When it comes to starting solid food every baby is different. So there is no telling how your baby will take to this new experience. She may need a while to get used to different texture and tastes or she may tuck in straight away. Same way as you took time to learn A-Z !
Some of families swear by baby led weaning, whereas others find their baby are happier with spoon fed purees. I will explain which foods are best to give your baby over the coming weeks and months, to help her get a good start at meal times
When can I introduce weaning food to my baby?
As far as possible practice Exclusive breast feeding till 6 months complete. After 6 months ( start of 7 months) breast milk alone does not provide your baby with enough nutrients, particularly iron. For this reason your baby need other healthy foods. AVOID USING BOTTLE FROM THE BEGINNING
Waiting until 6 months ( sometimes 4 months, if baby is already of top feeds) to introduce solid foods into your baby’s diet will help minimise the risk of her developing adverse reaction to food and allergies . This is particularly important if you have a family history of allergies such as eczema, asthma or food allergies.
Once your baby is 6 months old, you can in theory give her most foods, and try new ones quite quickly. Here are some foods you may wish to begin with:
- Baby rice cereals mixed with baby’s usual milk
- Purees of vegetables such as carrot, pumpkin, potato etc.
- Puree of fruits such as ripe apple, pear or mashed banana
Purees may be easier for your baby at first. However babies can quickly learn to chew soft, lumpy food even if they have no teeth. Ensure the food is well mashed ( but not grinded in mixer). And gradually make the food a thicker consistency. Try to limit the number of sweet or cereal purees to one a day and always include vegetable puree. Do not add extra salt (more than usually used) , sugar, honey or sweeteners to your babies food.
Once your baby is happy eating with a spoon you can increase the range of foods you offer:
- Purees of lean meat or poultry
- Purees of lentils or split peas
- Purees of mixed vegetables with potatoes or rice
- Purees which include green vegetables, such as peas, cabbage, spinach or broccoli.
- Full cream milk, yoghurt, cream cheese, paneer or custard.
But remember your baby shouldn't have cow's milk (or goat's or sheep's) as her main drink until she's 9 months to a year old.
It's best to try foods that are most likely to cause a reaction one at a time . Start with a very small amount, and don't give any of them to your baby before she's six months old. Foods to introduce one at a time are:
• Cow's milk or milk products such as cheese, yoghurt, cream cheese paneer
• Fish and shell fish
• Soya beans
• Citrus fruit (including orange juice)
• Wheat, rye and barley based foods such as bread, flour, pasta, some breakfast cereals. These foods could contain gluten which may cause coeliac disease.
• Nuts, especially if your family has a history of allergies.
• Growing up milk
Baby food from seven to nine months
From now your baby's ability to join in with family meals increases enormously. Offer her a wide range of foods with different flavors to fulfill her nutritional needs. There are also fewer foods to avoid. If you are buying packaged baby food, the ranges normally go from four to seven months and upwards. In fact, there's no nutritional reason why a baby of six months can't eat jars of food labelled seven months plus.
However, you may need to mash or blend the contents more. Whenever you buy any pre-packaged food for your baby, check the labels . Choose the products that are lowest in salt and sugar
Try as best you can to offer your baby home-made food. It's best to use pre-prepared jars or packs of baby food as a stop-gap rather than for all your baby's meals.
Now's the time to introduce:
• Mashed or minced food, not purées. Be sure to include some lumps.
• A wider range of starchy foods such as khichdi , suji upma , suji kheer , sabudaana kheer , dalia , bread. Baby breadsticks, breakfast cereals, oats, in addition to cornmeal, potatoes, rice and millet are also good options. Give two to three servings a day of starchy foods.
• Cooled boiled water from a sipper with a soft spout, when she is thirsty. This is in addition to her daily breastmilk or 500-600 mls of formula. If you do choose to give fruit juice , keep it to mealtimes only.
Dilute it 1 part juice to 5 of cooled boiled water, and use a glass, beaker or
feeding cup, not a bottle . Keeping juice to meal times helps with iron absorption and reduces the risk of damage to emerging teeth .
• Citrus fruits, such as oranges and sweetlime ( mosambi ).
• Fish, lean red meat, poultry and lentils. Aim for one serving of protein-rich food a day.
• Nut butters as long as there is no family history of allergic diseases.
• Dairy products, such as paneer , yoghurt and cheese. You should wait until one year to introduce cow's milk as a drink. However, it can be used in small amounts for cooking foods like suji kheer
•Follow-on formula, if you wish.
• Finger foods such as cooked green beans or carrots, cubes of cheese, slices of banana or soft pear.
Meals from 10 months
Meals should be more adult-like now. They should be chopped or minced. You may like to follow a two to three meal a day pattern along with one or two snacks and 500-600mls of breastmilk or formula milk. At this stage
your baby should be having:
• three or four servings of starchy foods, such as khichdi , rice, dal , dalia , or potatoes, a day
• one serving of meat, fish, well-cooked eggs, or two of pulses (lentils, peas, beans) or nut butters
• one to two servings of cheese, paneer or yoghurt as well as breastmilk or formula milk.
What foods should I not give my baby if she is under a year?
• Salt. Your baby's kidneys can't cope with salt yet. It's best not to encourage a liking for it, anyway. Don't blend adult ready-meals for your baby. Ready meals contain high levels of salt.
• Honey . Even if she has a cough, your baby shouldn't have honey until she's one.
• Sugar . Try sweetening desserts with mashed banana or a purée of stewed dried fruit. Or you could use expressed breastmilk or formula milk.
• Artificial sweeteners . Diet drinks or squashes containing artificial sweeteners are not suitable for your baby. They are not nutritious and can encourage a sweet tooth .
• Whole nuts . These are a choking hazard.
• Certain fish. Some types of fish may contain traces of mercury.
• Tea or coffee. Don't be tempted to add a little tea to your baby's bottle to warm her milk. The tannin in tea may prevent her from absorbing the iron in her food properly. Any caffeinated drink is unsuitable for your baby.
• Low-fat foods. Single or double toned milk, yoghurts and reduced- fat cheeses aren't right for your baby. Always offer your baby the full-fat versions. She needs the calories.
• Foods which may carry a risk of food poisoning; such as soft mould-ripened cheeses and soft-boiled or raw eggs.
• Cow's (or goat's or sheep's) milk as a main drink under one year.
How much low fat should my baby have?
Up to the age of at least two, fat is an important source of energy for your baby, so full-fat versions of milk, cheese, paneer and yoghurt are important. When she is two, and only if she is growing well, and eats a well-balanced diet, you can gradually introduce lower-fat versions. By the time she is five years old, only about a third of her energy should be provided by fat.
How much fibre should my baby have?
Be cautious about introducing too many wholegrain foods and pulses for your baby. These tend to be bulky and can fill up a small tummy, leaving little space for other higher energy foods. So give your baby a mixture of white and wholegrain cereals and breads. If your baby regularly eats pulses and lentils as part of a vegetarian diet, make sure that she has some chapatis, rice, bread, and pasta as well.
FROM
DR. POONAM M SAMBHAJI
MBBS., DCH
CHILD AND NEWBORN SPECIALIST
(Source : http://www.babycenter.in/a546661/which-weaning-foods-to-introduce-when)