Your Plunket ‘Thriving Under Five’ book tells you everything you need to know about starting your baby on solids. You can make your own baby food or buy it in jars and cans. Commercially produced baby food is generally colour-coded and put into ‘stages’ to help you select the right product for your baby’s development. Each stage has both savoury and sweet options to allow plenty of flavour variety.

Stage 1

First foods, or stage one, are puréed so they’re smooth and runny to get your baby used to swallowing. They’re prepared from very simple ingredients and are generally a combination of fruit, vegetables and water. These foods are free from added sugar, salt, preservatives, artificial additives, flavourings or colours. Baby rice and baby muesli can be added to purées for a bit of textural and flavour variety. If they thicken up the texture too much, just thin it down by mixing in some cooled boiled water.

Stage 2

The second stage is finely chopped, minced or mashed foods. These have small chunks of soft fruit and vegetables to encourage your baby to chew. Stage two foods start to be ‘meal-based’ so you’ll often find vegetables with meat or pulses like lentils. Finely ground meat is introduced to the meals to increase iron intake. The meat and grains will be of a smooth consistency while the fruit or vegetables provide the chunkier texture.

Stage 3

Stage three foods bridge the gap between baby food and eating the same as other family members. These have a lumpy or chunky texture and definitely have a higher meat content, like spaghetti bolognaise and risotto to increase iron stores. From this stage you can move on to your baby eating similar foods as you prepare for yourself, usually at around one year of age. Remember not to give babies the added salt, sugar, fibre etc that might be present in ‘adult’ foods.

Commercial baby foods

Whatever your philosophy about buying prepared baby food, there is no doubt that it’s a safe, convenient, varied and nutritious choice for your baby.
You may notice commercially prepared baby food contains ingredients like pineapple, corn or tomato that you wouldn’t use as first baby foods if cooked at home. Some also introduce ingredients like cooked or heat-treated dairy products and finely ground meats. This is because commercial production involves high temperatures and fine puréeing and sieving, so manufacturers can make these ingredients suitable for babies and infants.

Cans, jars and pouches have a similar shelf life, and every product will have a best before date stamped on it – remember to check this before opening. Always throw away uneaten food that has been offered to your baby, as saliva from the feeding spoon can contaminate the food. Follow the label instructions about storing food leftover in a jar that has not been offered to your baby.

Baby juices

Baby juices are ready to drink juices that have been formulated with water and reconstituted fruit juices. They’re suitable for babies as they have a lower sugar content than normal juice and are also a source of vitamin C. However breast milk is still the best fluid to give in the first year. As your baby gets older, water should be the drink of choice.

Want to know more?

The ‘Baby Food & Beyond’ book by Alison and Simon Holst is available in New World and has lots of great tips and ideas on first baby foods. Also Parents Centre run a class called ‘Moving and Munching’ that has practical information on introducing solids – ring your nearest centre or contact them on www.parentscentre.org.nz for details. 

Endorsed by our New World Nutritionist  ||   Proudly Partnering with Parents Centre

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