A Healthy Diet for Baby

What they say about parenting the second child is so true! I’m so much more relaxed this time around. What about you? That being said although I don’t fuss as much I still try provide a healthy diet for baby IJ. In the last few years the recommendations for baby’s first foods has changed slightly. Izzy’s pediatrician instructed us to introduce a new food every 3-5 days and to hold off on peanut butter, eggs, soy, wheat, etc. until she was closer to one year old. New research is showing this is not necessary. Studies suggest there isn’t enough evidence to support waiting to introduce highly allergenic foods. There is so much more freedom now with baby food and we are trying all kinds of different fruits and vegetables with IJ.

This time around we are having so much more fun! Have you ever heard the saying “try to eat the rainbow.” Many health professionals recommend eating a plate full of colorful food because it ensures you get a variety of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Eating colorful food usually means incorporating a variety of fruits and vegetables into your diet. We’ve been trying to implement this concept when it comes to IJ’s baby food. When Izzy was 8 months old I wrote out a baby schedule for her. IJ’s is slightly different so I thought I’d share another example with you. Here is what he usually eats in a day:

Example of a Healthy Diet for Baby

Breakfast – Baby Oatmeal: Most days IJ eats oatmeal in the morning. Although you can certainly make your own oatmeal, it’s convenient and a nice break to make quick oats for IJ. We recently tried Plum Organic’s hello morning blueberry, banana & quinoa oatmeal. I love that the oatmeal has only 6 ingredients (baby oats, banana, quinoa cereal, blueberries, chia seed and nutmeg). It’s filled with grains, fiber and protein and it’s tasty. Since we’ve started adding spices to IJ’s baby food he doesn’t like bland food anymore. The addition of organic nutmeg is great in this oatmeal.

Lunch – Fruit & Nut: This past month we’ve introduced different nut butters into IJ’s diet. We use peanut butter, almond butter and sunflower seed butter. They mix well with fruit purees and add protein as well as healthy fat to his diet. If you don’t want to buy nut butter you can simple grind raw nuts in a blender and add to fruit. Did you know some baby pouches now have nut butters in them? I was so excited to find that one of the new Grow Well pouches from Plum Organics has sunflower seed nut butter in it. We try to mix up the fruits throughout the week. IJ’s favorites are papaya, mango, blueberry, apple, avocado and pear.

Dinner – Vegetable & Grain: We try to alternative IJ’s feedings with fruits and vegetables. Since he usually eats fruit for lunch that means he gets vegetables for dinner. We’ve also added in some meat (chicken and turkey so far) as well as grains (pasta, rice, quinoa) to his dinner. Plum organic offers awesome dinner options for babies. We’ve tried the broccoli & cheese baby pasta and it was delicious. Again, it’s a nutritious and convenient option. All you need to do is add hot water. Some days I feel like all I do is cook meals for other people. That’s when these dinner meals for babies come in handy. I’m confident in the product and it saves my sanity. Again mix up the vegetables to ensure you are eating the rainbow. Great baby vegetables include carrots, broccoli, spinach, green beans, sweet potato and butternut squash.

Remember when feeding your baby they may not like the food the first time. Don’t give up! When implementing a healthy diet for baby many babies need to be given foods multiple times before they start eating them. You can also try creating mixtures and hiding some veggies in applesauce. Have fun when feeding your baby and offer a variety of fruits and vegetables. Start healthy eating habits when they are young and join your kids in eating healthy snacks. They are more likely to eat them when they see you eating the same thing.

Want to learn more about Plum Organics? Check out their website and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Disclosure: As always before you introduce any food to your baby consult your pediatrician. I love to research and share information on living a healthy lifestyle with others. Any information found on Heart of Deborah should not be relied upon to determine dietary changes. Additionally, although I received some Plum Organics product to try I was not required to write a positive review. As always the opinions expressed are 100% my own and this is a product I can stand behind.