Talking FACS
Host: Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director for Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, University of Kentucky
Guest: Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Food and Nutrition
Episode 19
0:00 Welcome to Talking FACS; what you need to know about family, food, finance and fitness. Hosted by the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program, our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families and communities to improve quality of life.
0:20 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Hello and welcome back to talking FACS. This is your host, Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director for Family Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
Today, I'm pleased to be joined by Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Assistant Professor in Dietetics and Human Nutrition. Heather, thanks so much for joining us today.
0:36 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Yeah, thanks for having me.
0:37 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So, today's topic is one that I know is important to all new parents out there. We’re talking about introducing solid foods to infants.
0:48 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Yes, this is incredibly timely relevant to my life as well, because I have a 5-month old. So, we're starting to think about this and I know all new parents; moms, dads, whoever, any caregiver is interested in this topic.
1:00 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: And my kiddos are definitely a little older and certainly out of this stage, but especially with our youngest, I remember that introducing solids was very stressful. You know, our oldest just took off and he ate and food was never an issue, but introducing solids really and truly was a challenge for her.
So, let's just get started with what are recommendations for introducing solid foods to infants?
1:26 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Yes. So, this is such a great question, because I feel like in parenthood for any caregiver, by the time you figure out one thing with an infant, something is changing.
1:33 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So, true. So, true.
1:34 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: So, you are always adapting and trying to figure things out and it's really important when we talk about our baby's nutrition. So, I strongly encourage parents who are listening and struggling with maybe introducing solid foods to stick to the recommendations from the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
And both of these groups encourage exclusive breastfeeding or formula until 6 months of age. And at this point solids, are strictly complementary foods. They're even called that, because they're not the primary source of nutrition for our babies. They're really just trying to explore and build the skills to be able to eat those solids.
2:09 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: And I think that's such an important point, because I remember when I was so stressed about our little one, how she wasn't really taken the solids that is was exactly what you said that it was complementary.
And that's what our pediatrician kept telling us too. She kept saying she's getting the nutrition that she needs from breast milk or formula. And you know just take a step back, take a deep breath, and this is the time to learn.
2:29 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Right, exactly. And I will say as we have this conversation that when I say baby or infant, we're really talking about at the age of 12 months old. So, up to that 1-year old birthday is what we're talking about.
2:39 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Okay.
2:40 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: And you mentioned what your pediatrician said. That's great, because some may start to have that conversation of introducing solids as early as the 4-month checkup. And that may be because your baby is developmentally starting to show some of those signs that they are ready to move on to solids.
And another thing that a lot of people ask about is how often should these babies be eating their solid foods or that we should try to expose them? And it's recommended that babies 6 to 8 months of age are exposed to solids two or three times a day. So, maybe a breakfast and at dinnertime, and then older babies, up to 12 months of age, really can be increased to three or four times a day.
3:17 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So you just said that your baby or infant may be showing signs that they are ready to move on to solids. What are some of those signs that parents should be looking for?
3:27 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Yeah. I think the main reason that 6 months is recommended is because by that point, your baby should hit enough milestones or developmentally be ready. And those main things are can they sit up unassisted or with very little assistance? Can they hold their head up and bring food to their mouth without being assisted? Have they learned how to reverse that reflex that they have as a very small baby to push things out of their mouth to protect them? Can they use their tongue to move food back? So, that's one of the big things.
If you see that they're starting to spit it out, they might not be ready, if they can move the food from the front of their mouth to the back of their mouth using their tongue, that's a really big sign. And I think the one that actually we don't talk about as much is are they showing interest in starting solid food?
4:10 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Are they paying attention to what you're eating or are they grabbing for the food?
4:13 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: I think it's so important. Even when a baby has four five six months of age, have them at the dinner table with you. Not only are these saying you practice these skills that they need to develop, but then you can pay attention to whether they're grabbing for the food, they're reaching for it. And that's really when you know that they're ready to go.
4:30 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So, you know that I just ask you all of my mommy questions. And I remember this was with our oldest that I was really concerned about starting solids and food allergies. And I know that that's probably on the mind of lots of parents. What are your general thoughts about food allergies?
4:46 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: So, I strongly encourage you to talk to your pediatrician, especially if someone in your family, your immediate family has a diagnosed food allergy. The likelihood of your child having a food allergy is going to be higher. And they can really come up with a plan that is an appropriate and timely plan for introducing some of those high allergen foods like peanuts, eggs, and shellfish. So, really talk to your pediatrician and see what they think.
5:12 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: And I definitely remember that it was our pediatrician that she did. She kind of gave me that guideline of what to do, and how to do it, and when to introduce certain foods that made me feel much better about it.
I've noticed in media recently that there was a consumer reports that came out about talking about baby foods. Could you share a little bit with us about that and just give us some more information? Break it down for us.
5:36 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Absolutely. I've already been contacted by several friends and family that kind of know that I'm up on this stuff, especially because it's important to me as well right now.
And so, this consumer report that came out, it was back in the summer. They actually looked at 50 popular baby and toddler foods. So, these included cereals, packaged fruits and vegetables, some of those combo entree meals that are common, as well as snacks that babies and toddlers regularly consume. So, those puffs will be an example.
And what they found was actually, it's startling. So, 15 of those 50 foods had amounts of heavy metals like lead and arsenic that were high enough to pose a risk if they were consumed frequently. So, this if your child has consumed this, that doesn't mean that they're going to have some type of learning disability or cognitive defect, it just means that they're at an increased risk if they do.
What they found were that items with the highest amounts of these heavy metals included rice in some way or form.
So, the major recommendation I would give based off this report is to avoid rice cereals, rice containing packaged baby foods or even snacks, where the first ingredient listed is rice flour. And for many people, rice cereal is one of the first foods introduced. And really, there's no recommendation for that to be the first food, it’s just what a lot of people think has to be first. It does not.
So, there are plenty of other foods that are iron-containing cereals that would be a safer option.
7:04 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: And just for some reason, I think that the rice cereal, maybe over time I can remember with our little ones that that was just my mom’s go to. That she said, “Oh, you want to start with rice cereal”.
So, things do change over time, and new information comes out, and it's important that we stay informed as well.
7:20 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Absolutely. And I would say that don't feel like you're trapped with baby cereals or those pureed baby foods. You don't have to introduce those for that. That's not a recommendation.
Really at six months of age, the baby could simply be introduced to foods that the rest of the family are consuming as long as they are cooked and soft and they're large enough for the baby to grasp.
So, a couple of examples would be a couple spears of roasted sweet potato or a couple wedges of avocado. These are actually perfect baby foods, because they're large enough for the baby to grasp. And then there's also enough food exposed that they can get it into their mouth.
Again remember, it's all about quantity at this point. It's not their primary nutrition. It’s going to be all over the place. They're probably not going to be taking it a lot at the beginning. They're complementary.
8:07 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: It's just exploratory. It's just an opportunity for them to learn. And as I mentioned at the beginning, as we struggled with our little one is that she just did not maybe like the texture or the feel or whatever it may be of the traditional-type baby foods, and one day she just started eating off my plate in like you said, in appropriate type foods that she could easily grasp, that she could easily handle, that were not considered to be choking hazards.
And as soon as she started eating what we were eating at dinner, she was completely happy to kind of move on to solid foods and that's just probably some of her personality as well.
8:44 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: I think that's the case for a lot of babies too.
8:47 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So, anything else that we shouldn't offer to our babies or things that we should think about, concerns that we might have?
8:54 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Yes, just to kind of wrap up. I would encourage people to wait until the baby is at least 12 months of age to introduce cow's milk and honey. Those are just a couple that stick out.
A lot of people think that juice is something that babies and toddlers need. It's not a solid food, but really it isn't necessary, because if they are consuming that in large amounts, it's probably replacing whole fruits, which is what we're going to want to encourage. But if you do want to introduce juice, I would at least wait until 6 months of age and just definitely keep it a couple ounces a day.
Again, like you mentioned, try to eliminate those choking hazards that are common like hot dogs, and cubed cheese, and grapes, unless they are cut into much smaller pieces.
And then as babies are learning how to eat, gagging is going to happen. So, especially the baby is learning how to push the food from the front to the back of their mouths.
So, I would encourage the caregiver to learn the difference between gagging and choking. Maybe that is participating in a baby's safety course where you learn the Heimlich. And a common saying is, “Loud and red, let them go ahead. Silent blue when they need help fromyou”. So, it's kind of a little thing to keep in the back of your mind.
And that, it's important to always be present when the baby is experimenting and exploring these solid foods.
10:09 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Certainly. We never want to leave them alone, obviously. And I know, as a mommy, that the gagging is part of what kind of adds to the anxiety of solid foods, but it is also just part of the learning process and learning how to move their tongue back and forth the move the food back and forth as well.
All great tips today, Heather. And I know that you mentioned it's very relevant to your life currently, but I know it's also very relevant to other new parents out there as well. So, thank you so much for sharing with us.
10:38 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Yeah. Thank you.
10:41 Thank you for listening to Talking FACS. We deliver programs focusing on nutrition, health, resource management, family development and civic engagement. If you enjoy today's podcast, have a question or a show topic idea, leave a ‘Like’ and comment on Facebook @UKFCSExt. Visit us online at fcs.uky.edu or contact your local extension agent for Family and Consumer Sciences. We build strong families. It starts with us.
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