It is good practice to introduce a new food every three or four days and observe the child's reaction, whether it is liking it or showing possible "troubles" or allergies [learn more about allergies].
If a food is not appreciated, it is essential not to force its intake and try to propose it again in a different way, preferably after a few days (for example: if the boiled carrot has been proposed without success, you can try to present it in combination with another welcome vegetable or as a condiment for pasta, maybe even as a purèe).
Start integrating one meal at a time (adding food to the usual milk-meal) every three to four weeks, as long as you consolidate it with serenity.
When you start introducing foods other than milk, both for lunch and dinner, the combination of food + breast milk should be foreseen, at least for the first 4 or 5 days (e.g.: are you introducing solid food at lunch? Then this will consist of food and milk for the first week to then remain only with the administration of solid foods. The same will be done with dinner).
You could give the following foods to start with:
- seasonal fruit: apple, pear, banana, citrus fruit, plum, peach, and then also mixes. The fruit can be grated raw or crushed with a fork; alone or in combination with low-fat yoghurt..Fruit is excellent as a snack;
- vegetables: potatoes, carrots, courgettes, fennels, spinach and chards. Steam cook and then propose to mash with a fork or as a vegetable puree (use the same vegetables that were used to prepare the broth for the pasta);
- cereals: rice, millet, corn (gluten free), barley, wheat, oats, rye (with gluten), but also sorghum, buckwheat and quinoa. Cook the cereal (preferably organic and wholemeal) and blend it, to be proposed alone or together with vegetables, as an alternative to pasta
- legumes: lentils, chickpeas, peas, red adzuki aka soybeans, beans. They can be combined with cereals;
- proteins of animal origin: boiled fish, cheese (ricotta, stracchino, parmesan), white meat (lamb, rabbit, chicken, turkey and veal ) and red meat (horse, beef and veal, ham).
Just to give an indication of a "calendar":
- from 6 months to 9 months: vegetables (but tomatoes), fruit, white meat, semolina, pasta, parmesan, ricotta, stracchino, whole yoghourt;
- from 9 months to 12 months: cooked ham, red meat, fish, legumes, tomato;
- from 12 months onwards: egg (the best is raw red and cooked white), pork, cow's milk, fruit yoghourt.
These are just suggestions based on paediatrician advice. However, as long as supervisioned, your child can try different types of food, even if not in the correct “order”, adapting this weaning experience to your family diet.
"What if you don't like it"?
…try again, you will be luckier! Joke aside, the same food after some time can be appreciated, so it's good to try again but without insisting…. you can try presenting the same food with a different preparation and texture or in combination with something you like.