Between four and six months of age, your baby’s digestive system has matured and is ready for new and exciting taste adventures. Your baby is now ready to have solids introduced into its diet.
Here are a few guidelines to introducing solids to your baby…
A new experience
Remember that your baby has only had fluids up until this point which are easy to swallow and hold in the mouth. The introduction of solids brings a whole new experience to the child with different tastes, smells and textures.
You will find that your child will enjoy keeping food in his/her mouth for a while before swallowing to learn the textures of the food. Make sure that you have set enough time aside for feeding as it could take a while.
Introduce only pureed foods at first
From 4-6 months you want to only introduce pureed foods as these are less likely to cause choking and maintain that similar texture to the fluid that they are accustomed to. Start with small teaspoons of one food at a time to determine tolerance and enjoyment.
Rice and maize cereals are good introductory foods but be sure to avoid wheat to reduce risk of developing an allergy.
Bland vegetables such as squash, peas and carrots should always be introduced before fruit to avoid the development of a “sweet tooth”.
Then try a variety of foods
From six to eight months you can begin to try a variety of new foods ensuring that you are always monitoring for any allergies or reactions.
Introduce pureed meat such as chicken, pork or beef. Mash vegetables so the consistency becomes a bit thicker to what you baby is used.
Mash fruit such as pears, bananas and apples; try unsweetened yogurt but remember no cow’s milk until your baby has reached the one year mark. Again, start with one teaspoon at a time and gradually increase according to tolerance.
From there, move on to finger foods
From eight to ten months include finger foods into the diet. Small pieces of banana, potato, peas and scrambled eggs are nice options for your baby to hold and feed him/herself.
Also introduce small amounts of fish, mashed beans, lentils and soft cheeses (no cow’s milk). Don’t forget to continue with the mashed fruit and vegetables to ensure variety.
Continue to introduce one food at a time
From 10 to 12 months your baby will try and hold its’ own spoon and will no longer push food out of his/her mouth. Continue with finger foods and introduce bite size pieces of soft fruit, vegetables, toast and cheeses.
Try combination foods such as macaroni and cheese or casseroles. Continue to do one food at a time
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