Child specialists advice introducing a baby to solid
food sometime when he / she is in-between four and seven months of age.
The right time for doing so may vary from one infant to another. There
are some babies who are ready to eat solid food as early as when they
are just three months old. But this is normally not suggested because
the earlier a baby starts consuming solids, its more likely that he or
she will be prone to food allergies at a later stage.
Feeding solid food to babies at the very inception is just meant to act
as an addition to their primary source of nutrition i.e. breast milk or
formula. As such, there is no real need to worry if you have started
feeding solid food to your baby little late or incase, you find that he
or she is not showing as much appetite for solid food as you would
prefer. What is more pertinent is to find out whether or not it is the
right time to give solid food items to your baby.
To know if it is the right time to feed solid food to your baby, you
have to look for signs of readiness. And this is indicated by your
baby's gone or diminished tongue thrust reflex. This natural tongue
reaction averts babies from choking on foreign substance, but
simultaneously also makes them push food out of their mouths. Another
sign is that your baby should be able to support her /his own head at
the time of being introduced to solid food, even though your baby still
cannot sit up on her /his own yet.
Your baby should also seem to be interested in food. When the baby is
ready to eat solid food, you will find him or her eyeing the stuff you
are consuming, licking lips when smelling food or reaching out for your
food. Introducing a baby to solid food at the right time is very
important because this will allow his or her digestive system to develop
properly, reducing the chance of acquiring food allergies later. At the
time of introducing baby to solid food items, many people suggest trying
out cereals first, followed by veggies and finally fruits.
Regardless of what kind of solid food item you feed your baby with, the
consistency of the solids is most important aspect you need to keep in
consideration. So when you begin with stage one of the baby food, always
remember to mix cereals to a very thin consistency. Babies will choke if
the food is too lumpy or grainy. The variety in baby solid food items
increases when a baby is between six and nine months old. Now you can
move on from pureeing to food mashing or chopping.
Maximum babies can manage a bit more texture in their food at around
seven to eight months of age, but again, this trait may vary from one
child to another. If the solid food item you are feeding your child with
is really mushy and can be easily broken down, then many babies manage
quite well with their gums alone. There are, however, some who simply
detest lumps in their food item and will definitely spit it out.
