Stage 1

Are you ready to begin your baby’s nutrition journey?  It is such an exciting milestone and step in your baby’s development. You have so many questions and concerns. You hear many opinions from well-meaning relatives, fellow mothers, the internet, and even healthcare providers.  Fear not! You have come to the right place. We will walk this path with you and your future foodie together.

Starting food at this stage is all about learning to use the spoon and develop oral muscles and mechanisms to eat and not drink only. For this reason, it’s not recommended to give cereals and baby food in the bottle, as it does not help in learning those important skills of eating and swallowing.

Stage 1 foods are:

1. Watery in consistency, almost like milk or water.
2. Single content, for example only 1 fruit or vegetable
3. Intended to help baby learn to eat
4. To help determine food allergies

We always recommend that you start with vegetables first so baby can get used to different flavors. Starting with fruits first exposes to sweetness and first and the risk of baby rejecting vegetables is high.

We recommend that you try one flavor for 3 days. Offer it at least two times a day before you give baby milk, so the baby is hungry and more receptive to trying something new.

Very likely, a baby may not like the spinach or carrots, etc. It’s ok. You can move on to a different food and come back to it afterward. The key is to not get discouraged.

We recommend 3 days for each flavor to make sure the baby is not allergic to any food. It also gives the little bellies time to process new foods. You may see a change in the baby’s bowel habits. It’s expected when you introduce new foods.