Each of you has done something wonderful for your baby by feeding them breast milk. Research has shown babies who are breastfed tend to be sick less often, have higher cognitive abilities as they grow up, lower rates of allergies, and a lower risk for obesity. As your baby nears the age of 6 months, new choices need to be made about introducing solid foods into your baby's diet - especially as there are so many choices available. To help, we have put together some answers to commonly asked questions about this new adventure for your baby. We always recommend you discuss specific questions related to your baby's health with your baby's pediatrician so that he or she can tailor the answer specifically for you.
Q: What should I expect when we start?
A: Keep in mind that this is a very new experience for your baby, especially right at first. We do recommend that even from the beginning you establish good eating habits for your baby, like sitting up and eating from a spoon instead of adding cereal to a bottle. Also try not to rush your baby as she eats. Let her explore and engage in the experience. Don't force her to eat anything and watch for her to signal that she doesn't want any more.
Introduce foods after your baby has breastfed or taken a bottle (remember that milk is still the primary food for your baby during her first year of life) and when she's not too tired or cranky. You can allow the baby to explore a first food off of your finger, too, since that might be a little less foreign than adding a spoon into the mix.
At first, start off with foods that are almost liquids. You can add breastmilk or formula to achieve the desired consistency. Your baby will likely push it around with her tongue when you first introduce her to foods, in part because she's playing with both the new taste and texture. As she masters swallowing, you can begin to thicken up whatever it is she's eating.
When you introduce a new food, always wait at least four days before introducing another one so that you can watch for any sign of an allergic reaction. Regarding allergies, high allergen or risk foods such as peanut butter, wheat, soy, eggs, fish, and dairy do need to be introduced MUCH later. Consult your pediatrician on when such things can be added to your baby's diet.
Q: When should I start my baby on solid foods?
A: Remember that if you're eating a healthy diet and taking your prenatal vitamins, your breast milk will contain everything your baby needs until 6 months of age, so solids aren't necessary until then. In fact, the American Pediatric Association still recommends that solid foods be held off until your baby is 6 months old. This is particularly true if there is a history of allergies that run in your family. What you're watching for in your baby is for him to develop the ability to maintain head control and lose his tongue thrust. When babies are younger, that tongue thrust helps prevent them from swallowing something accidentally and choking. Once its gone, your baby is showing he is mature enough to swallow on his own.
Q: What if my baby doesn't like a food?
A: Most researchers don't think babies develop either an immediate love or dislike for a food the first time they eat it, so if your baby rejects a certain food, move on and come back to it later. If your baby seems to choke or have problems either keeping food in his mouth or swallowing, consider waiting until he's a little older to try again or think about changing the consistency of the food. And also, some of your baby's preferences for tastes will be related to what you ate during your pregnancy and while breastfeeding since tastes and smells of your foods are transferred to the baby both ways. And breastfed babies are much less likely to be picky eaters!
Q: Any tips for older siblings?
A: Keep up those healthy eating habits! Take time to eat, sit at the table, and avoid introducing "food on the go" as long as possible. Limit the sugars, snacks, and sodas, especially those with caffeine, and encourage a healthy lifestyle by acting as an example yourself and by what you keep in the house to eat. You can even use family meals as a great teaching platform for things such as following directions (using a recipe), math skills (measuring ingredients or calculating serving sizes), creativity (making colorful food arrangements or faces on a pizza), chemistry (why baking powder is in a can or eggs are added to a recipe), along with basic skills like colors, counting, and the alphabet (Let's have a dinner where everything we eat starts with the letter A!). And don't forget the added benefit that young kids actually LIKE to wash dishes (just consider using something besides your nice China when you let them do so!) We highly recommend Ellyn Satter's "Division of Responsibility" for feeding babies, and older children too. Check out this story about first foods on her WEB site: https://ellynsatter.com/testimonials.jsp?category=success_stories
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