One of the most important components in the growth and
development of your baby is baby food. In the beginning, the question of
what to feed your baby is very simple - either breast milk or formula.
As any professional will tell you, the best form of baby milk is
mother's milk, but if for any reason this is not possible, baby formula
is available for nourishing your baby.
But as your baby gets
older, they will start to need solid food. And that is when the fun
starts. The questions that you are most likely to ask are:
- When do we start giving a baby solids?
- Which baby foods do we start with?
- What is better - baby food jars or homemade baby food?
Let's look at each of these issues and see how to give your baby a healthy start to real food.
When Do We Start With Solid Baby Foods?
As
a baby is born with an open gut, it is vitally important to only
provide a baby with solid foods when they are old enough to digest them.
Forcing a baby to eat solids too early can affect their digestion,
cause stomach problems, and even lead to allergies.
As we know,
each baby has their own personal rate of development, and some may
become ready earlier than others. These days, most medical authorities
believe that the very earliest that an infant should receive solid baby
food is four months. However, many health professionals will advise you
to wait until six months. As this is all very individual, when you want
to start giving your baby solids you should ask your healthcare
professional first if they think that your baby is ready. At any rate,
you don't start the process of complete baby weaning until the infant is
on a full diet of solids.
Signs that your baby may be ready for
solids include: never being satisfied anymore with formula or breast
milk but always wanting more, starting to wake up in the night again for
extra feeds after having gotten used to sleeping through the night,
showing an interest in the food on your plate, opening their mouth when
offered a spoon, and the ability to sit upright when supported.
Which Baby Foods to Start With
Now that you think your baby is ready for solids, you still won't be giving them their first Big Mac for quite a while!
You
must start off simple, introducing each food one by one. First foods
are usually "finger foods." Baby food should never become an issue. Let
your baby enjoy their first experiences of solids.
Although you will be
spooning the food into their mouth at first, let the baby paddle their
fingers into what's on the plate. Eventually the baby will become brave
enough to take the spoon from you and try to eat independently. Don't be
afraid of the mess. This is all part of the process of learning to eat
like a grownup as opposed to a dependent baby. Just have plenty of bibs
lying around and change the baby's clothes after a meal!
First foods include:
- mashed bananas
- pureed boiled carrots
- mashed avocado
- apple puree
Once your baby is enjoying these, you can move on to:
- Pieces of chicken. Chicken soup, made with carrots and a little bit of mashed potato is especially good.
- Small pieces of beef - but cut up well, soft, and easy to digest.
- As your baby gets older, try mashed legumes, couscous, mashed and deseeded citrus fruits.
Remember not to introduce the following to a baby until
over the age of a year, as these are either dangerous to a baby or
possible allergens if introduced too young:
- Honey
- Strawberries
- Cows milk products
- Peanuts
For some mothers, this may not work too well. For
example, if you have a full-time job and other children, you may not
have time to cook individual food and keep washing up the baby food
processor all the time. Or maybe you have to fly abroad somewhere, and
you don't have the time or the resources to make your own baby food.
In
these situations, you can always buy baby food. There is a whole range
on the market, and you are sure to find something that suits you.
As
a responsible parent, you will definitely do whatever you can to
provide the best possible baby diet, so that they will grow into a
healthy child. Good baby nutrition is the foundation of a healthy life.
For more information on baby food visit Newborn Baby. We provide information on a range of baby topics including baby feeding. Visit now to download you free Parenting book.
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