It is important to be extremely careful while introducing new food items to babies. Find out what precautions should be taken while introducing solids to babies and foods which are not safe for babies. Some foods should better be left for the child to eat after they grow up; play it safe and educate yourself with the food intakes that might be unsafe for your little darling.
With age your baby will be eager to try out new food and you will be equally excited to provide her with the new platter. But not all foods are benign to the child, some might cause choking hazard while others might harm the under-developed digestive system of the baby.
Foods to Avoid: 0 to 6 Months
It is highly recommended that a newborn should be fed only breastmilk for the first 4-6 months after she is born. If breastmilk is unavailable then formula milks are a good choice. Breastmilk provides your baby an ideal balance of nutrients, enzymes, hormones and growth factors. The digestive system of the baby is nourished by certain components of breastmilk, while others build up a strong immune system and fight infections. A breast fed baby has a lesser chance of being infected by foreign allergens and also are immune from intestinal and respiratory problems.
Foods to Avoid: 6 to 12 Months
Your baby is still not old enough for all food variants even after hitting the first year. You have to be alert so as not to feed your baby with the following:
Cow’s Milk or Soy Milk Stick to breast milk as your baby is incapable of digesting the proteins in cow or soy milk. Also the high mineral content of the solid milk might damage her kidneys.
Honey Honey harbours spores of Clostridium Botulinum, which causes botulism. A baby’s intestinal tracks are not resilient enough to prevent the growth of these spores unlike adults and they might produce life-threatening toxins.
Caffeine Any caffeinated drink, such as soda or iced tea should be avoided. The stomach of the baby is not developed enough to handle caffeine.
Fish Fish specially shrimps, crabs, scallops; lobsters can cause allergies in kids less than 1 year of age. Avoid fish for the baby till she is 2, thus giving time for the baby’s immune system to strengthen.
Juice It is okay for the baby to have juice, but not more than 4 ounces per day. It can trigger severe bouts of diarrhoea.
Unpasteurized Cheese Most of the cheese available in the market is pasteurized, but double check the label contents to be extra sure to avoid any food poisoning in child.
Watch Out for Choking Foods
Below mentioned are the food items your baby under the age of 1 can consume with extra care, as they have high chances of choking:
Raw Vegetables or Fruits Vegetables like pea, carrot, celery or beans should be properly boiled and mashed. Fruits like banana, papaya, mango etc. should be mashed properly before feeding the baby. Fruits like apple can be boiled and mashed properly while feeding the baby.
Nuts etc. Any hard nut, candies, popcorn, peanut butter or marshmallow cause major choking hazards. It is better to avoid feeding babies these foods at an early age.
Be fully Aware of the Allergens
Previously doctors recommended waiting until the age of 1 or later to introduce solid foods in the baby’s diet, but recently the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) have suggested introducing new foods gradually and waiting several days to make sure your baby is not reacting to that food.
Consult a doctor and derive the best strategy to introduce allergenic foods like eggs, peanut, milk, fish, wheat, soy and tree nuts.
How Long to Wait?
By now you must have understood that not all foods should be fed to infants. Honey for example is not actually an allergen. However, it may cause Botulism in children under the age of 1 year. So it is better to introduce honey to your baby’s diet after he turns 1. You must avoid feeding Peanut Butter and Tree Nuts to your baby if he is not at least 6 months old. Ideally, such foods must be introduced to children when their age is between 6 months and 2 years.
Although Citrus foods are actually not allergens, they cause rashes and digestive ailments as a result of acidity. The best time to introduce your baby to citric fruits, raspberries and blackberries (not blueberries/cranberries) is after he has turned 6 months old. After your child turns 6 months old, you can make him have properly cooked egg whites. Whole milk must be introduced to children after they turn 1.
The food chart that has been compiled has been researched from various sources including AAP, AAFP and WHO. But it is always advisable to consult a paediatrician before
introducing solid foods to your baby.
Which food items should not be given to babies before they turn a year old? Is it safe to feed cheese to a 6 month old baby? Which fruits and vegetables are not safe for babies? Discuss here. 
