Giving your baby first eating of solid food is an important milestone. Here's what you need to know before your baby takes his first bite.

 

When Babies Start Easting First ?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children be introduced to foods other than breast milk or infant formula at about 6 months of age. Every child is different. Besides age, look for other signs that your baby is ready for solid foods. E.g:

Your child:

Sit up alone or with support.

Ability to control head and neck.

Open your mouth when serving food.

Swallow the food instead of pushing it back to the jaw.

Bring the object to your mouth.

Try to grab small objects, such as toys or food.

Move food from the front of the tongue to the back of the tongue for swallowing.

 

What Foods Should I Introduce to My Child First?

Your baby may be ready to eat solid foods, but keep in mind that your baby's first meal must be suitable for his ability to eat.

Start simple.

Start your baby with any pureed, single-ingredient food. Wait three to five days between each new food to see if your baby has a reaction, such as diarrhea, rash, or vomiting. After introducing single-ingredient foods, you can combine them to serve.

important nutrients.

Iron and zinc are important nutrients for the second half of your baby's first year. These nutrients are found in pureed meat and single-grain iron-fortified cereals. The iron in beef, chicken, and turkey helps replace iron stores, which begin to decrease around 6 months of age. Whole-grain, iron-rich baby cereals like oatmeal.

Add vegetables and fruits.

Gradually introduce single-ingredient vegetable and fruit purees with no sugar or salt.

Serve chopped finger food.

By age 8 to 10 months, most babies can handle small portions of chopped finger foods such as easy-to-feed protein-rich soft foods: tofu, cooked and mashed lentils, and fish fillets.

 

How Should I Prepare Food for My Child to Eat?

At first, it is easier for your child to eat foods that are mashed, mashed, or strained and have a very smooth texture. Your child may need some time to get used to the new food texture. Your child may cough, vomit or spit. Thicker, lumpier foods can be introduced as your baby's oral skills develop.

Be sure to watch your child while he eats. Because some foods are a potential choking hazard, prepare foods that are easily dissolved by saliva without chewing, and encourage your baby to eat slowly in small amounts at first.

Here are some tips for preparing food:

Mix cereal and mashed cooked cereal with breast milk, formula or water to make it smooth and easy for your baby to swallow.

Mash or mash vegetables, fruits, and other foods until they are smooth.

Tough fruits and vegetables, like apples and carrots, often need to be cooked for easy mashing or pureeing.

Cook food until soft enough to mash easily with a fork.

Remove all fat, skin and bones from poultry, meat and fish before cooking.

Cut cylindrical foods like hot dogs, sausage, and cheese skewers into short, thin strips instead of round pieces that can get stuck in your airways.

 

Baby Food Feeding Tips

 

Serve fruit or vegetables in any order.

There is no particular order to adjust your baby's dietary preferences, babies are born with a preference for sweets.

Only spoon-feed cereal.

Give your baby 1 to 2 teaspoons of diluted baby cereal. Add breast milk or formula to a pinch of cereal. It will be thin at first, but as your baby starts eating more solid foods, you can gradually increase the consistency by reducing the amount of liquid. Do not add cereal to the bottle, there is a choking hazard.

Check for added sugar and excess salt.

Let your baby taste the hot weather without adding sugar and too much salt, so you don't hurt your baby's gums or end up gaining too much weight.

Supervised feeding

Always provide your baby with clean and safe food and supervise your baby during feedings. Make sure the texture of the solid food you offer is suitable for your baby's feeding ability. Avoid foods that can cause choking.