Prepare this is one of the most important, exciting and apprehensive stages you will have as a mother, so it is really important to get it right.
Firstly it’s important to understand that up to six months of age, babies only need milk and nothing else - not even water. This concept has changed in the last 30 years. Researchers discovered that the digestive system of a baby is still developing during the first 4 months after birth. Also, your baby is born with a supply of vitamins, minerals and iron which starts to run out around six months of age. Another reason to start weaning your baby at 6 months is to avoid the risk of allergies.
Before I go too deeply in this subject there are three things that are REALLY IMPORTANT I would like to say:
First: The major concern about starting babies on solid food comes from the fear of them choking on food. So, it’s vital that you learn what to do if this happens because it will happen sometime.
IF YOUR BABY CHOKES lay her face down on your lap or forearm with her head lower than her chest. Support her head and give her five light slaps between her shoulders with your free hand.
Secondly: Once you start your baby on solids you shouldn’t just stop. Your baby will expect to eat the solid food once you start so it is advised that you carry on once started.
Thirdly: Milk is still the most important food for your baby’s development, so, when you start your baby on solids make sure she is having at least 500 ml of milk per day until they complete 1 year and if possible more. This is because milk contains all the nutrients she needs to grow. When I talk about milk we need to remember cow’s milk it is not suitable for babies under the age of one.
You will notes that your baby can decrease considerably the milk intake after starting solids, if that happens, try to top up their allowance with 500ml milk by adding it in her diet through dairy products like fromage frais, cheese, yoghurt, butter etc.
Make sure your baby continues to take at least 500ml of milk per day after starting solids. If not, you should ask your health visitor about vitamin supplements (if your baby has a very balanced diet and is accepting food ok then you shouldn’t do that because you can harm your baby).
You can start your baby feeding baby rice (a very popular choice) fruits or vegetables. I personally will recommend you to start with plain baby rice at lunch time. Leave in more dry consistency instead of a ‘soup’ like consistency. Give it 2 days and observe her if she gets constipated or has colic, irritable behaviour or rash. If none of these, carry on with baby rice for a week or two. It is nice if you can change the meals every 2 days given for example plain baby rice 2 days, them 4 grains baby rice for another two days, banana porridge, apple fruit baby rice and others from the same range and consistency.
Once you have introduce those, you can go for fruits such as papaya, banana, mango or avocado and others boiled in a hot water or steamed such as pear, peach, plum, figs (its better to steam because it preserves much more of the vitamins). Give the same fruit for two days and observe if there is any allergic reaction. Vegetables can also be started with the fruits or before the fruits if you prefer. The process is the same for raw fruits and vegetables which have been boiled or steamed - after preparation from raw use a hand blender and add some water or milk but don’t make it too creamy. Its ok to have lumps for these foods but make sure they’re not too big so your baby doesn’t choke. If your baby gets used to all food being like a cream mixture you will find it difficult to introduce lumps in the future.
The preferred vegetables for babies are; sweet potatoes, pumpkin, parsnip, sweet, carrots, butternut squash, courgette, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, peas, green beans and sweet corn.
Most of the baby food can be frozen in advanced in a proper container or in a silicon ice cube container, and then stored in a plastic bag in the freezer. They will not loose their nutrients if it is done in the right way.
Your baby will make some good and bad faces for different food, it doesn’t mean she dislikes the food. Before a baby tries any kind of food at least 20 times they can’t say that they like or dislike. What you can do is try it again in a week or two until you complete more than 20 times. Babies also change their taste time from time. My baby use to love banana, papaya and avocado in the first months of weaning then suddenly she stopped accepting it at all. It’s a shame because banana is very good source of potassium. Papaya helps avoid constipation and avocado has essentials oils so I kept trying. Two months later she was eating it again!
Some of those first foods may not taste nice alone, but adding baby’s milk and/or baby rice can them taste better for your baby. When you move on to stage 2 of weaning it gets more interesting because you will start to mix flavours (check on Stage 2 of weaning).
Mums often ask how many times you should feed your baby. This depends on you and your baby. I started feeding my baby once a day at lunch time in the first week 2weeks before she reached 6 months old. On the 2nd week she would have 2 meals a day and one months later 4 meals a day - mid morning, breakfast, lunch, mid afternoon tea and dinner. I did this because she is always on the go and although she was gaining weight and developing well she was tiny close to her friends (it was also one of the worst winters in Europe!). For me, it was a very good decision because she was still having her milk intake as well. Although all the others babies in her group were only having solid foods once a day, they were bigger than her. If your baby is big, developing well and still doing fine with milk, its better to start slow to avoid obesity problems in the future.
Giving baby salt and sugar:
Remember, up to 2 years old your baby should not have any sugar or salt. Eventually she will consume these when you start giving fruits and vegetables (we call good natural sugar intake) and on stage 3 of weaning when you can add a knob of butter into her food to make it more attractive. However, you should really avoid adding extra sugar or salt to her diet.
The Right Baby Food at the Right Time:
· 6 months: Food containing gluten as wheat, rye, oats, pasta, brow rice etc. well cooked eggs.
· 6-9 months: soft eggs, organic biscuits, finger food as sweet corn biscuits, all the berries fruits and kiwi etc.
· From 1 year: add very small amount of salt or sugar (there are thousands of baby recipes books teaching how to cook for baby without adding salt or sugar). Whole cow’s milk as a main drink, pate, honey.
