April 25, 2023

baby food

And suddenly it's time for the first spoonful...

Time with a newborn just flies by. And when you think you've gotten used to a certain process, developed a routine, then something changes again. It seems like you're always one step behind your offspring, long before he or she can walk. It is truly a wonder how quickly babies develop and it is wonderful to watch them.

It's the same with complementary food. The more alert and active babies explore their environment, the more interesting they find everything that surrounds them. And at some point the day will come, of course, the time for this is totally individual, when they start to be interested in "solid" food, and then it will be really exciting for mom and dad again.

Supplementary food – from when?

In the first few months of life, babies should be exclusively breastfed or bottle-fed. From the 4th month of life, the child can definitely show signs that it is ready for more. You can tell whether a baby is ready for solid food by the following signs, which can also be summarized under the term solid food readiness.

Ready for solid food means that the baby is ready to start eating slowly, regardless of whether it is fed with porridge or eats at the family table according to the BLW principle (Baby Led Weaning). For some babies this time is earlier, for others later - if you are unsure, the pediatrician is always the first person you should ask for advice.

In the beginning, mother's milk or pre-milk remains the main food for the baby, and it should have the opportunity to get to know many foods without pressure, with all of its senses and with pleasure. The time has come to first discover various foods when:

the baby can sit safely on an adult's lap alone or with light support.
the baby can reach for food independently and put it in its mouth.
the baby has completely lost the innate tongue thrust reflex that automatically pushes anything that gets into the mouth back out.
the baby shows great interest when others eat in his presence.

Of course, it's also important to take your time and offer new foods little by little - this way you can immediately see whether one or the other is tolerated well or poorly.

Snacks on the go

As soon as the child shows joy in eating, it is advisable to always have something baby-friendly with you! Even though some children would prefer to eat from mom or dad's plate right from the start, our traditional dishes are usually too heavily seasoned or too salty. Salt is still taboo in the first year of life!

In this case, waffles have proven successful - they can be prepared savory or sweet. Freeze well, are soft and easy to eat. And even if the supermarket shelves are literally overflowing with special baby and toddler food, homemade is still the best! Knowing what's in it, cooked with organic quality food and fresh - you don't need to say anything more about it, right?

Get to the waffles!

The great thing about the waffles is that you can prepare them with a wide variety of grains, bake them with or without eggs depending on the age of the child, and mix in finely grated vegetables or applesauce. For children who like things spicy, you can also add a little grated cheese. The waffle dough is quickly mixed together and baked and such a small waffle heart is the perfect size for a little world explorer's hand.

Here is our favorite basic recipe for whole grain waffles with banana:

Ingredients :

1 very ripe banana
1 egg
50 ml rapeseed or sunflower oil
100 gr. wholemeal spelled flour
50 ml milk / plant milk

1/2 tsp baking powder

preparation

Mash the banana finely with a fork. Mix the egg well with the banana.

Now stir in the milk or plant milk.

Mix the baking powder into the wholemeal flour and then add the flour to the banana mixture and mix thoroughly.

Preheat the waffle iron and brush with a little oil. Bake the waffles (about 3 pieces) one after the other and enjoy lukewarm or cold.