Truly Scrumptious Baby: My complete feeding and weaning plan for 6 months and beyond. Holly Willoughby
Our muscles need potassium in order to work and contract properly.
broccoli
Broccoli is a source of vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and fibre. Potassium helps our nervous system to keep working efficiently.
butternut squash
Squash is a source of vitamins A, E and C. Vitamin E helps protect our cells against damage.
carrot
Carrots are a great source of beta carotene, which our body converts to vitamin A. Vitamin A helps us to be able to see properly. Without enough vitamin A we wouldn’t be able to see very well in the dark.
courgette
Courgettes are a source of potassium. Potassium keeps our muscles working efficiently.
green bean
Grean beans are a great source of a mineral called magnesium, which helps us to build muscle so we can become strong and healthy.
peach
Peaches are a good source of vitamin C, which helps to keep our bones, teeth and skin healthy.
papaya
Papayas are one of the fruits with the highest vitamin C content. They are also a good source of vitamin A and fibre.
pea
Peas are a source of thiamin (vitamin B1), vitamin C, folic acid and fibre. Vitamin C helps to keep our immune system healthy and protects our cells against damage.
sweet potato
Sweet potato is a source of vitamins A, E and C, as well as potassium and copper. Copper aids our metabolism and is vital for the production of red and white blood cells.
KEY VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Here are some of the key vitamins and minerals babies need at various stages of their development, and what they’re needed for. When weaning my little ones, I found it incredibly helpful to know a bit about the nutritional content of the ingredients I was using.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A (also known as retinol) is important for keeping eyes and skin healthy. There are two forms of vitamin A: retinol, found in animal sources, and beta-carotene, found in plant sources, which are converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A aids the immune system, so it’s vital for keeping little bodies healthy and warding off illness, and it’s also important for healthy vision. It’s found in lots of foods that can be introduced from six months, including eggs, cheese, yoghurt, carrot, butternut squash, sweet potato, kale, spinach, apricot and mango. Liver and liver products are also very high in vitamin A and can be given to children once a week from 12 months.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is really important to our immune system. It helps protect our cells from stress and aids iron absorption. It also contributes to healthy teeth and skin, and it helps with psychological function and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Vitamin C is found in a wide range of foods, all of which may be introduced from six months onwards, including especially tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, peaches, papaya, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, oranges and kiwi fruit.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is crucial for healthy bones, teeth and muscles. It helps our bodies absorb calcium, which in turn promotes bone growth and strength. Most vitamin D is obtained from exposure to sunlight. Just make sure your little ones have plenty of UV protection on if they’re out enjoying the sunshine! Vitamin D is also found in eggs, oily fish (as long as it’s not smoked) and red meat, which can be given to babies from six months, and liver and liver products, which can be given to children once a week from 12 months (this is due to the very high vitamin A content of liver).
Calcium
Calcium is one of the main minerals for building strong bones and healthy teeth. It’s important to give your little one’s body strong foundations so that it will support him well throughout life. Calcium works with vitamin D to help children’s bones grow and develop healthily. It’s also important for a host of bodily functions including digestion, muscle contraction and metabolism.
Calcium is found in yoghurt, cheese, broccoli and leafy green vegetables. It’s also found in cow’s milk, which can be included in meals from six months but not given as a main milk feed to babies under a year.
Iron
Iron is a must for babies. It plays a vital role in cognitive development in children and therefore can affect intellectual performance. It also helps to make haemoglobin, found in red blood cells – the little fellas that carry oxygen around the blood. If you don’t have enough iron, you can feel really tired and dizzy. Up to six months in age, babies get all the iron they need from breast milk or formula, so when you start to reduce that source, you need to introduce iron-rich foods. These include most dark leafy greens, red meat, ground nuts and pulses. And also liver and liver products, which you can give to children once a week from 12 months (this is due to the very high vitamin A content of liver).
Zinc
Zinc is needed for the functioning of every organ in the body. It plays a major role in the metabolism of macronutrients and wound healing, and it helps to keep our hair, nails and skin healthy. It’s found in foods such as eggs, poultry, beans, lentils, ground nuts, sesame seeds and tofu. And also liver and liver products, which can be given to children once a week from 12 months (this is due to the very high vitamin A content of liver).
SUPPLEMENTS
Even if you’re mindful of nutrition and aware of how to source all the crucial vitamins and minerals your baby needs from different types of food, it’s still advisable to boost his diet with a few supplements. According to NHS guidelines, children between six months and five years will benefit from daily supplements of vitamins A, C and D. Vitamin D is particularly important and the NHS advice suggests that breastfed babies should receive supplements containing 8.5 to 10mcg of vitamin D from birth. For formula-fed babies, it isn’t necessary until they’re having less than 500ml/18fl oz of infant formula a day. Between the ages of one and four, children should be given a daily supplement of 10mcg of vitamin D.
Your health visitor can give advice on where to buy vitamin drops and who is eligible to receive them free of charge. It’s crucial to remember, though, that overdoing the vitamins can be harmful, so make sure you keep to the recommended daily doses. (Foods that contain too much of a particular vitamin should be avoided in your baby’s first year too – see here.)
ALLERGIES
I know that many new parents are concerned about allergies. Common allergy trigger foods include nuts and seeds; cow’s milk; fish and shellfish; wheat and eggs. Your baby could have a higher risk if you have a significant family history of food allergies or of atopic illnesses such as eczema, asthma and hay fever. If you think this genetic disposition applies to you, I would definitely advise having a discussion with your GP about how carefully to tread when beginning the weaning process with your little one with regards to introducing known allergens, especially peanuts, if there is a known allergy to other nuts or a family history of peanut allergy. It won’t necessarily follow that your baby will be allergic to these foods, but it is worth being extra careful. At six months, not before, you should introduce allergens slowly and one at a time until you are happy there’s no kind of reaction. On the bright side breastfeeding can help reduce the risk of allergies and babies often grow out of an allergy, although a peanut allergy is usually for life. Try to avoid experimenting by cutting out whole food groups unless advised by a medical professional such as a dietician.