first foods

[mamasun]

i have a 6 month old girl and i am wondering when to introduce solids and what to try first. how long can she/ should she exclusivly breastfeed? i know starting with fruits is common, but im wondering about starting with a raw veggie... but i cant picture how that would work, most veggies not being mushy enough. or even if we start with fruits, how and when will she be able to eat raw veggies? i am not 100% now, but have been on and off for a few years, and i am wanting to move back towards 100% with baby as she begins to eat. any sugestions? thanks

[dreamrawalwz]

I have not had a child, but I'm guessing pureed banana, pear, and or apples would work. I know others will come behind me with more of an answer.

[b_light]

I've heard of bananas and avocados for first foods.

[rawpriestess]

Although my son is 37 years old, and I certainly wasn't raw when I had him, I think the natural way is best.

Breastfeed until you want to stop, some people breast feed until the child is 2 then stop, others in history have breast fed until the child is 12, yes, you heard me right. But that is Chinese emperors and such, so that probably doens't exactly fit in your case.

So, this is how I would do it, knowing what I know now.

I would breast feed until the experience wasn't pleasurable to me, which is when they started getting teeth, or around that time, also while they are teething, they naturally want to have something to chew on, hense, carrots, or apples or fun veggies.

I would also just give them any fruit they wanted to grab.

I'd look at it this way if the fruit was growing on the ground or near it, like strawberries, I'd asume a small child could get to it, but I'd also assume that a small child would have challenges with a thorny type bush, like raspberries, so I might not give them those.

I'd say anything that dropped to the ground, like apples, or pears, but only when really ripe, hense they would drop to the ground, from the tree.

also, oranges would be hard to peel, so if they wanted one, I'd give them one, but I wouldn't think this would be a major staple, as in nature they might be difficult for a small child to manage.

So, that is my nature mother take on raw fruits and veggies for small children.

Just think, "would this work in the wild, with no utensils?"

[mamasun]

thanks for the replies. i wanted to add that i have a food alergy to bananas, which makes me wonder if she might too somehow, through my milk maybe? dont know if that is possible.

what you say rawpriesress, about looking to nature makes sence of course. sometimes it easy to get cought up in my mind and forget to check with the natural flow ot things. thanks for the reminder.

[QUOTE=rawpriestess]
Breastfeed until you want to stop, some people breast feed until the child is 2 then stop, others in history have breast fed until the child is 12, yes, you heard me right. But that is Chinese emperors and such, so that probably doens't exactly fit in your case.

actually i am not asking how long to breastfeed for, i plan on continuing for a few years, i am just wondering other's thoughts on how long to wait before introducing other foods, or how long to exclusivly breastfeed for.
thanks again

[adrienne]

HI!
I believe it is best to exclusively breastfeed for as long as possible, at some point very soon your daughter will become naturally interested in what everyone is eating around her! The suggestions for starting with bananas and avacados is perfect and things like cold cucumber pieces (largish size wedges) will be great for teething. I do not know if the banana allergy will be passed on, just start with a tiny piece and wait to see if you get any reactions within a day or two then try again. I would just start slow and let her try all sorts of raw (give or take what seems obviously appropriate). I was just reading a book last night about feeding toddlers raw by Beth Montgomery. I got it on www.rawfood.com, it is very helpful and suggests for 9 month olds to enjoy blended soups with avocado as the base adding things like spinach and other leafy greens. I have a 18 month old and I try to feed her as much raw as possible. good luck and let us know how things are going

[lane]

Hello!
My daughter is a little over a year- when she was around 5 or 6 months, she naturally became interested in foods we were eating- she started with bananas and avocados- she would also (and still does) drink about 1/4 to a half cup of the green drink I make every morning (cucumber, apple, mixed green juice.) I have a vitamix and make her food- so early on, I could throw just about anything in there to create a wonderful and palatable mix- of course, I took it slowly at first and waited for any reactions, etc.. Oh! also peas! taking some fresh or frozen organic peas and placing them in warm water until soft seemed to be handled fairly easily early on- and they make a wonderful "on the go" snack- instead of cheerios, etc..
-lane