Diversification booklet
Our mission: to bring flavor back to baby's plate!
Our little finger tells us that your baby is ready to start solid foods. It’s time to embark on a journey of taste! Bib around their neck, spoon in hand and mouth open: they’re just waiting for you to help them discover new flavors!
At Good Goût, we thought you might need
a little help.
So we’ve prepared just for you:
• 1 guide on solid foods and milk
• 1 checklist to help you with the order in which to introduce foods
• 4 illustrated cards to help you remember which seasonal fruits and vegetables your baby has already tried, liked, or disliked
• 1 meal plan to help structure your daily routine with balanced meals for babies aged 4 to 12 months
Introducing Solids: A Guide
The time has come for your baby to embark on a journey of taste! A whole new world of diverse flavors and textures awaits them. But where to begin to awaken their taste buds without overwhelming them and instill a love of food? Don't worry, Good Goût tells you EVERYTHING about this key milestone in your little one's life!
Why is developing a sense of taste really important?
First of all, it is important to bear in mind that taste is one of the few senses that can evolve throughout life. This is clear proof that it is the result of learning. In addition, taste involves all the other senses: it is said to awaken them. It is not all about what happens in the baby's mouth. Taste is indeed the sum of the perception of flavors by the tongue, but also of smells by the nose! Without this, we would not be able to distinguish the "taste" of an apple from the "taste" of an onion. And the other senses are also involved: we look at what we eat and we can touch the different textures.¹
Because "we are what we eat", learning about taste is truly fundamental in shaping your baby's palate. It is during the introduction of solid foods that food preferences are formed. According to a study, if the baby is exposed to a wide variety of foods when starting solid foods, they are 3 to 4 times more likely to like new vegetables offered to them at age 6 and will eat 1.5 times more familiar vegetables than a child who has been less exposed².
It is therefore up to you, as parents, to guide them in their discoveries and educate their little taste buds.
When does the awakening of taste begin?
The awakening of taste begins in the mother's womb during pregnancy. Complementary feeding is then a new phase in the baby's awakening of taste. It begins between 4 and 6 months of your baby's age and will last until they are 1 year old. Then, your baby will have a specific diet until they are 3 years old.³
Objective : to help them develop a rich and varied food repertoire.
Step-by-step dietary diversification
Food diversification is gradual. So you’ll need to take it step by step! Gradually introduce an increasing number of ingredients, as well as different textures, ranging from smooth purées to lumpy ones. Here we go!
Between 4 and 6 months: exploring new tastes
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for up to 6 months and continuing breastfeeding for at least up to 2 years of age alongside complementary feeding.⁴ But little by little, you will be able to introduce them to other tastes. And for that, it couldn't be simpler: all food groups can be offered from 4 months of age, pureed and smooth. In fact, in 2021, Santé Publique France issued new recommendations that make our lives as parents much easier: there is no longer a specific order! The most important thing is to start introducing foods one by one, without mixing them. This way, your little one discovers the real taste of each food and, from a medical point of view, it will allow you to easily identify if they are allergic to any of them. In the event of allergies in the family, please consult a doctor before starting. When everything is going well, you can then mix them and even season them with spices and herbs to give them even more
flavor⁵!
To help you keep track of which foods your baby has already tasted and liked (or not!), we have prepared some pretty printable cards at the end of this guide :)
When preparing tasty meals for your baby, don’t forget to add fats, which are important for their health! The fattiest food you give them (perhaps without realizing it!) is breast milk or infant formula when the mother cannot or chooses not to breastfeed. But when it comes to introducing solid foods, it is time to let them discover new sources of fat: a knob of butter or a teaspoon of rapeseed, walnut or olive oil in their meal—you can vary⁵!
As you may have noticed, the term “introducing solid foods” includes the word “diversity”! This is the time to explore the variety of foods available for your baby (and the whole family too), even those you don’t like! The more different foods you offer your baby, the more likely they are to accept them. To make acceptance easier, you can also start with the sweetest vegetables (carrots, peas, sweet potatoes), because your baby, accustomed to the taste of breast milk or infant formula,
has a natural liking for sweet flavours. We cannot promise that it will be easy every day: for some foods, you will probably have to try up to 10 times! But your patience will be rewarded the day you see your baby become a discerning foodie⁵.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: BREAST MILK IS THE IDEAL AND NATURAL FOOD FOR INFANTS
There are still a few rules to follow to safely diversify your baby’s diet⁵:
• Always serve smooth purees and fruit pouches to reduce the risk of choking. To achieve this
texture, vegetables such as green beans or spinach are mixed with a little potato.
• From a spoonful to a full baby bowl, offer without forcing! Your baby knows how to regulate their appetite perfectly at this age, so you can let them decide (only when it comes to appetite, not for anything else!).
• Allergens can be introduced from 4 months, as long as nuts are finely powdered and mixed into puree (always to avoid choking hazards).
• Gluten can be introduced from 4 months on in limited quantities.
• Some foods should not be given before a certain age due to infection risks (honey, raw fish and meat...).
• Dairy products (yoghurts and cheeses) can be given , but be careful: they must be pasteurised
and should complement, not replace, breast milk or infant formula when the mother cannot or does not wish to breastfeed. Seek advice from a healthcare professional.
Between 6 and 12 months: adventure is adventure!
At 6 months, breast milk or infant formula, when the mother cannot or does not wish to breastfeed, remain the preferred choice for your little one, and you can now see that they are able to:
• Swallow smooth and thick purées without any problems
• Keep their head and back straight in their chair
• Make chewing motions when they hold
something in their mouth
• Hold a piece of food and bring it to their mouth.
This means the big moment to introduce new textures has arrived⁵! And you have a wide range of options! From 8 months, you can offer mashed, puréed, or mixed textures, sticky textures, and small soft pieces. Your little one will enjoy picking them up with their fingers from their plate (and also sometimes throwing them on the floor, but shhh!). Firmer textures such as raw fruit, raw vegetables, bread, and biscuits come later, at 12 months, but you can still offer some of them as a mash from 8 months. Finally, to give small, hard, and round foods (such as peanuts), you will need to wait until your baby reaches the big age of 5 years⁵.
Introducing pieces can be a little scary, but rest assured: by going gradually and following this order, everything will go well. On the contrary, some studies have shown that delaying the introduction of pieces can be associated with a rejection of pieces and a refusal of fruit and vegetables at the age of 7 years⁶. So when the time comes, it's time!
After 12 months: a meal almost like a grown-up!
Even though your baby is growing up in the blink of an eye and knows what they want, they still have their own little habits at mealtimes. Breast milk or, if you do not wish to or cannot breastfeed, growing-up milk remains a safe bet. The French Society of Pediatrics recommends using it as a dairy source until the age of 3⁷!
For the rest of the meals, it is best to opt for balanced and varied menus in appropriate quantities. And that goes for snacks too! Why not put a fruit pouch and a smoothie in their bag, for example?
As for biscuits, you can treat them as long as they are neither too fatty nor too sweet and are given in limited quantities⁵.
Psst! All our baby products comply with the very strict regulations for food for children under 3 years old, which provide all the guarantees of safety and nutritional quality for toddlers!
That's it, you're ready to embark on the great adventure of Taste with your baby! And to top it all off, we
have created some lovely cards for you to print out, with the quantities to give and menu ideas! Who do we say thank you to?
Why choose organic food?
Santé Publique France recommends choosing organic foods for your baby, especially fruits and vegetables, starchy foods, and dried legumes. The reason? They contain far fewer pesticides⁸, which are suspected of having a negative effect on babies' development and on fertility⁹. From a nutritional point of view, they are also very appealing because they are richer in vitamin C and antioxidants¹⁰. In addition to organic, the authorities recommend choosing local products (for your baby but also for the planet!). Whether homemade or ready-made in small dishes, remember to buy French and seasonal fruits and vegetables.
No question of swallowing just anything!
And what about the milk in all this?
Important notice : at Good Goût, we encourage breastfeeding for at least 6 months for your little ones... And that’s also what the WHO recommends! Indeed, breast milk is the ideal food to meet babies’ specific needs. For any questions, advice, or personalized guidance, consult your pediatrician!
We’re talking about carrots and peas, but... milk still has its place in your little one’s diet. When starting solids, smooth pureed foods are gradually introduced as a supplement to breastfeeding or infant formula, when mothers cannot or choose not to breastfeed. Over time, your baby’s diet will become increasingly varied, while continuing to provide a daily dairy supply that can be provided by breast milk or follow-on formula (second stage), then growing-up milk (third stage), and dairy products¹¹ (dairy or cheese).
Because milk truly holds a special place in the lives of young children , we have decided to offer mothers who cannot or choose not to breastfeed Good Goût-style infant formula: ORGANIC (always) and made in France with organic milk* collected from French farms! With this short supply chain, it also means less transport, leaving a greener planet for our babies. We partnered with experts in infant nutrition to develop an infant formula with DHA¹² (docosahexaenoic acid). No palm oil, but we have added organic milk cream for a win-win result for babies: a good milk taste thanks to an ingredient that is also French (cocorico!). A recipe without maltodextrin, opting instead for lactose as the only source of carbohydrates, an ingredient also found in breast milk.
¹¹Does not replace a feed or a bottle of infant formula - ¹²In accordance with follow-on formula regulations
tips
• Never force it if they don’t like it; offer it again later. Sometimes you need to introduce a food up to 10 times before it is accepted
• Use fun, colorful plates and spoons to turn mealtime into a game
• Focus on the quality and variety of foods
• Have your little one eat at the table at the same time as the rest of the family
• Create a conducive atmosphere for tasting. Try the food with them, put words to their sensations
• Get your baby in touch with vegetables: play with textures, cut vegetables into fun shapes, all creative ideas are welcome
• And all this, without screens ! Your baby (and you) is less distracted and can fully enjoy the meal