First Bites: What will be little Dino’s first food?

We have decided to bypass cereal and move on to other foods (like veggies, fruits, and meat). I know, I know, this sounds crazy, but hear me out. Doctors commonly recommend starting babies on cereal fortified with iron to prevent iron deficiency anemia. The problem is that babies can only absorb a small portion of the iron in cereals (about 4-10% according to kellymom.com) whereas with breast milk, although it has a smaller amount, about 50-70% of the iron can be absorbed. Also, infant cereals are primarily carbohydrates and very little protein. For a breastfed baby, they are getting plenty of carbohydrates so meat or other protein sources might be more beneficial to their diet.

Although many nutrition experts are starting to advise skipping the cereal and much research is showing that full-term, breastfed babies are rarely ever iron deficient during the first year, we still want to make sure we offer plenty of iron rich foods for Dino. Also, Vitamin C aids in the absorption of iron, so we will make sure to include foods high in Vitamin C with each meal. Wholesome baby food has a great article about iron (http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/Iron.html) that includes a list of foods high in iron as well as foods high in Vitamin C.

So what will little Dino eat as his first food? Avocado! It's full of healthy fats and a great texture for his food- which leads to the next question- how will we prepare his foods?