Solid foods: why babies need themAs babies get older, they need solid food to get enough nutrients for growth and development. These essential nutrients include iron, zinc and others. Show
For the first 6 months of life, babies use iron stored in their bodies from when they were in the womb. They also get some iron from breastmilk and/or infant formula. But babies’ iron stores go down as they grow. By around 6 months, babies need to start having solid food. Introducing solids is also important for helping babies learn to eat, giving them experience of new tastes and textures from a range of foods. It develops their teeth and jaws, and it builds other skills that they’ll need later for language development. Signs that it’s time to introduce solidsSigns your baby is ready for solids include when your baby:
Most babies start to show these signs by around 6 months, although this can vary. It’s recommended not to introduce solids before 4 months. If your baby is nearing 7 months of age and hasn’t started solids, you might like to get some advice from your child and family health nurse or GP. The best times of day to introduce solidsWhen you’re first introducing solids, it’s good to offer solids when you and your baby are both happy and relaxed. This is often after a feed of breastmilk or formula. Babies will still have room in their tummies for a taste of new foods after a feed of breastmilk or formula. But if they’re really hungry before a feed, they just want the breastmilk or formula that they know satisfies their hunger. As time passes, you’ll learn when your baby is hungry or full, not interested or tired. Signs of hunger include your baby:
Signs your baby is no longer interested include:
Your baby’s appetite can vary from day to day. How much food to offer when introducing solidsWhen you’re first introducing solids, try offering 1-2 teaspoons of food once a day. At first, your baby might have only a small taste and probably won’t swallow much. As your baby grows, you can increase the amount according to your baby’s appetite and signs. By 12 months, your baby should be eating around 3 small meals a day, plus breastmilk or infant formula. The right textures for first foodsWhen your baby is ready for solids, first foods might be smooth or finely mashed, depending on what baby likes. Over the next weeks and months, your baby can move on to roughly mashed or minced foods and then chopped foods. All foods should be very soft. Your baby needs a variety of food textures. This helps your baby learn how to chew, and chewing helps with speech development and self-feeding. It also helps to prevent feeding difficulties as your baby develops. Babies can chew even before they get their first teeth. By the time your baby is 12 months old, they should be eating the same foods that the rest of the family is eating. But you might still need to chop some foods into smaller pieces and cook vegetables until they’re soft. To prevent choking, always supervise babies and young children while they’re eating solid food. Avoid nuts, take special care with pieces of meat and check fish for small bones, because these are choking hazards. And if your baby can move around, make sure baby is sitting down while they’re eating. If you sit with your baby while they’re eating, baby is less likely to move around. Types of food to offer when introducing solidsAll new foods are exciting for your baby. The key is to include iron-rich foods of the right texture in your baby’s first foods. Iron-rich foods include:
To these iron-rich foods, you can add other healthy foods of the right texture like:
You can introduce any number of new foods at a time and in any order. When you offer your baby a variety of foods, they can try plenty of new tastes and get a range of nutrients. Read our tips for introducing solid foods to learn how to get your baby interested in new foods and manage mealtime mess and play. Breastmilk and infant formula while introducing solidsYou should keep breastfeeding or using infant formula until at least 12 months. When you start introducing solids, breastmilk or infant formula should still be the main source of your baby’s nutrition. Over the next few months, your baby will start having more solids and less milk or formula. The rate that this happens will vary. By around 9 months, babies have generally developed enough chewing and swallowing skills to move from having milk before solids to having milk after solids. Here are some signs that your baby is getting enough nutrition from both solids and breastmilk or formula during this time. Your baby:
From 12 months onwards, solids should be the main source of your baby’s nutrition. Your baby doesn’t need infant formula after 12 months, but you can keep breastfeeding for as long as you and your baby like. If solid food replaces breastmilk and/or infant formula too quickly, babies can miss out on important nutrition. If you have any concerns about your baby’s feeds or weight, talk to your midwife, child and family health nurse, lactation consultant or GP. Introducing waterOnce your baby has reached 6 months, you can start to offer baby cooled, boiled water in a cup at mealtimes and at other times during the day. This is so your baby can practise drinking from a cup, but baby still doesn’t really need fluids other than breastmilk or formula at this age. Once your baby has reached 12 months, you can offer fresh tap water without boiling it. Foods and drinks to avoid while introducing solidsThere are some foods to avoid until your baby is a certain age:
There are some drinks to avoid until your baby is a certain age:
Your baby doesn’t need added salt or sugar. Processed or packaged foods with high levels of fat, sugar and/or salt aren’t good for babies and children. These foods include cakes, biscuits, chips and fried foods. Food allergy and introducing solidsIntroducing allergenic foods early can reduce the risk of your child developing food allergy. Allergenic foods are foods that might cause allergies. All babies, including babies with a high allergy risk, should try solid foods that might cause allergies from around 6 months of age. These foods include well-cooked egg, peanut butter and other nut butters, wheat (from wheat-based breads, cereals and pasta) and cow’s milk (but not as a main drink). Once you’ve introduced an allergenic food, it’s a good idea to regularly include it in your baby’s diet. It’s a good idea to get advice from your GP, child and family health nurse, dietitian, paediatrician or allergy and immunology specialist for the following reasons:
At what age does the normal infant first develop the ability to swallow food?By 8 to 10 months, infants begin to have the skills necessary to eat finger foods independently (can sit independently, grasp and release food, chew food [even without teeth], and swallow). By 12 months, fine motor skills improve, allowing children to grasp pieces of food between two fingers.
What is the first solid food usually introduced to the infant?Most experts agree that solid foods should be incorporated around the first 6 months of life, beginning with single-grain cereals followed by fruits, vegetables, and proteins in later months. Ultimately, an infant's developmental readiness should determine when to introduce semi-solid foods to the diet.
At what age is it best to introduce foods to an infant feed something other than breastmilk or baby formula quizlet?The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children be introduced to foods other than breast milk or infant formula when they are about 6 months old.
What can I feed my 6 month old baby?From around 6 months
To start with, your baby only needs a small amount of solid food, once a day, at a time that suits you both. You can start weaning with single vegetables and fruits – try blended, mashed, or soft cooked sticks of parsnip, broccoli, potato, yam, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear.
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