The World Health Orginaisation recommends that all babies be exclusivly breast fed, where possible, for their first six months of life. Some parents still introduce solids to their babies from four months of age, but this is not usually necessary. From six months you can continue to breastfeed, but
you can also introduce more variety into your babies diet.
It is recommended that you wait until your baby is at least six months of age before starting to introduce new foods because it is at around this age that;
* Your baby will have sufficient head control to allow him to swallow safely and the tongue extrusion reflex will have begun to disappear
* Your bab's iron and zinc stores will be getting low
* Your baby's digestive system should be sufficiently matured
* Your baby is becoming more awear and more willing to try new things.
If you have a family history of allergies you need to be more cautious about introducing new foods. Do speak to your doctor or child health nurse to ensure your not unnessecessarily restricing your baby's food intake.
SUGGESTED FOODS
From six months - Start your baby on one pureed food and work up to combining flavours. In the begining you will only be preparing small amounts so you'll be able to manage with a spoon and seive, but as you begin to prepare larger quantites some kind of blender may be useful.
Try steaming, boiling or microwaving foods such as potato, carrot, squashe, parsnip and apple. These can then be pureed with a little boiled water or expressed breastmilk. Leftover puree can be frozen in ice cube trays.
Commercial baby rice is another great first food. It is enriched with vitamins and iron and should also be salt and sugar free. It's bland, easy to digest, and it also makes a good thickner for watery vegies and fruit.
Up to nine months -Now is the time to encourage your baby to put his new teeth into action by introducing lumpier foods. Make sure that lumps of solid foods are either smaller than a pea or larger than a paper clip, so that the risk of choking is minimised. It's best to offer foods with texture, which he can hold and explore. Ideal first finger foods are;
* Wholemeal (not wholegrain) toast
* Hard cheddar cheese sticks
* Chunks of peeled, pipped fruits, such as melon, banana, apple or pear
* Cooked carrot sticks
* Cooked florets of broccoli or cauliflower
Nine to twelve months - Your baby will find it more fun to feed himself by this age and, with encouragement, he can use his own spoon. Start giving your baby his feeds when the rest of the family is eating as it is acknowledged that babies who join in family meals, and are offered a wide range of foods, are less fussy as they get older.
Twelve months and older - Your baby should now be able to eat most meals as long as they are cut up for him. Encourage him to have at least 350ml of milk a day - he can now have full fats cows milk as a main drink, though it's fine to continue breastfeeding if you're both happy to do so. Feeding a child a diet of cows milk alone is not good for their nutrition. He needs to eat a range of solid foods and drink other fluids as well. He should have startchy foods, such as pasta or rice, as well as a wide variety of different fruits and vegies. He can also have fish and meat with the fat or skin trimmed off.
OTHER ISSUES
Solid summary -
* Wait until your baby is close to six months old before introducing solids. If you are breastfeeding you should ideally wait until your baby is six months.
* Avoid low fat foods - your baby needs fat for energy.
* Don't add salt to food and keep salty foods to a minimum.
* Encourage savoury foods over sweet.
* Wait until your baby is six months old before giving wheat, nine months before giving egg white, and twelve months before giving egg yolk, citrus fruits, fish and nuts (ground only). If you have a family history of allergies wait until your baby is six moths old before giving cows milk products, and until he is three years before giving peanut products. Don't give whole nuts until your child is six years old.
* High fibre foods can be given occasionally.
* Try to move on from runny purees to thicker ones, so your baby will accept lumpy food without fuss.
Food Safety - If your baby is at the solid food stage it's a good idea to be awear of food safety issues:
* Hygiene is still important. Remember to wash your hands before preparing food. Also make sure that food preparation areas, eating utensils and surfaces, such as highchair trays and placemats, are kept clean.
* Even when your baby starts to feed himself, make sure he is never left unsupervised - choking is still a real hazard. For the same reason don't let him run around with food in his mouth. Avoid giving foods like hot dogs as these can be a common cause of choking in babies.
Allergies - In recent years a lot of attention has been given to the subject of food allergies and food intolerances. Severe allergic reactions are uncommon but may start shortly after a child has eaten a food, with vomiting, diarrhoea, hives or swelling around the mouth. If your child has a reaction like this you need to seek urgent medical attention. Call an ambulance if your childs face is swelling up, if he seems faint or if he has truble breathing.Foods most likely to cause these reactions are nuts, eggs, milk, wheat, fish and soy beans. Less severe allergic reactions may cause skin rashes, mild wheezing or a runny nose.
This information can be found in the babycare book 2005 edition
(September 2006) (
