Fibre is one of the few areas where the adult instinct actively works against you. We are all used to the idea that more fibre is better. In the under twos it is a much finer balance.
There are no guidelines under two
There are no guidelines for fibre in the under twos, so there is no set amount that children under two should be eating.
That is not an oversight. It reflects how individual this is at that age, and it means you are working to a principle rather than a number.
Why fibre is good
We know fibre is really beneficial for a child's gut health. It feeds the good bacteria in our guts, so it is very good for microbiome health.
It is also genuinely helpful in managing constipation, which is a common issue when babies start weaning and their gut is adapting to food after having only had milk.
Why too much is a problem
Here is the part that surprises parents. We do not want children filling up on fibre rich foods, because this can fill their tummies too much and reduce their appetite for other foods.
A practical example: if your baby starts the day with a very large bowl of fibre rich cereal, you may find it has a knock-on effect for the rest of the day. They are not really wanting their lunch, and they are less likely to want their evening meal.
The risk is that fibre displaces other really important nutrients. In the first year, when iron requirements are rising sharply and every meal is doing real nutritional work, that displacement matters.
What to offer
The advice for under ones is that when you start weaning, look at offering:
- Fruits.
- Vegetables.
- Pulses, such as beans and lentils.
- Some wholegrains.
The emphasis is on some wholegrains, not wholegrains at every meal. It is all about balance.
How we handle it in the menus
This is one of the things we look at carefully across the V&Me menus. We plan in some wholegrains, but not so much that it fills children up too much and reduces their appetite for everything else.
It is worth knowing that this is a whole-menu calculation rather than a per-dish one. Fibre coming in through beans, pulses and spelt in one part of the menu means less is needed elsewhere, so the total stays in the right range across the week.
Watch the fluid
With any change in fibre, you may notice your baby's stools change quite quickly.
So if you are increasing fibre, make sure your baby is having enough fluid alongside it. Water at each meal is a sensible habit from the start of weaning.
If you are dealing with constipation
Fibre is part of the answer, but not the whole of it. Certain fruits act as natural laxatives, including kiwi, pear, plum, apple, prunes, peaches and raspberries. These contain fibre and also sorbitol, which really helps to soften stools.
Alongside that, keeping milk intake from becoming excessive matters, because excessive milk affects a baby's intake of other foods and can contribute to constipation in its own right.
Further reading
The British Dietetic Association has a fact sheet on fibre if you want more detail.
