Starting baby food can be a very exciting time but also a very terrifying time for a lot of parents. This is the time when you will discover your little one’s favorite foods and flavors! It is also a time where you might start to see food allergy reactions. This can be very scary, especially if you’re someone who suffers from a food allergy yourself or knows someone who does. It’s definitely nothing to mess with!
This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission (at zero cost to you). Please see my full disclosure and policy for details.
When starting your baby on foods, you need to make sure they are labeled “Stage 1.” This is the stage that is pureed very fine and easier to digest for little tummies. To start, I purchased the Gerber “My 1st Veggies” starter kit and Gerber “My 1st Fruits” starter kit. I love these because they are smaller portions for “testing” the foods and there is less food waste. Once the food is opened it should be consumed or thrown out after 48 hours. Also, I wouldn’t feed your baby directly from the container, I would transfer a few spoonfuls into a bowl and feed them that way. This prevents bacteria from forming in the leftover food. I then transfer the remaining food into these containers. I like these because they create a tight seal and I can quickly take them to go.
The Gerber “My 1st Veggies” kit contains 2 containers of carrots, 2 containers of green beans and 2 containers of sweet potatoes.
The Gerber “My 1st Fruits” kit contains 2 containers of bananas, 2 containers of pears and 2 containers of apples.
Our Pediatrician recommends trying the same food for 3 days in a row and checking for a reaction along the way. If you try multiple foods at the same time and your baby has a reaction, you won’t know which food caused the reaction. It’s important to pinpoint which foods your baby may be allergic to. My oldest daughter, who is now three, is allergic to egg whites. She would break out into a full body rash. We actually noticed this when she ate her cake on her first birthday. I then remember her breaking out again after I gave her scrambled eggs one day. We ended up going to our Pediatrician and they did a blood and skin allergy test (not fun). It came back she was allergic to egg whites only, not the yolk, but she recommended we avoid eggs all together. This is a tough allergy because eggs are in A LOT of prepared foods! At the time, I did not use a chart so I wasn’t sure what broke her out at first. Now, with my youngest daughter entering the food tasting phase, I decided to closely document knowing allergies run in the family!
I created the chart above to help document when she tries a new food in a specific category and the three day timeline needed to see if there is a reaction. If there is no reaction after the three days then it will be safe for her to consume that particular food moving forward. This will also help regarding the next phase of food, “Stage 2,” where a lot of foods are combined with one another. Such as Apple/Banana/Pear or Sweet Potato/Corn. It’s also important to know which stage your baby is in. “Stage 1” is a supported sitter; your baby can sit up but only with your help supporting them. “Stage 2” is when your baby can sit on their own.
I’ve included FREE Food Log Printables below!
Stage 1 Food Log – Printable! This includes a list of common foods found for Stage 1. These are typically foods that are served by themselves and not combined with anything else.
Stage 2 Food Log – Printable! This includes a list of common foods found for Stage 2 or combined foods. Example: If your baby has already tried apples and bananas with no problem in Stage 1, you could try Apple/Strawberry/Banana – where strawberry would be the “new” food you were testing for.
Blank Food Log – Printable! This includes a blank template for you to put the foods of your choosing into the different categories for Stage 1 or Stage 2. 🙂
Daily Food Log – Printable! This log is used to help track your babies’ daily food intake. After you have figured out which foods your baby can tolerate and likes, this is a great tool to use to help make sure your little one is getting the proper amount of fruits, vegetables, grains and protein in a day. It’s easy to continue giving them the foods they enjoy and before you know it it’s been a while since they’ve eaten a vegetable (oops)! They need each category at least 1-2 times a day once they are on a more solid food diet.
Food allergies are nothing to mess with and it’s extremely important to catch them early! I hope these Logs will help you with the continued growth and development of your precious little one! 🙂
