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regulates · 4
←Iron
Around 6 months, the iron a baby is born with runs out and breast milk is low in iron, so the first job of solid food is iron: heme iron from meat is well absorbed, and iron-fortified cereal counts too. Before age 1, cow's milk should not be the main milk, because it slows the absorption of non-heme iron.
About half the iron a baby needs for growth is transferred from the mother late in pregnancy, which is why a term baby's iron stores last about 6 months; babies born early or small have less. In European studies, though, iron supplements in pregnancy have not been shown to improve the baby's iron status; delaying cord clamping at birth is the step that lowers the baby's risk of iron deficiency.
Eczema is the strongest early-life risk factor for food allergy. In the dual-allergen exposure hypothesis, broken skin lets food proteins in and triggers sensitization, while eating them on time helps the immune system learn tolerance. So babies with eczema especially should not have peanut put off; they should start it early with a doctor's guidance, after a doctor's assessment if the eczema is severe.
The tastes and textures a baby practices when starting solids carry on into the toddler years. After 10 tries of the same vegetable, babies were all eating more of it; in an English cohort, children first given lumpy food after 9 months ate less fruit and vegetables at 7 and had more feeding problems, an observational finding. A review likewise lists lumpy foods introduced late and pressure to eat among the causes of picky eating.