The first few months of baby’s life fly by, most often in a haze of sleep deprivation, learning curves and adventure. It’s actually crazy when you get to the food stage, because suddenly your little one is on their way to getting so much bigger and more independent. It’s so much fun to see their first facial expressions as they taste the first bites of food introduced to them. Will they lick their lips in anticipation for more, or close their lips up firmly not allowing another thing in there? Sometimes, we have to be a little more creative in how we present some foods. I always found meat a challenging one to offer up, especially because I never thought it seemed very appealing either. Fruits were always so fun to make and give babies because usually they just couldn’t get enough. However, even when it’s a food you think they’ll love, each baby reacts so differently that you’re bound to be surprised with what they enjoy and what they hate.
Here’s some of the 411 on baby food. Hope it helps any of you parents out there entering this stage.
First off, one thing I noticed is that the age range of when to feed a baby differs. For each of my kids I was told a different age to begin introducing food, as well as a different food group to start with. Speak to your doctor and do your research before beginning feeding baby.
Here are some signs to look for which show that baby is ready for solids:
- Baby is able to control their head in a steady, upright position.
- Baby shows interest when they see food.
- Baby can sit well when supported. Your baby should be able to sit upright in a feeding chair so that they can swallow properly.
There are two distinct ways to introduce solid foods to baby:
1 – Pureed foods. You can make your own purees by boiling/baking foods and pureeing them or you can buy jarred or pouches of pre-made food. This method requires the caregiver to spoon feed their food. With this technique, babies will graduate from pureed foods to mashed/strained foods, to finally chunks of food.
2 – Baby led weaning. This method introduces foods in large chunks, where babies feed themself from the beginning.
There is no right choice, both choices have pros and cons. You can read up on both types of feeding before deciding what’s best for your family.
Things to know about introducing solid foods:
- You should introduce one new food to a baby at a time. Introduce the same food two to four days in a row to be certain this food doesn’t give baby an allergic reaction. Watch for signs of constipation and gas.
- Allergic reactions can show up in the form of a rash, diarrhea or vomiting, at which case you should contact your doctor or pediatrician immediately and stop feeding baby that food immediately. If the allergy is severe or anaphylaxis baby may show signs of wheezing, difficulty breathing or facial swelling, (babycenter.com). You should call 911 immediately for help.
- It may take baby a few attempts at a food before they enjoy it. You can try again in a week. Sometimes the foods you’re most excited to have them try out are a miss, that could change in time.
- Morning is the best time to introduce a new food. This is usually when baby is happiest and most hungry, this gives you the whole day to watch for signs of discomfort in your baby.
- Babies prefer food lukewarm, not too hot, and not too cold.
- If introducing purees, try introducing smooth consistency foods at the start.
- Watch for a reaction, did they love it, are they looking for more, did they swallow it or push it out? Talk to baby about how well they are doing trying a new food. Congratulate them on this new skill they are learning.
- Watch for a signal, wait until they are looking at you and open their mouth ready for more before you put more food in their mouth.
Enjoy this stage with your babies, I remember the excitement of starting this exciting milestone with my kiddos. Each one reacted differently, I can still remember the foods they loved and hated.
