The first years of a child’s life a thousand years ago were a struggle for survival, and the way solid foods were introduced depended on food availability, climate, and social status. Mother’s milk remained the foundation up to the age of 2–3, and the introduction of other foods often started later than today because safe alternatives were scarce.

First foods

The earliest complementary meals were porridges made from grains cooked in water or animal milk, which spoiled quickly and could cause diarrhea. In colder regions oats, barley, and millet dominated, while in warmer areas dates, lentils, and cooked legumes were common. Animal milk – cow, sheep, or goat – was often diluted with water, which increased the risk of parasitic and bacterial infections. Meat appeared much later, often not until around age 2, because it required chewing and people lacked tools to properly grind it for infants.

One of the frequent transitional foods was bread softened in water, beer, or milk. Archaeological finds from the 11th–12th centuries in Europe show cereal remains in children’s dishes. Animal fats appeared early, as they easily enriched simple porridges. Fruits and vegetables were seasonal, introduced without any awareness of nutritional value – availability, not balance, dictated the child’s diet.

Influence of culture and environment

The way diets were expanded differed according to social position. Children of the wealthy received meat and milk more often, because access to resources was greater. In peasant families grains and vegetables dominated, leading to iron and vitamin deficiencies. Analyses of children’s bones from that time show frequent anemia and growth delays. The lack of refrigeration meant meat and milk spoiled quickly, so young children’s diets were monotonous and poor in animal protein.

Typical foods for infants and toddlers 1000 years ago included:

• grain porridges (oats, barley, millet, wheat)

• goat, sheep, or cow’s milk diluted with water

• bread soaked in liquids

• overcooked legumes and root vegetables

• seasonal fruits (apples, pears, dates, figs)

• small amounts of animal fats

Health consequences

Children introduced too early to solid foods faced gastrointestinal infections, since the water used for cooking was often contaminated. Staying exclusively on mother’s milk too long also caused iron deficiency after 6 months of age. Infant mortality was extremely high – up to 200 per 1000 births – showing how ineffective nutritional practices were at that time.

Regional differences were huge: in Arab lands infants were fed crushed dates mixed with milk, in Scandinavia porridge with fish, while in Central Europe mostly overcooked grains. Despite these variations, the lack of hygiene and knowledge of micronutrients led to similar outcomes – stunted growth, bone deformities, and high disease rates.

Introducing solid foods a thousand years ago was more a survival tactic than a conscious process. Grains, animal milk, and locally available mashed foods dominated, often given either too late or too early for developmental needs. The absence of nutritional knowledge and poor hygiene meant that meals intended to strengthen children often became sources of illness. Today this seems primitive, but for a child born then, each bowl of porridge could decide between life and death.