Baby Ready for Solid Foods? Inspired Start Wants to Help

When it comes to transitioning your little one to solid foods, there are many schools of thought for what’s best. Whether you choose to buy ready-made purées, blend your own foods at home, follow baby-led weaning, or some combination of these options, it’s no secret that introducing first foods can be filled with a lot of joy, excitement, AND plenty of questions. For years, parents were told to wait to introduce common allergens until baby was one- or two- years-old. Now, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology says allergens can be introduced early and included often, just like other solid foods.

Even with the changing advice of pediatricians and growing body of research surrounding early allergen introduction, shifting thinking hasn’t always been easy. From the beginning, the brand has sought to find the balance between sharing research without overstepping or making a parent feel like there’s one right way to introduce allergens. “We know that parenting can be a very judgemental space and certainly don’t want to contribute to that atmosphere,” Juliana Tordella, Director of Business Development shared.

Knowing that new food introduction differs from family-to-family, Inspired Start set out to talk to as many moms and dads as possible, and discovered this change in advice was causing a lot of confusion and stress. While pediatricians were starting to recommend that parents “just start introducing everything” around four to six months, there were few options for including hard-to-prep foods like peanuts, tree nuts, and even shellfish in baby’s diet (especially if those foods weren’t part of what parents were typically eating at home!).

Inspired Start was created to deliver groundbreaking infant nutrition research to parents in a familiar, accessible, and delicious way. Each recipe has been crafted based on hundreds of baby taste-tests, plus the help of some amazing allergists, pediatricians, and nutritionists.

How It Works

Inspired Start’s eight wholesome recipes (check out the tasty list below!) are based on on some of the most common food allergens:

• Apple & Peanut
• Pear & Egg
• Banana & Tree Nut
• Mango & Soy
• Apple & Wheat
• Pear & Sesame
• Banana & Shrimp
• Mango & Cod

To develop the perfect recipe, Inspired Start crafted and tested all its blends in-house. Hundreds of moms, dads, and babies weighed in for taste testing, and for any recipe to pass, it required 75 percent approval (counting baby reaching back for more as a positive indicator!). Each recipe is made with an organic fruit purée, and just a small amount of one allergenic protein per pouch.

Here’s what’s inside:

Pack 1

These recipes features peanut, eggs, tree nuts, and soy. There are two pouches of each recipe so parents can introduce each new food for a couple of days before moving on to the next, just like other solid foods!

• 2 pouches Apple & Peanut
• 2 pouches Pear & Egg
• 2 pouches Banana & Tree Nut
• 2 pouches Mango & Soy

Pack 2

These recipes feature wheat, sesame, shrimp, and cod. Just like Pack 1, there are two pouches of each recipe.

• 2 pouches Apple & Wheat
• 2 pouches Pear & Sesame
• 2 pouches Banana & Shrimp
• 2 pouches Mango & Cod

Variety Pack

This box includes one pouch of each flavorful recipe. It’s a great choice for families who have tried Packs 1 and 2, and are ready to have all the options on hand to keep these foods in baby’s diet as they continue to grow.

3 Tips to Help Baby Try New Foods

We asked Inspired Start for its top tips for encouraging baby to try unfamiliar flavors, and for all things food, nutritionist Pegah Jalali, has some great ideas.

1. Make sure baby is ready. Signs of readiness include: being able to sit (even if supported), good head control, interest in foods when parents are eating, and a decreased tongue thrust.
2. Introduce a wide variety of tastes and textures. Whether you choose to do baby-led weaning, purées, or something in between, try introducing foods and flavors that you eat yourself.
3. Try, try again. Baby’s not interested? That doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t like it! Sometimes it can cake 15 to 25 tries before baby likes a new food, so keep offering it.

As always, do what works well for you and what you’ve discussed with your pediatrician. And probably the most important piece of advice: “Pretty much whatever you’re doing, you’re doing right,” Juliana said. “We believe in empowering parents ot make their own decisions about feeding their babies without judgement. You got this!”