5 Months – Rainbow of Foods – Let’s Start Eating!

Time to start purees!  At 5 months, you can begin introducing table foods to your babies.  Depending on what way of thinking you come from – some families start with purees and others start with finely cut up food.  But keep in mind, their main source of nutrition is still breast milk and/or formula, but it’s great to start introducing other foods to get them chewing, swallowing, and to begin expanding their palate.  Our pediatrician said to try a new food every 2 to 3 days to make sure they do not have an allergy to any specific foods, but to be honest we often offer a tinier version of whatever we’re eating to make him a part of the mealtime experience.  She also advised us to start with vegetables since children often love fruits since they are sweet.  We personally love using Beaba spoons.

Here are some food ideas!

1) Orange Vegetables – sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots

2) Green Vegetables – avocados, asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, green beans, green peppers, spinach, zucchini

3) White Vegetables – cauliflower, corn, turnip, parsnip, potatoes, cabbage

4) Red Vegetables – beets, red peppers, 

5) Purple Vegetables – eggplant, cabbage

6) Fruits (all colors) – apples, grapes, pears, bananas, nectarines, oranges, peaches, cherries, papaya, grapefruit, pomegranate, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, apricots, cantaloupe, melon, mangoes, pineapples, pumpkin figs, watermelon, plums, prunes

And some things to keep in mind…

There is a good chance your child may not like a food at first, but be patient.  Don’t force-feed them anything.  Some children need exposure to certain foods over 20 times to start accepting it.  Also, don’t be afraid to put it on their tray and allow them to play with it.  Yes it will get messy, but they are getting to know new textures and becoming familiar with a totally new skill – eating food!  It’s often helpful to have babies watch you cook what you make (great opportunity for language as well – mixing, cutting, etc.) and also have them eat with the family.  When you make it a fun and comfortable experience your babies are bound to eat anything and love it!  We have quite the healthy eater on our hands – letting them explore is key!