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Welcome back

The second week of the course is about baby food. We discover cultural differences, ways to introduce solids, and what the science tells us about it.
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KAREN CAMPBELL: Hello, and welcome back to week 2 of infant nutrition from breastfeeding to baby’s first solids. So far in this course, our focus has been on the infant’s first six months of life, where a milk-based diet promoted the healthy growth and the development needed to enable babies to sit up straight and begin the next phase of their culinary journey. This week, we make the leap from milk to mushy stuff. As we chart the fun, fantastic transition from a primarily milk-based diet to the food based diet that your child will enjoy across their lives, We’re going to look at the science around when to introduce solid foods, as well as what and how to feed them.
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We’ll look at how the introduction to solid foods may differ across different cultures and how to manage food rejections and food fuzziness. Our examination of introducing solid foods to babies in this second to six months of life will provide us with the opportunity to talk about what a healthy diet looks like for children, so we’ll also be talking about the energy and nutrient density of children’s foods and also how much salt is appropriate in there and indeed our diets. Overall, our aim for week two is to ensure that you’ll have great skills to enable you to launch into this second phase of your child’s eating, knowing that you’ll be providing the best opportunities for your child’s diet and lifetime health.

Hello and welcome to Week 2 of Infant Nutrition.

Last week, we focused on the importance of good nutrition in an infant’s diet over the first six months of life.

We discussed the importance of breast feeding: why it’s important, how to sustain it and how to promote it. We also spent some time discussing infant formula, how it differs from breast milk and how it may be used in an infant’s diet.

This week, we’ll chart a baby’s food journey from six to 12 months as they move from a primarily milk-based diet to eating solids and taking their place at the family table.

To do this, we’ll cover a range of issues we know are of interest to new parents including:

  • how much and what types of food to provide
  • different ways to introduce solid foods
  • managing food rejection
  • how to maximise a child’s future enjoyment of the wide range of foods they’ll need for good health.

Your task

Watch the video to find out more about what you’ll be learning in Week 2 as we chart a baby’s food journey from six to 12 months of age.

In the comments, share your own thoughts about introducing solid foods to babies. For example:

  • If your baby has started solids, tell us about what you’re doing and how it’s going.
  • If you haven’t experienced this stage yet, you may like to share your expectations and/or concerns about this next phase.
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Infant Nutrition: from Breastfeeding to Baby's First Solids

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