Weaning Babies
It can be very confusing for parents when it comes to weaning babies on to solid foods. Before 2003 parents were advised to wean from four months. This has now changed to six months after worldwide research showed it can actually be very detrimental to wean babies before six months. There are several reasons for this:
Your baby may stop absorbing enough nutrients from breast or bottle milk
There is an increased risk of allergies and infections
Your baby's digestive systems may not be developed enough to cope with solid food
With this new information it really would be unwise, regardless of other peoples opinions, to introduce solids before six months.
When it is time to introduce solids it is always best to start with a single food item only. Baby rice cereal is a perfect choice when commencing weaning babies. There are quite a few on the market but always look for baby food that has no added sugar or salt. There are also organic choices on the market which are very good. Always remember to start small, using only a couple of teaspoons, and ensure you mix with breast or formula milk. Start with once a day and slowly increase the servings until your baby is eating a maximum of 2 tablespoons. Make sure the consistency is thin until your baby gets used to being fed food. Always look for any signs of allergies and check for rashes or loose bowel motions.
Once your baby is easily coping with baby cereal then it is time to slowly introduce new foods. Do make sure that the food is pureed so it is easy for your baby to swallow. You want to make this an enjoyable experience for your baby and chocking and gagging won't be fun for either of you. Plain vegetables and fruits are always a good second stage food. Wait at least 3 days before introducing each new food as this will give you a chance to see if your baby has any allergic reactions to specific foods.
A good choice for vegetables is pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, carrots, turnips. Most baby's love fruit as it is sweet but do start with small servings as fruit can be full of sugars. Banana is always a great fruit to start with as it can be easily mashed as well as pear and apples. A great way to organise your baby's meals are to cook up your vegetables, puree and then place into icecube trays and popped in the freezer. This way there is alway food for your baby and it is so much more convenient than having to make a separate meal each night.
Any meat you introduce will need to be pureed and chicken is always a good introduction to meat in your baby's diet. Your baby can also be introduced to sugar free rusks and bread.
Once your baby has some teeth the easier it is to introduce less finely mashed foods. From about 8 months most babies will have some teeth though regardless of how many they should be ready for food that is not purely pureed. By this age they love finger food though bear in mind this is a very messy stage. It can be very time consuming for your baby to eat finger foods but do allow this as it helps with their hand eye coordination and and fine motor skills. Now your can look to introducing fish, pasta, rice and well cooked and ground meats. It is recommended that babies not be introduced to cow's milk until after 12 months due to the risk of allergies. There are many baby custards on the market that don't have cows milk and most baby's love the sweet taste. There are also yoghurts on the market that are made for babies over 6 months and these are a great choice for deserts. Mixed with pureed fruit they are a wonderful addition to your baby's diet.
There are certain foods that should be avoided when you start weaning babies. These include:
Any hard food that could cause chocking such as sultanas, raisins, crisp vegetables and hard fraw fruits
Any known allergy triggers like egg whites, nuts, shellfish and gluten grains.
Any processed foods that contain added sugars and high salt content. Canned foods are reknown for added salt so read the labels carefully.
Sugars, sugars and sugars. This includes cakes, lollies, juices, soft drinks and chocolates.
What you introduce to your child from a young age will determine their diet for the rest of their life. When weaning babies if you introduce fruits, vegetables and unprocessed foods you are giving your baby the best possible chance for a healthy life.
Get your Weaning Babies Aides here
