What NOT to Feed Your Baby

by ModernMom, on Thu Jul 8, 2010 3:30pm PDT for http://shine.yahoo.com/

A common question asked by new mothers is what types of foods to offer and what types of foods to avoid when it comes to introducing their babies to solids. The recommended age for weaning a baby off of a breast milk or formula-only regimen is 4-6 months old, according to the American Academy of Pediatric. After that time, you should gradually introduce new foods to their system. When you do decide to take that step and introduce new foods to your baby, here are some tips about what foods to avoid until your baby’s first birthday:

Honey
Honey can harbor poisonous botulism spores. While an adult’s intestinal tract is strong enough to prevent the growth of these spores, a baby’s system is not. This can produce life-threatening, poisoning toxins.

Peanut Butter
The sticky and thick consistency of peanut butter can make it hard for an infant to swallow. Hold off on introducing peanut butter and other thick buttery spreads to your child.

Cow's Milk
It’s best to stick with breast milk until your child is a year old because babies cannot properly digest the protein in cow’s milk. Additionally, cow’s milk does not contain as many necessary nutrient as breast milk and it contains minerals that could damage his developing kidneys.

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