Complementary (Weaning Foods)
In the first year of life, infants undergo periods of rapid growth when a good diet is crucial. In fact, nutrition in the early years of life is a major determinant of healthy growth and development throughout childhood and of good health in adulthood. Pediatricians and nutritionists have established nutritional guidelines to meet the specific needs of these early years. While there is great variety in the types of foods each infant and young child will gradually add to his or her diet, some generalizations may be helpful. If you are at all unsure about what or how to feed your infant during the first year of life, consult with your healthcare provider.
Breast milk is the ideal food for infants during the first six months of life. It contains still-undiscovered substances that cannot be reproduced artificially and its overall nutrient composition is superior to any alternative, including infant formula. In spite of its superiority, breast milk cannot provide all of the nutrients and calories that allow infants to thrive after the first six months of life. All infants should continue to receive breast milk for at least the first year and preferably for the second, but other, more nutritious foods should be added by the time an infant reaches six months of age. Formula-fed infants usually require only formula for their first year, but they should also be introduced to other kinds of foods once they reach six months of age.
From the age of six months until approximately two years, infants and young children should gradually be introduced to different types of semi-solid, solid or complementary foods as they gradually transition from a diet centered on breast milk or formula. This transition period helps the child to slowly become accustomed to eating adult-type foods and familiarizes them with a wide range of textures and tastes.
Most infants begin the transition from liquid to solid foods with the introduction of infant cereals. When mixed with breast milk or formula, cereal can be a good starting place. Eating cereals from a spoon takes practice, but most 6-month olds are able to adapt quickly. After introducing cereal, many mothers next begin offering pureed or mashed vegetables and fruits. Whether prepared industrially or at home, these foods are a pleasant introduction to new tastes and textures. Gradually, the smooth, pureed foods can be replaced with foods of more solid texture, such as meat or fish based meals, until the infant begins to eat table food.
Introducing your infant to complementary foods is a gradual and, at times, trying process. The key to success is to gradually move from fairly bland and smooth foods to foods that are more robust in texture, taste, and smell. Be patient and have fun—this exciting and challenging stage will surely produce many funny memories.
Different Types of Industrially Prepared Complementary Foods
Many industrially prepared complementary foods are available to help your infant make the transition from breast milk or formula to solid food. While some parents choose to prepare their own foods, others find that industrially prepared foods are convenient, safe, and nutritious alternatives. Complementary foods are formulated to satisfy the nutritional needs of infants and young children. Some types are sold dried and need reconstituting (such as infant cereals) while others are sold ready to eat (such as jars of baby food.) Meat, vegetables and fruit are major ingredients. Some are based on cereals, some on pasta. They run the whole gamut from biscuits, rusks, and "main meals" to desserts and drinks.
Main Categories of Industrially Prepared Foods:
- Ready to eat baby foods
These consist of prepared recipes that are cooked and sterilized and are normally sold in cans and jars. This broad category includes baby meals, fruit or vegetable based foods, and meat and fish based foods.
- Dried baby foods
The range of dried foods available is similar to ready-to-eat and they are prepared according to recipes, but they are dried after cooking. Dried foods must be mixed with water or milk before feeding.
- Cereal-based foods
Cereal foods are usually sold dried and ready for reconstitution. They are based on pre-cooked cereals with additions of meat, vegetables or fruit. Some are reconstituted with milk, but others are already mixed with high protein foods and should be reconstituted with a non-protein containing liquid such as water.
- Pasta
These foods are available with different pasta shapes and are used after cooking in boiling water or other appropriate liquid. Pasta is often used as a main ingredient in "main meal" products.
- Biscuits and rusks
Biscuits and rusks can be offered in dried form or can be soaked in water or milk. These products can be particularly useful for teething infants.
- Milk based desserts
Special deserts with controlled sugar content typically contain yogurt or other milk products as a main ingredient.
- Toddler drink
Special formulations of cow’s milk or soy extracts have been developed to match the specific nutritional needs of young children over one year of age.
- Other drinks
Industrially prepared complementary foods can be a convenient way to feed infants and are specially formulated as an introduction to the texture of adult foods while meeting the strict dietary requirements of infants and young children. Their manufacturers ensure they are processed according to the strictest hygiene and safety requirements as well as formulated to meet nutritional standards established by health authorities throughout the world.
Whether you are giving your child homemade complementary foods or industrially prepared foods, remember to keep your child’s diet varied and appropriate to his or her stage of development. The inappropriate use of adult foods may result in insufficient intake of some nutrients, such as iron and fat, or an excess of others, such as salt and fiber. Stay with foods meant for infants at first and then gradually introduce "adult foods."
Fruit, vegetable and herbal drinks also contain controlled amounts of sugar.
When should I start offering complementary or solid foods to my infant?
Although all infants require a liquid diet during the first months of life, solid foods eventually become the predominant source of nutrition. No infant should be introduced to solid or complementary foods before the age of four months and, in many cases, it may be better to wait until the infant is at least six months old.
By six months of age, your infant’s nutritional needs are beginning to increase. Breast milk or infant formula, alone, may not provide all the nutrients your infant needs to continue growing and developing. The purpose of introducing complementary foods is to provide a more energy-dense diet with adequate protein for growth and a high proportion of calories from fat. In addition, complementary foods are a good way to introduce new tastes and textures so your infant can eventually graduate to eating the same meals as the rest of your family.
In the past, many mothers started feeding solid foods too early, before their baby’s digestive organs were sufficiently developed. In addition, semi-solid foods must be fed with a small spoon. Yet, before the age of four to six months, the infant’s nervous system is not sufficiently developed to allow use of a spoon. Before starting to eat solid foods, your infant should be able to sit easily with support and coordinate chewing and swallowing. Solid foods such as cereal should never be placed in a bottle for feeding.
When starting the transition to complementary foods, milk or an appropriate formula should continue to be a major part of the infant’s diet. Whole cow's milk or goat's milk, which are widely used by mothers throughout the world, are not appropriate as an exclusive source of food for infants. For this reason, and at the request of the medical profession, follow-on formulas were developed to meet the nutritional needs of older infants. They provide the liquid part of a weaning diet and, because they contain more iron, more vitamin D and less saturated fat, are nutritionally more appropriate than whole cow's milk or other animal milks.
What measures do baby food companies take to ensure the safety of baby foods?
Commercial baby foods are made according to the highest microbiological and nutritional specifications and all ingredients must meet strict safety and quality standards. Thorough heat treatment, combined with strict hygiene standards, ensures the sterility of the product throughout the manufacturing process. In addition, companies operate controlled and dedicated supply chains so that the raw materials can be traced back to their sources. Suppliers are thoroughly screened and audited using such qualified inspectors as veterinarians and quality control experts to ensure compliance with standards. All manufacturing processes are designed to ensure the microbiological safety of the product. Production and packaging processes are carefully chosen for maximum protection and to keep products in the best possible condition throughout their shelf life.
How much meat is used in commercial baby foods?
The meat content of commercial baby foods varies. Generally, baby foods contain less meat than adult meat-based products do. Large amounts of meat can be overpowering for babies in terms of taste, smell and texture. Consequently, manufacturers try to balance the ingredients in meat-based baby foods to ensure palatability and good nutrition.
The protein content and protein quality of baby foods are far more important than actual meat content. Accordingly, manufacturers control the total amount of protein (which may include meat) in their products to supply enough for optimal growth and development of infants without straining their kidneys. They also pay attention to the mixture of amino acids in baby foods by using a variety of protein sources including meat, fish, milk, eggs, vegetables and cereals. As a standard practice, manufacturers provide labels showing the percentage of meat contained in all packets and jars of commercial baby foods.
Are genetically modified ingredients used in commercial baby foods?
All baby food manufacturers are very sensitive to consumer concerns regarding genetic modification (GM) and consider their concerns when formulating products. In addition, GM ingredients offer no particular benefit over traditional foods at present. Infant and Dietetic Foods Association (IDFA) member companies take all possible steps to ensure that ingredients used in baby foods are not derived from genetically modified crops. Where the potential exists for GM material to be present in ingredients, in soya or maize, for example, companies purchase non-GM, identity-preserved ingredients through carefully audited suppliers that have undergone rigorous independent testing.
What’s the difference between organic and non-organic baby foods?
Manufacturers cannot claim that individual foods are ‘organic’ unless an accredited body, such as the Soil Association in Europe, has certified that the ingredients comply with specific standards. The most well known organic standard is the restriction on the use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides, which protects most organic foods from containing pesticide residues. In fact, all baby foods are subject to very strict controls on pesticide residues as current legislation bans the use of some pesticides and requires the level of any other to be below 10 parts per billion. Levels of pesticide residues in commercial baby foods are consistently very low or not detectable, whether the foods are labeled organic or not.
Are additives used in commercial weaning foods?
Infant food manufacturers take a precautionary approach to using additives in baby foods. Only those additives that have been shown to be both safe and required for technological processes are permitted by law. For example, artificial preservatives, colourings, sweeteners and artificial flavourings cannot be used in baby foods.
What are the benefits of commercial baby foods?
Sometime around baby’s sixth month, when he is just starting to lift his head and smile, he may be ready to try some solid foods, usually cereals. Most mothers understand that commercially prepared baby cereals are fortified with the correct amounts of iron and other nutrients to help him grow best while he continues to breastfeed. As baby graduates from cereals to the first vegetables and fruits, many mothers request information about commercially prepared baby foods.
Commercial baby foods offer many valuable features for growing babies and their mothers.
- Nutrient content: similar to the best homemade foods.
- Appropriate texture: foods are formulated to contain recommended textures based on age or stage of development.
- Variety of tastes and ingredients: foods are available in many flavors and with a large variety of fruits, vegetables and other foods.
- Food combinations in recommended proportions: foods are carefully combined and formulated to be acceptable to infants and provide the right proportion of ingredients.
- Less pesticide contamination: baby foods are made from produce that is lower in pesticide residues and other chemicals than are fruits and vegetables purchased at markets for adult use.
- Convenience for home use: commercial baby foods are ready to use right out of the containers.
- Convenience for travel: containers of baby foods are safe, easy to store and convenient for travel.
- Stability of ingredients: commercial baby foods are guaranteed to contain what is listed on the label and will remain unspoiled for the stated time.
- Exact knowledge of ingredients: every ingredient included must be listed on the label.
- Hygiene: manufacturers follow strict quality control standards and monitor the cleanliness of preparation and cooking areas, the storage conditions of the suppliers and ingredients, and the clean-up procedures after cooking.
Mothers can feel confident that commercial baby foods provide high quality, convenient meals for their babies.
Updated June 2003
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