I have a bit of time before I need to deal with this issue, but it's something that I've been thinking about lately...

Our daughter is due in September and although I intend to breastfeed for as long as possible, I'm wondering how to start an infant on solids that aren't entirely starchy... Most baby food is peas, potatoes, noodles, etc. so I'd probably have to make my own baby food right?? But how?? And at what age??

Any input would be fantastic! Thanks!!

Hi Tink!

I honestly don't think it's necessary to severely restrict carbs in young children especially. I'd avoid products with added sugars and corn syrup and hydrogenated fats in them and stick with fresh veggies, fruits and whole grains as well as meats and cheeses (be careful with the cheese, it's constipating!). Avoid juice or if you do use it, keep it limited to a few ounces a day. If you can get your child to drink water, all the better.
A good friend who had children well before I did suggested (wisely, I might add) to start my kids on veggies before I introduced fruits and to start them on the green veggies before the yellows. If you introduce the fruits first, you may have a hard time getting your child to accept the veggies because they have already developed a taste for sweetness. It worked great for both of my daughters...they love their veggies! You can get green beans in baby food, but a lot of moms I know swear by making their own. You'd need a food processor to puree it to the right consistency along with adding a little water or milk. I'll warn you, though...it is a lot of work. The first foods introduced are cereals, which isn't a bad thing...baby's digestion can't handle much more than that when solids are first introduced. I wouldn't worry about restricting too much until your child is ready for solid table food (usually after 12-15 months). Starchy foods aren't necessarily bad for children...it's the sugars and corn syrups that cause a problem.
I also introduced both of my daughters to yogurt when the doctor okayed them to have dairy (about 6 months old) and they still love it to this day (they're now almost 8 and 9).
You definitely don't want to put your baby on diet. If you avoid the added sugars, corn syrups and hydrogenated fats, you will have already started your daughter well on the way to healthy eating habits.

Hello Tink,

I made all my sons food, I couldn't stand the way the canned food tasted. I would steam the vegetable of the week and puree them, skins and all, in the attachment to my handheld blender. (like a mini food processor) Then portion out in an ice cube tray to freeze. I only made something once or twice a week and rotated foods in and out. I know someone who has a small baby food grinder and its seems to work okay too. The money you will save on food, not to mention all those little jars, should justify the special equipment. Plus I find the hand mixer useful all the time.
Good luck with your birth.
Rosie

PS I am nursing a 4 month old, if you have any thing you want to talk about visit my journal.

I wanted to let you know of a pregnancy/nursing LC support group I found through this site. Can't remember where. But it is- www.PregnantAtkids~yahoogroups.com
lots of input on LCing
Rosie

I would definitely make your own baby food, even if I wasn't low carb. Commercial baby foods are loaded with hidden fillers and are overprocessed. They're certainly not a very good start in life and you might have difficulties getting your child to accept real food when he's older.

I have two children and their first foods were generally mashed avocado, pureed brown rice, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, green beans, carrots, bananas, pears, and apples. I didn't find it to be any extra work - I'd just steam the veggies, blend them to desired consistency, and freeze the puree in ice cube trays. You'll be shocked when you realize how much water is necessary to make a puree. I can't *believe* how much they charge for baby food. I bought primarily organic foods for my babies and it was still cheaper than buying the processed stuff.

When I started looking at the nutritional content of foods, I realized that rice and other grains don't provide much nutrition to the baby. The fiber is good for them, but most parents feed their children white rice cereal which has negligible fiber. For fiber, I made them porridge with ground whole grains - brown rice, whole oats, etc. Even though I was vehemently against low-carb diets at the time, I didn't want my children to eat foods just to fill up their bellies when they could be eating highly nutritious foods instead, so the grains were a supplement to 1-2 meals a day. The rest of the time, they consumed veggies and fruits (and breastmilk!).

Since they never started on the sweet and processed stuff, neither really developed a taste for it. To this day, they prefer whole grain pancakes (I add soy flour and brown rice protein powder to my flour blend) and baked goods to those made with white flour. I took them to the States to visit my mother and when confronted with white fluffy pancakes, they turned up their noses in disgust! My son kept complaining the they were too sweet to eat.

My son is sensitive to carbs like I am, and it's been easy to change the carbrotein ratio in his diet since he's always been eating whole grains. My daughter just eats whatever everyone else eats and I've had no complaints.

Good luck!