Ready For Solid Foods

As a parent, we want the best for our children particularly the food intake by our children. Obviously, the child's basic need is proper nutrition. At the start of pregnancy, you eat a lot of nutritious foods such as drink a lot of milk and eat fresh fruits and vegetable in order for the baby absorb proper nutrition. When the baby comes out, either breast milk or infant formula is required. At the age between 4 and 6 months, the baby will be ready for what we called "solid foods". These can be available in the market or you can make your own using a blender.

As I remember, when my baby is almost 4 months, I almost asked my entire neighborhood if my daughter is ready for solid foods. At first, I give her cereal rice mixed with either breast milk or formula. Then I added other foods at the rate of one per week. Little by little, I added other cereals, then vegetables, fruits, and finally meats. In this way, I can easily detect if my baby has food allergies which can be present with diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, hives or a rash. Don't add ingredient foods until you make sure that the child is not allergic to any individual ingredients.

Also, I make it sure that the food has no additives or seasoning like salt, sugar or preservatives. The baby won't miss what she never had. In addition, I don't want to contribute to the development of a sweet tooth.

Make sure to move the food from the jar to a bowl. Saliva is introduced from the baby's mouth to the jar if she fed directly from the jar. Then if it is served later, the germs in the saliva will have grown into something that could make the child sick. It is better to be safe as far as child's health is concerned.

Make sure that you serve a balanced meals and snacks, using a variety of foods from the basic food groups. A child learns to eat what you prepared. You may serve a whole grain cracker and fruits for snacks, rather than cookies or sweetened drinks. What if the baby doesn't like a new food? It is just a reaction to a new experience; try again after a couple of weeks. Don't ever force a child to eat something. It is a battle you may win as a parent.