During your baby's first year, she won't be ready for some foods. Here are some foods that you should not give her yet:
- Cow's milk.
- Egg whites.
- More than 4-6 ounces of juice per day (and then only after your baby is six months old)
- Honey.
Instead of drinking cow's milk, your baby should continue to be breastfed or to get formula with iron. Egg whites and milk can make a young baby sick. If your baby drinks too much juice, she may lose her appetite. Then she might not eat the foods she needs. Honey may have bacteria. This can make your baby very sick. Wheat cereal can be hard for your baby to digest.
Remember, your baby knows how much food to eat. Give her a choice of foods that will help her grow. Do not force your baby to eat her food. She knows how much food she needs.
Meals should be offered at regular times each day. Meal times should be pleasant and as quiet as possible. Turn the TV off. Don't have a lot of other activity going on. Enjoy your meals together.
Choking Hazards for Young Eaters
Stay close to your baby while he eats. Choking is an emergency that can be prevented. Just make sure all food is carefully prepared. Stay nearby and watch that your baby doesn't put too much food into his mouth.
Some foods are more likely than others to cause choking. Your baby is too young for foods that are hard, chunky or need to be chewed. Save these foods until your baby is three or four years old. Then there will be less danger of choking.
Look for classes on infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and basic first aid in your community. Or borrow a free video on first aid from your video store or public library. If your baby does start to choke, call 911 right away. This is an emergency. Do what the operator says. Stay on the line until you are sure your baby is all right.
Never feed your baby the following:
- Hot dogs
- Hard candy
- Peanuts or any nuts
- Grapes
- Cookies
- Meat chunks
- Raw carrot slices
- Peanut butter
- Apple chunks
- Popcorn
For more information about dads and their baby's first year, get The Everything® Father's First Year Book by Vincent Iannelli, MD, which is published by Adams Media and is now available at your favorite bookstore.
You can also order The Everything® Father's First Year Book right now from amazon.com.