When to start your baby on solid food?
Somewhere between the fourth and sixth month, you should start weaning your baby onto solid foods. Generally babies will start paying attention to food and they will stop pushing their tongue out when a spoon or bit of food is placed in their mouth. Young babies have this reflex from birth but should start to disappear around four months indicating that they are ready for solids.
Start with easy to digest foods.
Babies digestive systems are still developing and not fully able to digest all foods. It takes at least sixteen months for the carbohydrate enzymes to be fully development. Therefore foods like grains, cereals and breads can be very challenging for their little systems to digest. These should be one of the last foods to be introduced and taken slowly to ensure they are able to digest them. Start with pureed fruits and vegetables mixed with some breastmilk or formula.
Take it slowly.
As you start introducing foods to your baby you should go slowly and be observant of any reactions. Introduce one food at a time in small quantities. Stay with the one food for at least 4 days. Look out for signs of a reaction such as redness around the mouth, abdominal bloating, gas and distention, irritability, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea. If no reaction occurs move onto another food.
By 8months your baby should be able to grasp food and you can try them on textured pieces of vegetables and fruit, finely chopped meat, fish and mashed legumes and eggs.
Foods to avoid
Sweets, chocolate and overly processed foods provide no nutrients to support growth and are unnecessary in a young child’s diet. Honey and corn syrup should never be fed to infants because of the risk of botulism. To prevent choking do not give infants or young children, raw carrots, cherries, gum, candies, marshmallows, nuts, popcorn, raw celery, whole beans or whole grapes.
Contact Louise at info@beans.ie to book an appointment for assistance with weaning your baby or help overcoming issues during weaning such as digestive issues or allergies.