Feeding baby solid food is an exciting new experience for you and your infant. Most babies begin eating solid food when they are between 4 and 6 months. How can you be sure your baby is ready to start trying mashed bananas? How do you introduce solids, and how often will babies eat them?
Your baby will continue consuming breast milk or formula until she is 1. You can start feeding baby solid food, along with breast milk or formula, when she:
* Can hold her head in an upright, steady position.
* Loses the extrusion reflex, a reaction that pushes food out of her mouth with her tongue. She must be able to swallow solid food.
* Sits well supported. Even if a highchair is too big for her, she should be capable of sitting upright in order to be able to swallow well.
* Masters chewing motions. Her tongue and mouth develop together with the digestive system. She should be able to get food to the back of her mouth and then swallow it. She may drool less as she becomes efficient at swallowing.
* Gains a significant amount of weight. Babies who have doubled their birth, or weigh around 15 pounds, and are a minimum of 4 months old are ready for solids.
* Has a growing appetite. She's hungry even after a day of 8 to 10 formula or breast milk feedings.
* Is curious about your food. You might find her checking out your pasta or reaching for scoop of mashed potatoes.
When you start feeding baby solid food, you should start with rice cereal, known to be less allergenic than other things. Feed your baby formula or breast milk first, and then give her a couple teaspoons of cereal mixed with breast milk, formula or water. The cereal will nearly be like a liquid. Put a small portion of cereal on a rubber-tipped spoon, and place it on the tip of her lips.
If you baby has no interest in eating from the spoon, do not force it on her or resort to putting the food in a bottle. Force feeding only makes for aggravation, and food in a bottle may delay the process of understanding that food should be eaten from a spoon while sitting up.
Feeding baby solid food once every day is enough. Although she probably won't eat much at first, your baby will eat more as she practices chewing and swallowing. After she grows accustomed to her new diet, give her a few tablespoons of cereal per day, and gradually thicken it.
Additional solids should be introduced once at a time, and you should wait a few days to see if your baby experiences an allergic reaction to food. Reactions may include increased gas, diarrhea, rash or a bloated tummy.
Transition foods in the following order: cereals, mashed fruits and vegetables and then, finely chopped table foods. Mashed and chopped foods can be purchased at the grocery store or prepared at home. Either types of food, store-bought or homemade, will give your baby the experience she needs to learn to eat solids. Avoid any foods that might be a choking hazard for a small infant.
If your baby turns her nose up to a particular food, reintroduce the same food a week later. Babies change their minds, just as adults do.
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