What Parents Really Need to Know About Protein, Allergens, and Iron!

real advice for real babies like my toothless, meat-loving son, Finn

We’re back for week here on Little Mouths, Big Palates and I’m so excited to introduce you to Katie Ferraro from @babyledweanteam. She’s a registered dietitian, mom of SEVEN, and a reader of Little Mouths, Big Palates who reached out and said she’d be down to do a Q+A. And obviously, so was I.

Katie specializes in baby-led weaning and early feeding, and she’s one of the go-to voices when it comes to making solids feel less intimidating and a lot more doable. She’s especially passionate about helping parents get comfortable with protein foods and allergenic foods early on, which is exactly what we’re diving into today.

Whether you’re wondering how to serve meat with no teeth in sight (hi Finn - legit did my body forget to make his?), how to safely introduce peanut butter, or what counts as enough protein for a baby, Katie has answers!!! Welcome Katie

Gaby: Let’s start with meat. What are the safest and easiest ways to introduce meat to babies just starting solids, especially if they don’t have teeth yet? I speak for Finn as he is almost 11 months and not a tooth in sight.

Katie: Don’t stress…your body did NOT forget to make Finn’s teeth! Having teeth - or not having teeth - has no bearing on your baby’s ability to start solid foods. When it comes to meat - if your family eats animal foods - then meat is a wonderful taste and texture and nutrition opportunity. The goal is to get the meat nice and shreddable (...think pulled pork instead of pork chops) and offer it as a finger food in strips about the size of your adult pinky finger with lots of added no salt broth for additional moisture.

Gaby: What counts as a “protein food” for babies, and how much do they actually need in those early months of eating? Our pediatrician has shared that he wants Finn to have protein (in some way, shape or form) 3 times a day.

Katie: As adults we tend to obsess about protein, but when it comes to babies: protein is not a problem. If you’re offering a variety of foods, your baby is naturally going to be getting protein from solid food here and there, even if they’re not eating a lot yet. Remember: when you’re starting solid foods, most of your baby’s nutrition is still coming from infant milk (breastmilk and/or formula). And not that you need to be counting grams of protein for your baby, but the dietary reference intake (DRI) for protein for babies 7-12 months is only 11 grams, which your baby is easily getting from the combo of infant milk + the new foods they’re trying.

For more info check out Protein: How Much Protein Does My Baby Need?

Gaby: Can you walk us through how to safely serve high-risk allergenic foods like peanut, egg, and shellfish to babies? What does early and often really mean in practice?

Katie: New research and current guidelines all point to earlier introduction of potentially allergenic foods to help prevent food allergy down the road. The Top 9 allergenic foods account for about 90% of food allergy in North America, and these are the ones we want to get in early and often. Those “Top 9” foods are (in no particular order because it does not matter what order you offer them in…) peanut, egg, cow’s milk, tree nut, wheat, fish, shellfish, soy and sesame. Your baby can eat these foods when they start showing you the reliable signs of readiness to eat but you do need to offer them a number of times (it’s not a “one and done” kind of situation)...so do try to put those allergenic foods into your rotation when you start solid foods.

Gaby: What’s your take on baby-led weaning versus purees when it comes to serving meat or other protein-rich foods? We took a very combo approach to maximize nutrition but also fine motor skills. Are there benefits to doing both?

Katie: For families who eat meat, those animal foods are great sources of nutrition, taste and texture for babies. And if the idea of offering your baby soft shreddable strips of lamb during week 1 of solid foods freaks you out, by all means, definitely do some pureed meats. Keep in mind that putting anything in your baby’s mouth - including a spoon - can be a choking hazard. So if you’re pureeing meat, try to do so by offering a pre-loaded spoon. With this approach you put the pureed meat on the spoon, put the spoon in your baby’s hand and they bring the spoon to their mouth. They’re not perfect at it at first (...it will get in their hair, ear, lap, the dog’s mouth…and then one day, eventually their own mouth) but add some no-salt-broth to your meat, whiz it up in your blender or food processor and offer it to your baby off of a pre-loaded spoon for an easy introduction to whatever meat is on the menu!

Gaby: Some parents are scared of choking when offering meat or chunky textures. Are there cuts, cooking methods, or prep tips that can ease that fear?

Katie: Soft shreddable strips of meat are ideal for early eaters. I always say, “If you can shred the meat between your finger and your thumb - then it’s safe for your baby to eat with their gums.” We want to steer clear of hard pieces of solid meat like steak or pork chops as those are choking hazards for early eaters...but cuts of beef like beef brisket or beef chuck roast work great for early eaters as do pork butt or pork shoulder roasts. Your Perfect Slow Roasted Pork Carnitas recipe is a great one for baby-led weaning. Just hold off on the salt for your baby and add additional no salt broth for added moisture.

Gaby: What are your favorite nutrient-dense protein options for plant-based families or families who want to rotate in more variety beyond meat?

Katie: Don’t sleep on legumes (...dried peas and beans and lentils)! They’re packed with nutrition and are a super affordable source of plant protein. Problem is, early eaters don’t have their pincer grasp - so they can’t safely pick up and self-feed smaller pieces of food like a garbanzo bean or a black bean. But you can easily incorporate legumes like kidney beans or pinto beans into veggie burgers, patties, or fried fritters that you then cool and cut into pieces about the size of your adult pinky finger. That’s the ideal size of finger food for your baby to be able to pick up and self-feed and it’s developmentally appropriate for babies to start self-feeding finger foods as early as 6 months provided they are showing you the other reliable signs of readiness to eat.

Gaby: Is there an ideal order or schedule for introducing allergenic foods, or do you just dive in and offer one at a time?

Katie: Great question and no real schedule. Try to get those Top 9 allergenic foods in before 11 months of age - that’s when research indicates that the protective window for food allergy prevention starts to close. In my 100 First Foods Daily Meal Plan we do 1 new allergenic food every week beginning in week 1 of starting solid foods. So by week 9 - when your baby is just turning 8 months of age, you’ve already knocked out the Top 9 allergenic foods. The only timeline thing here is: try not to offer 2 new potentially allergenic foods for the first time at the same time (because if your baby had an allergic reaction to one of the food proteins, how would you know which one it was?). You do not have to wait 3-5 days between new foods…in fact, it’s perfectly safe to offer 1 new food per day (or more than 1 if you want!) just don’t do 2 new allergenic foods for the first time at the same time. Keep in mind that if your baby is going to have an allergic reaction to a new food, the vast majority of allergic reactions occur within minutes and up to no more than 2 hours following ingestion - so just keep an eye on your baby for potential allergic reactions in the 2 hour window after they eat it.

Gaby: Let’s talk iron. Why is it such a hot topic for babies, and what are some easy ways to pair iron-rich foods with vitamin C to boost absorption? Or is that really a thing we need to consider?

Katie: Iron is important, but not something you need to stress about. Basically your baby got a big dose of iron from mom at the tail end of pregnancy. Those maternal iron stores start to dip around 6 months of age - which is fine, because that’s when you also start to introduce solid - or complementary foods (that can be naturally iron containing foods). Keep in mind your baby is still getting iron from infant milk (breastmilk and/or formula) and if you can offer a mix of plant and animal protein foods, whole grains and legumes - your baby will naturally be getting enough iron. Iron-fortified baby foods aren’t required if you’re offering naturally occurring food sources of iron like whole grains, legumes and plant and animal protein foods.

For more information check out: Iron: Does My Baby Really Need to Eat 11mg Iron Per Day?

Gaby: What if my baby hates meat or protein dense foods at first? How often should we keep trying, and are there any tricks to make it more appealing or palatable?

Katie: It’s not your job to make or “get” your baby to eat any particular food. Your job is to offer a variety of foods, so I love that you’re offering fruits, vegetables, starchy foods, proteins and allergenic foods. And if your baby doesn’t eat something you offer one day or some days - no problem. It’s your baby’s job to decide how much - or even whether they eat. You don’t need to modify or alter the food to make it more appealing, you don’t need to hide it in another favorite food, you don’t need to finish off the meal with a pouch or a particular fruit so they “get enough”. Just stick to your guns by offering a variety of foods and things will balance out nutritionally over time.

Gaby: What are some realistic go-to protein meals or snack ideas for busy parents that work for both babies and older siblings or adults?

Katie: My 100 First Foods list has 20 different protein foods including 10 plant and 10 animal protein foods that babies can eat and you can easily make. One of the best things about babies is they will eat whatever you offer - whatever time of day you offer it! Babies don’t think it’s weird to see a plate of leftover lamb, zucchini and pasta for breakfast. Lean into leftovers - you don’t have to be prepping new foods from scratch every day. Babies don’t get bored and in fact, they might need to see a food 10 or 15 times before they like or accept it, so even if that first introduction doesn’t go well - keep it in the rotation because tomorrow your baby might love it!

If you want to grab a copy of my original 100 First Foods list, I give it to everybody on my free online workshop called Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners - this is the best place to get started with baby-led weaning and you can sign up for the free workshop and grab the list here.

Whew!! That was a LOT of very very valuable info that I hope you guys find helpful! Forward this to any friends who are new in their baby feeding journey that might need a little extra encouragement! xx Gaby