A whole new world has opened up with the arrival of your baby, and on top of getting to know the little one, you need to get an overview of the food journey! Here, we provide you with valuable information about your child’s eating habits from birth up to their first birthday.

Breast milk or baby formula
It can take a different amount of time for your child to learn to breastfeed and for the mother to get breastfeeding working so that both feel satisfied and secure. When your baby is breastfeeding, they will regulate themselves how often and how much they want to eat, but in the first weeks your baby may need to be woken up so that there is not too much time between meals. When your baby is breastfed, milk production is stimulated, so you can breastfeed your baby as often as they want, especially in the first weeks. If you have problems with breastfeeding, have breast complications or need extra support, you should contact a children’s health centre.

If you have chosen to bottle feed your child, there are recommendations described on the packaging as to how to mix the breast milk substitute and how much the baby needs to eat. Because babies are sensitive to bacteria, it is important to have good hand hygiene when you are mixing formula. If you are unsure how to bottle feed your child and how much to give them, contact a children’s health centre.

It is common for babies to vomit, this is called excess vomiting and is completely normal. This is because the muscle between the stomach and oesophagus is not fully developed and cannot stay closed. It usually goes away when your child starts solid food. If you feel that your child is bothered by the vomiting or vomits with an incredible force, you should contact your nurse.

If you want to combine breastfeeding and bottle feeding, it is always good to consult a children’s health centre first. It’s good to know that bottle feeding can interfere with breastfeeding and the amount of milk produced if you want to fully breastfeed, but once in a while rarely interferes!

The need for vitamin D
Breast milk or formula contains all the nutrition your baby needs during their first six months. The only exception is vitamin D, which your child needs to get through vitamin D drops. You can get these from the children’s health centre until your child turns two years old.

Taster Portions
When your child is 4-6 months old, you can start giving them taster portions of foods with a soft texture and purées. Feel free to let your child try many different flavours and textures and let them try to eat by themselves. Eating should be pleasurable, so let your child take the time they need to learn to eat and enjoy eating together.
The child begins to practice chewing from the age of six months, at which point you can give your child soft things to chew on, but take it at a pace that suits your child. If they haven’t shown any interest in food, it may be too early to start with small pieces for now, and that’s okay.

At 8-10 months, many children find food incredibly exciting and want to start eating themselves. Place some soft pieces of food on a plate, and your child can pick them themselves. Smearing and getting food all over your face is part of learning to eat food! Though it can be challenging as a parent dealing with all the mess.

Which food should be avoided before the age of one?
Some foods are not good for children under one year old. Things you should not give your children are honey, green leafy vegetables, beetroot juice, green potatoes, whole nuts, unpasteurised milk, rice cakes, rice drinks and sugar. It is also good to use salt sparingly. It is not dangerous to let your child try nuts, but they should be of a consistency that they can eat without choking. It is good to get your baby used to gluten slowly while your baby is breastfeeding or receiving formula.

Introduction of gluten and potential reactions
You can start introducing small amounts of gluten as early as 4-5 months of age, and then increase the amount as your child gets older. Gluten is found in foods containing wheat, rye and barley. Oats contain only a little bit of gluten. Some children may react to a food, which you will notice through your child getting a rash/eczema, vomiting or stomach ache. Even small babies can react to food that the mother has eaten if the baby is breastfeeding.

If you suspect that your child is reacting to a food, talk to the children’s health centre or contact a paediatric clinic. If your child has breathing difficulties or loses consciousness, call an ambulance.