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Introducing solids is a much talked about topic with mothers of babies as young as 3 or 4 months of age.
Some pediatricians even ask the parents to start introducing solids to their babies at this age in the hopes of improving problems such as reflux. The normal suggested age for introducing solids is 6 months of age as breastmilk / formula provide everything baby needs.
Some conditions for introducing solids are:
- Head Control. Baby needs to be able to hold their upright and steady.
- Sitting well when supported.
- Losing the “extrusion reflex.” To keep solid food in his mouth and then swallow it, your baby needs to stop using his tongue to push food out of his mouth.
- Chewing Motions. A baby’s mouth and tongue develop in sync with the digestive system.
- Excellent Weight gain. Most babies are ready to eat solids when they have doubled their birth weight and are at least 4 months old.
- Growing Appetite.
- Curiosity about what you are eating.
Image: Having Avocado for the first time and “stalking” the spoon.
After grabbing a chunk of pumpkin from my plate a few weeks ago and shoving it into her mouth I gave little miss samples of pumpkin and banana when we ate them. She would mainly only taste these samples, swirling them in her mouth and drooling them out a few seconds later.
Just turned 6 months this week and she is very much enjoying the little bits of food that comes her way, so far we have tried, pumpkin, banana, avocado and parsnip. She didn’t like the parsnip and couldn’t get enough of the avocado!
I’m really not in a rush to get started on weaning her. There are so many options, baby lead weaning, puree, don’t wean, those are just the ones I know of! So we will take it as it goes.
The last 2 weeks has seen a step into her swallowing some of the food. How do i know this? Well two things, its not coming out her mouth but in the nappies!
Some advice from a mother of three, don’t be shocked at what you see in poo! What goes in must come out. You will also notice that the consistency of nappies may change. Banana makes little black strings and beetroot will give you colorful poo! Don’t be alarmed.
It is also advised to try one food at a time (3 days apart) to see your baby’s reaction to new foods. No salt either.
Good foods to start introducing solids with include pureed sweet potatoes, squash, applesauce, bananas, peaches, and pears.
Do not drop any milk feeds, but rather use the introduction of solids as extras.
How did you start weaning? Were you nappy “surprised”?
Resources:
BabyCentre
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