Baby food

Baby food is any food, other than breastmilk or infant formula, that is given specifically to infants, roughly between the ages of four months to two years. The food comes in multiple varieties and tastes, can be produced by many manufacturers, or may be table food that the rest of the family is eating, mashed up. A common trait of the many different baby foods is that they are designed for ease of eating; either a soft, liquidy paste or an easily chewed food. This is because infants lack teeth and experience in eating.

Nutrition

Babies typically move to consuming baby food once nursing or formula is not sufficient for the child's appetite. Babies do not need to have teeth to transition to eating solid foods. Teeth, however, normally do begin to show up at this age. Care should be taken with certain foods that pose a choking hazard such as hot dogs, popcorn, grapes, and hard candy. No salt should be added to baby food as babies´ kidneys are not ready for salt.Fact|date=November 2007 Babies should begin eating liquid style baby food, sometimes mixed with rice cereal and formula, or breast milk. Pureed vegetables and fruits are an example of liquid style baby food. Then as baby is better able to chew, small, soft pieces or lumps may be included. Care should be taken, as babies with teeth have the ability to break off pieces of food but they do not possess the back molars to grind, so parents should carefully mash or break baby food into manageable pieces for baby. Around 9 months of age, babies may begin to feed themselves (picking up food pieces with hands, using the pincer grasp- thumb and forefinger) with help from parents.

It is often recommended to give baby solid food at around 6 months of age, but babies differ greatly. The only good way to know when to introduce baby food is to watch for signs of readiness in the child. Signs of readiness include the ability to sit without help and the display of active interest in food that others are eating. Baby may be started directly on normal family food if attention is given to choking hazards, this is referred to as baby-led weaning. Because breast milk takes on the flavor of foods eaten by the mother, these foods are especially good choices.

One may wish to introduce only one new food at a time, leaving a few days in between to notice any reactions that would indicate a food allergy or sensitivity. This way if baby is unable to tolerate a certain food then it can be determined which food is causing the reaction.

In the 20th century, it was common to start infants on solid food from 4+ months onwards – however current research and WHO/UNICEF "Baby Friendly" guidelines recommend only breast milk until at least 6 months of age.Fact|date=April 2008

History

From Cookery for Children, Sarah Josepha Hale, 1852: [ [http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/display.cfm?TitleNo=74&PageNum=439 Feeding America ] ]

In most cultures, pastes of a grain and liquid were the first baby food. In the western world until the mid 1900's baby food was generally made at home. The industrial revolution saw the beginning of the baby food market which promoted baby foods as convenience items. [ [http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodbaby.html The Food Timeline-baby food history notes ] ] Commercially prepared baby foods in the Netherlands were first prepared by Martinus van der Hagen through his NV Nutricia company in 1901. [ [http://www.nutricia.nl/asp/index.asp?id=12111 Nutricia ] ] In United States they were first prepared by Dorothy Gerber in 1927. [ [http://corporate.britannica.com/press/inventions.html Corporate Site: Great Inventions ] ] The first precooked dried baby food was Pablum which was originally made for sick children in the 1930s.

Some commercial baby foods have been criticized for their contents and cost. [ [http://www.cspinet.org/reports/cheat1.html Cheating Babies: Nutritional Quality and Cost of Commercial Baby Food] ]

The demand for organic food began to grow throughout the '60s, '70s and '80s there were no companies producing completely organic baby food until Earths Best Baby Food was founded in 1987 by twin brothers Ronald and Arnold Koss.Fact|date=June 2007 Since this innovation many larger commercial manufacturers have introduced organic lines of baby food.

Around the world

Baby food varies from culture to culture. In the United States babies are usually started with bland cereals and then move on to mashed fruits and vegetables. In Japan home made baby food is common and babies are started on rice porridge called okayu and then move on to mashed fruits, vegetables, tofu and fish. [ [http://www.japaninc.com/fw91 FW-91 - Homemade Baby Food: Fast, Frugal, and Fun | www.japaninc.com ] ] In Sweden, it is common to start with mashed fruit, such as bananas. Oatmeal and mashed vegetables are also recommended. In Western Africa, maize porridge is often the first solid food given to young children. [ [http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1247538] ] For many cultures, an infant's first bite of solid food is ceremonial and holds religious importance. An example of this is annaprashan, a Hindu ritual where the infant is fed a sweetened rice porridge, usually blessed, by an elder family member. Similar rites of passage are practiced across Asia, including the Bengal region, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Variations

Baby food is available in dry, ready-to-feed and frozen forms, which are prepared by the caregiver or parent in small batches and fed to the child. Dry baby food, such as rice or oatmeal cereals, are mixed with a liquid until reconstituted.

Frozen baby food is a form of heat processed baby food that enables lower cooking temperatures by finalizing the product in a frozen, rather than the more traditional jarred, form. Frozen baby food is made by cooking, pureeing and freezing fresh fruits and vegetables. Frozen baby food is an alternative for parents who make baby food at home and freeze it in ice cube trays. Some nutritionists believe that freezing gently cooked ripe produce could be even healthier than cooking under-ripe produceFact|date=April 2007. While major baby food companies have yet to venture into a frozen product, they have been galloping toward organics. Sales of organic baby food have shot up 58 percent in five years, 16 percent in the last year alone, according to ACNielsen. Fact|date=June 2007

Major manufacturers

*Beech-Nut
*Earth's Best
*Gerber
*H. J. Heinz Company
*Nestle

References

External links

* [http://www.seattlechildrens.org/child_health_safety/resources/health/nutrition_fitness/nutrition.asp Infant nutrition information] from Seattle Children's Hospital.
* [http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-baby/PR00029 Introducing solid foods: What you need to know] from the Mayo clinic.
* [http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jun05/baby0605.htm Knowing What’s Best for Baby To Eat] from the USDA.
* [http://www.gerber.com/feedingplan Gerber Start Healthy Feeding Plan] developed with the USDA-ARS.
* [http://buy-baby-food-online.we.bs/culming4.html Food online]
* [http://www.baby-food-planner.com Baby Food Recipes] for babies under 2 years old
* [http://www.theweaningroom.com/recipes/ Baby and Toddler Recipes for Stages 1, 2 and 3]
* [http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1247538 Article on maize contamination in Western Africa]

ee also

*Breastfeeding
*Infant Formula
* Organic Baby Products