Deciding what foods to start your infant on can be a confusing time. Just going to the grocery store alone and seeing all the myriad of choices can be stressful alone!
Most of the time, assuming you have been given the "green light" from your pediatrician to start solid foods, if you slowly introduce foods and stick to the appropriate stage, you should be alright.
However, if you have any reservation over what kind of foods to give your infant, the best thing to do is to call your pediatrician. Dr.Rezk at Rainbow Pediatrics believes strongly in good nutrition and happily counsels his parents as they explore feeding their infant solid foods for the first time.
There are some foods, that you should avoid giving to your baby, out of safety, and they are listed below.
FOODS TO AVOID GIVING TO CHILDREN UNDER ONE YEARS OLD:
Honey
Never give a baby under one years old any kind of honey products. The reason for this is that your infant, unlike older children and adults, are not developed enough to fight the botulinum toxin that is in honey. Because of this, that makes them susceptible to infant botulism, which can be deadly.
Items they could choke on like:
Whole Nuts, Grapes, Popcorn, Hot dogs, Raw Carrots, Hard Foods
These items are choking hazards for your small child and should be avoided.
Highly Allergenic Foods, if you have a family history of food allergies.
This is an area of debate, but it is good to err on the side of caution. If your child has shown signs of allergic disease like eczema or your family has a history of food allergies, asthma, or hay fever, your best bet is to call your pediatrician.
This article is not intended to be a substitution for medical advice. If you have any kind of concern about your child's nutrition, please call the Rainbow Pediatrics office in Panama City and schedule an appointment with Dr. Rezk at 850-257-5524.
