Baby food is any soft, easy-to-eat food that is specially made for children between four and six months and two years old, other than breast milk or infant formula. Most newborns (six-month-old) are physiologically ready for new textures, foods, and feeding methods. As they grow, meeting the nutritional needs of newborns is important for their healthy development. Feeding them insufficiently or inappropriately causes major illnesses, as well as affects their mental and physical development.
The food comes in many varieties and flavors that are purchased ready-made from producers. Most parents prefer to prepare their own baby food for many reasons, among them economic convenience and assurance that the baby is eating a healthy, nutritious diet. However, pureed meats, beans, poultry, and iron-fortified cereals are recommended as first foods, especially if the baby has been primarily breastfed since they provide vital nutrients. At four months, breast milk and/or iron-fortified formula are still the main food in a baby's diet.
One can mix fruit baby food into oatmeal, yogurt, cottage cheese, and smoothies, fruit purees into unsweetened applesauce for a new flavor. Both homemade and jarred baby food can be perfectly healthy options for infants. That is because when it comes to baby food, what you're serving is often more important than what type of packaging it comes in. Protein-rich foods, such as chicken, fish, chickpeas, lentils, beans, tofu, eggs, nuts, and lean meat, are important for a child's growth and muscle development.
Baby foods also contain other useful vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B12, zinc, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids. Some of the first foods that Mexican moms feed their babies are soups, fruits (such as papaya), and avocadoes. Some favor a touch of chili powder on the foods as a way to get their little picky eaters to try new foods.
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