Health of infants and young children

Solid foods: how your child starts eating them

Solid foods are a great step for a child. Find out when and how to switch from breast milk or formula to solid foods.

Giving your child the first solid taste of food is a major milestone. Here's what you need to know before your child savors his first bite.

Is your baby ready to eat solid foods?
Breast milk or formula milk is the only food your baby needs. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months after birth.

However, by the age of 4 months to 6 months, most infants are ready to start eating solid foods as a supplement to breastfeeding or breastfeeding. During this period, infants usually stop using their tongues to push food out of their mouths, and the development of the consistency movement begins to move solid food from the front of the mouth to the back for swallowing.

In addition to age, look for other signs that your child is ready to eat solid foods. For example:

1. Can your child raise his head upright and steady?
2. Can your child sit in support of him?
3. Does your baby put his hand or toys in his mouth?
4. Does your child demonstrate a desire for food by leaning forward and opening his mouth?

If you answered yes to these questions and got your doctor’s approval, you can supplement your child’s fluid-based diet.

What foods will you serve and when?

Continue to feed your baby with breast milk or a formula - up to 32 ounces per day. Then:

• Start gradually. Serve single-grain cereals that do not contain sugar or salt. Wait three to five days between each new food to see if your child reacts to this food, such as diarrhea, rash, or vomiting. After serving foods that consist of one item, you can serve them in a group.
• Important nutrients. Iron and zinc are important nutrients in the second half of your baby's first year. These nutrients are found in mashed meat and in lactation meals that consist of one type of iron-rich cereal.
• The basics of cereal food for infants. Mix 1 tablespoon of one type of iron-rich infant cereal with four tablespoons (60 milliliters) of breast milk or formula. Do not serve it from the bottle. Instead, help your child sit upright and feed him pills with a teaspoon once or twice a day after a breastfeeding or breastfeeding meal. Start with a teaspoon or two teaspoons. Once the child has enjoyed the taste of easy-to-swallow pills, mix them with less liquid and gradually increase the amount provided. Serve many types of infant meals consisting of one type of cereal such as rice, oatmeal or barley. Avoid feeding your child rice cereals only for possible arsenic exposure.
• Add vegetables and fruits. Gradually introduce mashed vegetables with one ingredient and fruits that do not contain sugar or salt. Wait three to five days between each new food.
• Serve smoothly cut fingers. Most children from 8 months to 10 months can handle small portions of finely chopped food in the form of fingers, such as fine fruits, vegetables, pasta, cheese, well-cooked meat, baby crackers, and dry cereals.

What if my baby refuses to breastfeed the first time?

Children often reject their first meals of pureed food, because the taste and texture are new to them. Do not force your infant to refuse it. Try again in a week. If the problem persists, speak to your child's doctor to ensure that abstaining from food is not a sign of a problem.

What about food allergy?

Delayed introduction of highly sensitive foods, such as peanuts, eggs, and fish, has not been shown to prevent eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food allergies. In fact, early serving of certain foods, such as peanuts and eggs, may reduce the risk of allergies to this food.

However, in the event of relatives suffering from food allergy, it is preferable for the child to eat the first food that causes a significant sensitivity at home rather than in the restaurant, while providing an anti-allergy medication taken orally. If there is no reaction, food can be served in incremental quantities.

Are juices useful?

• Do not serve juice to your infant son until he has completed his first year. Juices are not an important part of a child's diet, nor are they of nutritional value like whole fruit. Too much juice can contribute to weight problems and diarrhea. In addition, drinking juice throughout the day can lead to tooth decay.
• If you are giving juice to your baby, make sure it is made with 100% fruit and only 4 ounces a day.

Learn about the prohibitions

Some foods are not suitable for babies. The following guidelines should be observed:

Do not provide beef or honey until one year is complete. Cow's milk does not meet an infant's nutritional needs as it is not a good source of iron; thus it can increase the risk of iron deficiency. Honey may contain spores that may cause a serious disease called inactive poisoning in infants.
Do not serve foods that may suffocate your child. While your child is progressing on solid foods, do not give him sausages or large portions of cuts of meat, cheese, grapes, raw vegetables or cut fruits unless you cut them into small pieces. In addition, do not offer harsh foods such as grains, nuts, popcorn and hard candy, whose condition cannot be changed to make safe choices. Other high-risk foods include peanut butter and marshmallow. Methods of serving nuts and avoiding suffocation include painting a thin layer of peanut butter, peanut butter pureed, or a peanut mixture with fruits or vegetables.
Bring baby food at home
Another reason to avoid giving the baby solid food before 4 months is the risk associated with certain types of food prepared at home. A child under 4 months of age should not eat spinach, beetroot, carrots, green beans, and squash prepared at home. These foods may include too much nitrate to cause a blood disorder called methemoglobinemia.

Make meals easily

During lactation, talk to your baby and help him during this process. To make your meal enjoyable:

• Stay in a seated position. Once your baby is able to sit comfortably without your help, use a highchair with a wide, stable base. Attach safety belts.
• Encourage the child to explore. Baby is likely to play with food. Make sure the foods with your fingers are smooth, easy to swallow, and divided into small pieces.
• Insert the pots. Give your baby a spoon to hold while feeding with another spoon. When your baby's skill improves, encourage him to use the spoon.
• Serve a cup. You can feed your baby with breast milk or formula milk in a cup when eating food, to help pave the way to weaning from the baby's pajamas. Your baby may drink the cup himself, around the age of 9 months.
• Serve individual meals in dishes. So, if the child is fed directly from the package or container, the saliva on the spoon may spoil the leftovers quickly. Instead, serve a meal on a plate. Open baby food packages can be safely placed in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
• Avoid forcing. If your child does not want a new type of food, do not force him to eat it. Try it again later. Repeating food supplies can help create a varied diet for your baby.
• Know when to stop. When your baby has enough food, he can cry or get away. Do not force him to eat additional food. As long as your baby grows naturally, be sure that he is getting enough food. Also, do not try to get your baby to feed as much as possible at bedtime to make him sleep all night. There is no evidence for this.

Enjoy all the clutter your baby has, such as dirty tray and sticky hands and face. You lay a life-long foundation for healthy eating.