We are constantly told by pediatricians, dieticians, other parents, older sisters, our moms (only to name a few!) to give our babies cereal as their first solid food. I mean, when we were younger, our parents started giving us rice cereal at 2 weeks! Another spoonful to get us through the night! When we stop and look at what we are feeding our children and what their little bodies can handle we may realize that this is not the best route to take.
Infants do not produce amylase (starch-splitting) enzymes at birth and are unable to do so for quite some time. Salivary amylase is not normally present in any real quantity until about 6 months and pancreatic amylase is not produced in adequate amounts until molar teeth are fully developed. Amylase is necessary for the body to properly convert carbohydrates into sugar and for starches to be properly digested. Put simply, infants are not designed for carbs. Anything that is not properly digested is food for unfriendly bacterial growth in the intestines which can result in damage to the delicate intestinal lining. If damage occurs, extra mucus is produced for protection, hindering enzyme function and ultimately ending in mild to severe food allergies.
If we took a cue from people living in more "primitive" societies, we would be nursing our children exclusively for 1, 2 even 3 years and then moving on to solid foods that are found close in nature. So a suggestion may be to start with those foods that are closest to nature. These are the foods that human bodies are made to digest - fruits, vegetables, lean meats and legumes. No cereals, breads, crackers, or cookies. If the baby's first solid food must be cereal, it is best to start with rice or barley as these are the most easily digested. Wheat should be left until at least one year of age, although 18 - 24 months is highly recommended. This may seem far-fetched because we've been told for so long to start our little ones with cereals, but we have to remember that what we feed our children now may affect them for the rest of their lives.
