WEANING YOUR BABY AND FIRST FOOD
Weaning means introducing solid foods to your baby. Some people also use the term to mean changing from breast to bottle, but this is very confusing unless it is made explicit by adding the words “from breast to bottle.”
Some people say solid food should start at six weeks. Is this correct?
No. Babies aren’t developmentally ready to take solids at six weeks. Their kidneys and gut are still immature, so solid foods are not right for them nutritionally, either. There is also evidence that if solids are started too early, they can lead to a higher risk of developing food allergies. This is certainly true of a wheat allergy called coeliac disease (gluten enteropathy). Research also shows that babies weaned early may cough more and breathe noisily.
When should I begin to wean my baby?
You can start introducing solid foods when he is between four and six months of age. At first, solids will be extras to his milk feeds–they won’t make up an appreciable part of your baby’s daily intake until he has three meals a day.
Can I leave weaning my baby until he’s a year old?
Unless your doctor advised otherwise, I wouldn’t leave weaning him longer than six months, even if he were premature. If you wean too late, your baby may become deficient in valuable nutrients, such as iron, zinc and vitamins A and D, because breast milk and formula are relatively poor. Weaning too late also means you will miss a window of opportunity when your baby is developmentally ready to experiment with solids and new tastes. Finally, he needs to chew solid food to help his jaw and his speech to develop.
How will I know when my baby is ready for weaning?
Your baby is probably ready if, between the ages of four and six months, he is waking for night feeds again, still seems hungry after a feed or is gaining weight less quickly.
My baby is chewing everything. Is he ready for solids?
Not necessarily. At three months of age, all babies start putting their hands into their mouths and using their mouths to explore things. Alternatively, your baby may be chewing a lot because his gums are sore from teething. Teething can also make babies dribble a great deal.
Should I cut down on his milk when he starts eating solid food?
No. His first states of solid food are just tastes. He won’t be taking enough to count yet. Carry on with the same amount of milk feeds.
What’s the best time of day to start giving him solid food?
When it is convenient to wash him afterwards! Try to pick a time when your baby is fully awake yet not desperate for milk. Avoid early evening if he reacts badly to the food and wakes at night. You can give solids either before his breast or bottle feed, or let him have some milk first, then taste solids before returning to the rest of his milk.
Will starting weaning help him to sleep through the night?
Opinions differ, but I’d say not. The amounts of food eaten at this age are so small that solids can’t really make your baby sleep more. I think it’s a coincidence that babies start giving their parents a whole night’s uninterrupted sleep around the time they’re weaned. It’s probably just because a baby is more settled then.
Should I start giving him drinks as well as food?
When he’s eating solid foods, your baby will be more thirsty. You can give him baby fruit juice diluted with cooled, boiled water, preferably in a training beaker or cup. Only offer it to him at mealtimes when the saliva flow is greatest. Other baby drinks can be high in sugar and are unnecessary. You can give your baby plain, cooled, boiled tap water from any age. Mineral water, either still or sparkling, usually contains too much sodium and other minerals and numerous bacteria.
How should I feed my baby?
Wash your hands before preparing his food. Your baby’s food should be room temperature or lukewarm. Test the temperature by dipping in your fingers.
1. Put a little food onto the tip of a weaning spoon. Be careful not to overload the spoon, which will cause your body to splutter.
2. Offer the spoon up to your baby’s bottom lip and let him suck off the food. If he spits it onto his chin, scrape it up and offer it to him again.
3. If this fails, try offering him a small amount of food on your fingertip. Using your finger makes the experience less strange for your baby.
SUITABLE FIRST FOODS
Baby rice is a good first solid food (see the chart for other suggestions). It is bland but nourishing and unlikely to cause allergies. Mix baby rice with a little warm formula milk, breast milk, or some cooled, boiled water. Your baby should not have cow’s milk as a milk drink until he is a year old, although he can have some dairy products before then. However, you can use cow’s milk in cooking from when he is six months old.
Which foods should I avoid giving to my baby?
Avoid nut products until he is two years old; whole nuts until he is five; honey until he is a year old; hard-boiled eggs and wheat until he is six months old; and fruit with small seeds, like raspberries, until he is five months. You can mix your baby’s cereal with ordinary pasteurized cow’s milk and give him some dairy products, but remember that cow’s milk contains too little vitamin D and iron for a baby of this age. Avoid goat’s or sheep’s milk for the same reason. If any relatives suffer from allergies, such as severe asthma or eczema, delay feeding eggs, fish, wheat and cow’s milk in any form until your baby is a year old.
Why can’t I give my baby wheat before six months of age?
The gluten component of wheat can cause a permanent sensitivity to all wheat products. This condition is called coeliac disease (gluten enteropathy). Delaying the introduction of gluten until six months dramatically reduces the risk of the disease developing in a baby. Remember that rusks and teething biscuits contain wheat, so avoid them until your baby is six months old.
Should I give my baby convenience foods?
Yes, these are suitable for a baby of this age, but check the packet to ensure the sugar content is not too high. However, using convenience foods will be wasteful at this stage as he will only take small tastes, so opening jars is best deferred until he has more significant amounts of solid food. Some organic baby convenience foods are now available in supermarkets and pharmacies.
Which is better-Powdered Baby Food or Food in Jars?
Both are satisfactory. In the early stages of weaning, powdered baby foods are more economical because you can make up the amount of food you want, and the rest will keep as long as it’s dry. Mix in the milk or cooled, boiled water and remove any lumps of powder. Always read the preparation instructions carefully.
What’s the best way to cook food for my baby?
Boil, steam or bake his food. You can also prepare food in the microwave, but remember that there may be hot spots. To disperse the hot spots, let the food stand, mix it well, and leave it to cool before serving it to him. Do not fry food for him unless you use little or no oil.
How can I freeze small portions for my baby?
Use a clean ice-cube tray, some empty yoghurt pots or cottage cheese containers to freeze small portions of baby food, whichever is the most convenient for you and the size of your baby’s appetite. Always ensure you wash and dry the chosen containers thoroughly before using them as freezing containers for baby food.
His food seems tasteless. Should I add salt or sugar?
Never add anything to his food. Your baby needs bland food, not salty or all the sodium in salt. Sugar is also unnecessary unless a little is needed to counteract the acid in some fruit. So don’t be tempted to add any to his food, even if it doesn’t taste sweet enough to you.
Can I keep leftover food safety for another meal?
No. You must not keep any cereals mixed with milk or water. You should never keep any leftovers that have been in your baby’s bowl (or that have been touched by his spoon, his mouth or his fingers, or yours). You can keep the remains of a jar of food unless they have already been decanted into his bowl or you have been feeding him straight from it.
Why won’t my baby take solids?
• He could be starving and want milk rather than the taste of solid food then.
• He may not like that particular food
• You may not be offering it to him correctly—make sure that the food is at the correct temperature and check how you are offering it to him.
• He may need a lot less of it than you think.
What can I do?
• Check that the food is not too hot for him.
• Feed him some milk to take the edge off his hunger, then try giving him solids again before feeding him the rest of his milk.
• Try smaller spoons, putting them on the inside of the bottom lip only.
• Don’t worry if he refuses. Just try again later. Once he gets used to slides, he’ll be eager to eat them.
What does my baby need?
Babies need a diet that is relatively high in energy (calories), high in fat, low in fibre and low in salt. It should contain enough protein for growth and carbohydrate for energy.
What foods should I give to my vegetarian baby?
If you feed your baby no meat, poultry or fish, he must get adequate nutrients from other sources. Vitamin B12 comes mainly from animal sources, but milk and dairy products (and eggs from six months) will supply enough for your baby.
From four months :
• Pureed vegetables (potatoes, carrots, spinach, courgettes, parsnips, sweet potatoes)
• pureed fruit (cooked apple, pear, raw banana, cooked and pureed dried apricots)
• baby rice, corn, millet, sago
• NO NUTS OR EGGS.
From five months, add :
• Mashed or pureed lentils
• Widen the range of vegetables and fruit-try avocado, mango, and grapes (peeled, deseeded and halved)
• Some dairy foods, such as baby yoghurt
• NO NUTS OR EGGS.
From six months, add :
Tofu, mashed lentils and baked beans (reduced salt and sugar)
• Dairy foods, e.g. cheese
• Hard-boiled eggs (if there is no family history of allergy)
• Wheat products, eg. bread, porridge, rusks and cereals.
• NO NUTS.