Deciding whether your baby is ready to start solid foods

An appropriate diet is one of the major factors that helps you settle your baby better, and helps in normal growth and development of the baby. A baby is fed on mother’s milk in the early months, but as the baby grows, you start to wean him/her.

Weaning is a process of introducing external food in the diet of a baby. The process is generally initiated when the baby is four to six months old. While weaning your baby, you must start with liquid sources of nutrients like fruit juices, and semi solid food like baby food.

Time To Introduce Solid Foods to your New Born Baby

However, it is important for you to recognize the right time to introduce solid food in your baby’s diet. Some of the signs that help you understand that your baby is ready to consume solid food are listed below:

• Your baby must be at least six months old to be able to consume solid food.

• Your baby must be able to sit properly, and hold his/her head up in order to be physically ready for the intake of solid food.

• Also, the thrust reflex should not be there. Thrust reflex infers to the natural push back of food out of the mouth of tiny tots. This is treated with thrust reflex lessons.

Tips for Feeding Solid Foods to your New Born Baby

Once you decide that the baby is ready to consume solid food, you must follow the instructions below to introduce solid food in the diet:

• You must mash solid food while introducing it in your baby’s diet. Mashed food is more palatable for a baby and is easily digestible.

• You must watch the baby carefully while feeding solid food. If the baby spits the food on himself/herself, it may be an indication that the baby is not ready to have solid food.

• If the baby is able to swallow the solid food, he/she is ready to eat it.
• When you start feeding your baby solid food, it is recommended that you introduce one new food item per week so that he/she gets accustomed to the new food item.

• If your baby is reluctant to consume a particular food, you must not force him/her to eat that food. If you attempt to force your baby to consume food which he/she dislikes, he/she may start disliking solid food altogether.

• You must remember that despite being fed solid food, a baby needs at least 20 ounces of milk per day till he/she is a year old. Therefore, you should feed the baby milk and milk products along with their new diet.