like ginger would be too much for a baby’s tender palette, but small quantities of fresh grated or minced ginger added to stewed fruit or savoury dishes such as soup will not only stimulate your baby’s taste buds, but also provide fortifying nutrients as well as relief from a host of ailments from tummy aches to colds.
Salt and sugar may be off limits, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add any flavour to your baby’s diet. Your baby is now old enough to enjoy spices such as cumin, and turmeric. If you enjoyed spicy food when you were breast-feeding your baby is even more likely to enjoy it since he will already have developed a taste for it.
There’s no need to get stuck in a rut with traditional baby friendly veggies like sweet potato and peas. The more vegetables you can convince your baby to try early on the better, so have a go at expanding his repertoire with some of the more unusual variants like beetroot, aubergines, peppers and curly kale.
Please be aware that the information given in these articles is only intended as general advice and should in no way be taken as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you or your family or your child is suffering from symptoms or conditions which are severe or persistent or you need specific medical advice, please seek professional medical assistance. Philips AVENT cannot be held responsible for any damages that result from the use of the information provided on this website.
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