Getting started on Solid Foods

Last week the Good Life Dietitians brought you “When to Wean and Why”. The next question you might ask is “HOW”? We give you a few pointers on getting your little one started on solid foods

What is the first step?

Start by giving your infant starch based food such as infant cereal once per day while still maintaining milk feeds for the rest of the day. Remember that a small amount is sufficient, the amount can be increased as your infant gets used to eating. 1-2 teaspoons of cereal once per day will be enough to start with and may be increased to 4 teaspoons once or twice per day

Introduce one food at a time, this way you will be in full control of what your baby takes in and will be able to detect any food that may cause adverse reactions, allergies and intolerances. This means introducing infant cereal for a week or two, depending on how quickly your infant accepts the food, then continue to next food, e.g mashed banana etc. It is generally recommended that a new food is only introduced after about 5 days, but you do not have to rush and should rather follow the comfort and ability of your baby.

Introduce the food until your baby accepts them. Remember that your infant has never eaten solids foods get used to them. After repeated attempts, without force feeding, the child is likely to accept the food. Once he/she is used to one food e.g cereal, introduce another food, such as one teaspoon vegetables in the same meal to slowly introduce the new taste.

Choose a spoon that is small, and has smooth sides like a plastic or plastic/rubber covered spoon.

Which foods should I start with?

Choose foods that are easy to digest and without any strong flavours. The texture should be thick but still soft and semi-liquid

-         Infant cereal – preferably fortified

-         Soft porridges, oats

-         Fruits

-         Vegetables

What should I avoid?

-         Strong flavours such as broccoli, cabbage. Foods which are hard to digest, these will be introduced at a later stage

What if my infant spit out the food?

It may seem that your baby is spitting out the food. This is not because they want to but because of the sucking motion that they know very well. A new feeding technique must now be learnt. Create a calm atmosphere and be prepared to be very patient. Either laughing or getting angry may bring up unwanted effects.

More feeding tips:

-         Hold a tiny spoonful of food at your baby’s lips to have a little taste. With some luck he will like what he tastes and will open up his mouth

-         Putting food on the front of the tongue will be difficult to swallow and be pushed out

-         Big spoonfuls may cause gagging reflexes

From here on your baby is no longer a starter eater. Your infant will become more confident in eating and to try out new tastes and textures. Do not be scared to try a new food- the sky is the limit.

Keep your eye on Mommy-Mondays for more information as your baby grows to be a more confident and mature eater