Posted by: henrys_mum
I would be interested in an opinion on this too. Plunket say to hold off to 8 months and I have noticed that a lot of the speciality baby yoghurts are either 8 or 9 months according to the packet but I know many people who start earlier. Neither my husband nor I have dairy allergies and my son is now 7 months. I wouldn't mind knowing if he could start yoghurt now and what type (please keep in mind that in NZ some of the brands in Australia may not be available here).
Hi there,
I love yoghurt for bubs, I have copied in part of my tip sheet on Huggies regarding starting solids (the full article is in the Feeding Baby section under starting solids). As you can see yoghurt is about 7 months, it is a lovely food because it is great for their immunity, is low in lactose a good source of calcium and protein and so on. Personally though I don’t go down the baby yoghurt line, we all use naturally fermented and unsweetened yoghurts to start with, that way you know baby is just getting yoghurt and no other unnecessary ‘stuff’. So go for it I say, trial it and see how it goes. You find conflicting advice because it depends on whether you following WHO guidelines (based more on oral mechanics) or other guidelines based on gastrointestinal development. Hard to say what is right, best to be led by baby and err on the side of caution if there are any allergies.
Whenever I am home in NZ I find those yoghurts in the milk carton type contain are fabulous, sorry the name escapes me but they have a flower design on the front of the packet. That’s what we use. I can ask my mother to check the brand if you like?
A Quick Reference to Introducing Solid Foods
This suggests Suitable foods, Consistency and Milk feeds for each age.
Around 6 months
Note: Leaving sweeter foods such as fruit till after the introduction of vegetables can improve acceptance of foods that are not sweet
- Gluten free iron-fortified cereal i.e. rice
- Vegetables such as sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, avocado, choko, parsnip, broccoli, peas, potato, zucchini, cauliflower, beans.
- Avocado
- Cooked/mashed fruit such as apple, pear, banana, paw paw, rockmelon.
- Teething rusks
Pureed into a smooth paste with breastmilk or formula.
Still relies primarily on breastmilk or formula.
7ish months
Working up to 3 meals a day and adding of texture
- Iron-enriched rice cereal should be used by 6 months.
- Baby yoghurts or plain natural acidophilus yoghurts which are often more nutritious and have less additives
- Increasing variety of vegetables first, then fruit (not citrus fruits or tomato), corn, beetroot, peas, capsicum, turnip, parsnip
- Increasing variety of fruit – strawberries, mango, blueberries, watermelon, plum, star fruit and custard apples
- Brown and white rice cooked till soft
- Use of feeding cups over bottles
- Offer water regularly over the day
Mashed into a soft and lumpy consistency, similar to the texture of cottage cheese.
3-4 milk feeds per day.
8ish months
Babies develop a swallowing reflex for coarser foods.
- Fish
- A teaspoon of almond, linseed, sunflower or hazelnut meal (powder) added to mashed foods for protein and essential fats.
- Thoroughly cooked brown and white rice.
- Vegetarian proteins such as tofu and lentils
- Cheese (cheddar has low amount of lactose)
- White meat such as fine pieces of chicken or turkey
- Lumpy food
Introduce lumpy foods.
3-4 milk feeds per day.
Around 9 months
Baby starts chewing and moving food around their mouth
- Start with gluten-free cereals such as corn, millet, rice, buckwheat, tapioca and quinoa – try buckwheat and rice noodles before pasta
- Nut spreads (caution with allergies)
- Expand on cheeses (cottage etc.)
- Red meat such as lamb mince
- Finger foods – grated cheese, vegetables fruit
- Vegetables, thin slices, grated
- Peeled and seeded fruit
- Beans
- Cereals, couscous, semolina, tapioca, pasta, noodles etc.?
‘Finger foods’, grated cheese, finely chopped meat.
3 milk feeds per day.
10 months
- Eggs (cooked egg yolk is easier to digest than egg white)
- Well-cooked red meats
- Small amounts of milk, soy milk, nut milk, oat milk
- Stews, rissoles, casseroles, sandwiches, etc Scrambled egg yolk.
Finely chopped or minced meat.
3 milk feeds per day.
11-12 months
- Other legumes (kidney beans, butter beans, cooked legumes, soy beans, tofu)
- Pasteurised milk
Weaning from breast or bottle if wished at 12 months.
12 months+
- Most foods the family eats.
Whole foods except nuts.
Water is best fluid.
All the best with it
Leanne
Cadence Health
Author of ‘What do I Feed my Baby?’ and ‘Sneakys Recipes for Fussy Foodies’ books.
