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April 2008 in London, UK. Ryan and Joshua are now approaching the age to start eating more than milk:roll: I was at that time, known for my cooking skills with family and friends who loved their food spicy, spicy and spicy:) I knew nothing about baby food. However, as Ryan and Joshua were premature, I was told nutrition is very important in the first two years of their lives as the brain doubles in size....since being born at such a low birth weights of 2 and 3 lbs, their future development was still very uncertain. Already a paranoid mother who now started researching on what to start feeding premature twin who were not yet able to hold their heads up.

My search for answers led me to books by Gina Ford and Annabel Karmel. I loved the pictures and the simple instructions along with nutritional information on every food item in Annabel's books and Gina's recommendations were in line if you were already having a structured routine with your baby. Ryan and Joshua were not in exact routines given by any author and neither had specific advice for premature babies. 

Solids are normally introduced between 4-6 months. With premature babies in the United Kingdom, the age to introduce solids was based on 'actual' age as opposed to 'corrected age'. This meant to me Ryan and Joshua had to start on solids at 6 months of actual age when they would be in fact 4 months:( I also found out if solids are introduced too early and too soon, it can lead to the development of allergies as in some babies, the digestive tract would not have been fully developed. Also, MILK gives all the nutrition a baby needs in the first year of their lives and solids are meant to be to develop their taste, get to know different textures etc as opposed to meet their full nutritional needs.

What are the least allergenic foods to start with? Would that also be highly nutritious and calorie dense as that is what I looked for when trying to make a decision on the first item:) 

Olaf and myself decided on 'baby rice' (infant cereal) which is prepared mixed with either breast milk or formula. We knew it was hardly nutritious dense, but it appeared like the least risky item to start with as most people I enquired with at the time, started with baby rice too. Ofcourse, then I tried to find the best organic baby rice available and ordered it in advance. I also ordered a food processor and ice cubes.

It was Ryan whom decided to have the first spoonful of his baby rice - holding him and feeding him with a small plastic spoon.

Why is baby rice so commonly introduced as baby's first food?

Well, there are several reasons - the main one being that it is the first food most frequently recommended to parents by pediatricians and medical professionals.

There is also an element of tradition - after all, it was the first food that many of US received as babies and offering baby rice has become established and widely accepted as the 'norm' when transitioning infants to solids.

So WHY has infant rice cereal always been considered the best first food for baby?

It is relatively bland in taste - some experts say that this makes it more acceptable to babies because - when mixed with breast milk or formula - it tastes familiar to them.

You can mix it to a fairly thin texture, which is believed to be ideal for babies making the transition from an all-liquid diet to a more solid one.

It provides necessary iron - most baby rice is iron-fortified to boost babies' levels of this essential dietary element at a time when they become depleted (around 6 months of age).

-It is believed to be relatively non-allergenic, making it a safer option as a first food.

-It is said to be very easily digested.

-It is believed - by some - to help babies sleep through the night by keeping their tummies full for longer.

-It is gluten free, meaning that it can be given to babies under 6 months of age (please see this page for more information about gluten).

Read more: http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/best-first-food-for-baby.html#ixzz1Hvhfk54w

http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/best-first-food-for-baby.html

We carried on trying baby rice with the babies for around 2 weeks  Talk about being cautious, right? Ok, so what next? Find out in the next blog entry!!! Thanks so much for reading. Would love to hear any feed back:)