Babies are very soft, delicate and hence their early food must be easy to digest and also packed with nutrition. However, nothing compares to the goodness that is gained by a baby from breast milk. It is a must to feed the baby with it till he or she is six months old, after which solid foods can be initialed.
Importance of Breast Milk
Infants gain a lot from breast milk, the primary one being that it give them protection from various types of diseases, even something like meningitis and other types of infections. It stops allergies, enhances brain activity and also prevents the problem of Sudden Infant Death syndrome.
Starting Out On Solid Foods
Solid foods can be initiated when the baby start out on the seventh month. Some important points to note before venturing into this is, consulting the pediatrician on what is best to begin with, not overfeeding the baby and checking if the baby is allergic to any particular food before starting out on it. It is vital to cook the food thoroughly as this aid in easy digestion. Here is a look at some solid foods to try out:
- When you baby is ready to take in solid food, what you can start out with is fresh vegetable and fruits, which have been cooked to a pulp. Take a bowl of freshly cut vegetable and boil them till they are very soft. Mash them and take a small spoon first to start feeding. All fruits and vegetable must be fresh one, not refrigerated and also must be organic.
- You can try making purees of various vegetables and fruits and feed it to the baby without adding any salt or sugar. Babies will love their taste and will soon want more of them their thick texture will give them a filling stomach, good energy and vitamins as well as minerals which contribute to their health and growth.
- Boiled rice porridge is yet another very famous food for baby. Fry par boiled rice for a couple of minutes and then grind it to a powder, which must be very fine. Do the grinding process over and over again to get this consistency. Now mix it into water filled inside a bowl and then slowly stir heat the mix till it become thick like porridge. Add some milk to dilute and feel it to the baby in a spoon.
- Make oatmeal and start feeding with small amount at first till your baby is able to accept this new taste. Some babies can take to oatmeal right away while others can take time. Ensure to prepare the oatmeal mix slightly light so that the baby can take it in easily and digestion happen faster.
- At eight months, you can start out with some yoghurt, which can be mixed with purees which the baby loves to eat. It is best to give such mixes at breakfast time and this is also the stage in which you can include some mild cheeses in everyday foods.
- Around eight months is the time in which you can start out on protein in the form of meat. Try out chicken or turkey puree which brings in a lot of nutrition to the baby, one that will make way for healthy bone, teeth and muscle growth.
Some Points to Note
Though you can find so many formula foods on the shelf, still it is better to try out homemade recipes because they are fresh and can be made in such a way that babies find their flavor appealing and enjoy them more or eat more often. Make your baby sit upright on your lap and face forward, when taking solid foods for the first time. This makes it easy to swallow it and afterwards he or she gets used to taking food like this for a couple of weeks, start using a high chair.
When feeding solid food, make use of a bowl and spoon, not bottle as this can become a choking hazard. Furthermore, always talk and smile to the baby, telling him or her nice word, encouraging to take the food as this induces interest in it. Do not have the television on while feeding, as it is important that the baby be focused on eating and can look around the place while doing so, but not the television.
