auzziekat
12-09-2005, 10:52 PM
Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to share an article that I wrote on Starting Solid Food, Part 1
STARTING SOLIDS 1 - how and when to start solids
By Kathy Sinclair CPD, CLE, CHBE
Starting solid foods is a big step for a baby and it often takes babies a while to get used to this new way of eating. If you watch for your baby to be ready and take it at the baby's pace your baby will probably soon enjoy trying new foods and tastes.
WHEN TO START
• Babies are ready to have solid foods as well as milk some time around the middle of the first year. By this stage their digestive systems are able to cope with different foods and their sense of taste is becoming well developed.
• Breast milk or formula provides all a baby needs for healthy growth and development for about 6 months and continues to provide most food needs for 12 months or so.
• If you are breastfeeding, it is good for your baby to be fully breastfed as long as possible. When babies are having solids they tend to take less milk from the breast.
Look for the following signs when deciding when to start:
• your baby is interested in things around her; she tries to get hold of things and put them in her mouth. She watches you eat and tries to grab the food
• she can hold her head steady and sit with some support
• she has lost her 'tongue-thrust' reflex which makes young babies push anything solid out of their mouths, so she is able to cope with spoon feeds. (Many babies push the food out for a little while until they get the idea of spoon feeding).
• she may seem less satisfied with just milk feeds - she may stop gaining weight or start wanting a lot more feeds. However, it is normal for breastfed babies to gain more slowly between 3 and 6 months.
Wait until about 6 months?
• Solids are not needed earlier so only make unnecessary work for parents.
• Starting solids does not usually help babies sleep at night.
• There is more risk of allergy to some foods if they are started early.
• Young babies are more likely to get infections - such as "tummy bugs" (gastro), so you need to take great care with preparing and storing food for them. There is less risk after 6 months.
• A young baby may become constipated on solid foods.
• Young babies may not be able to digest some foods well.
• If the baby is eating other foods he may take less breast milk so the breasts will make less and he may not get as much milk as he needs for healthy growth.
• It can be hard to get solid foods into a young baby because of his "tongue thrust reflex" which makes him push them straight out again.
• Young babies are less able to tell you when they have had enough so they can be overfed.
Why not later than 6 or 7 months?
• Breast milk or infant formula are still the most important food but they do not always have enough iron or energy (calories) for the second 6 months. Babies who are not given solids until much later may have health problems or not grow as well as they should.
• Some babies who are not given solids before 7 or 8 months (when they are reaching out and wanting to try things) may not be so willing to try new tastes and foods later on.
HOW TO START
The best way to work out how and what foods to give is to follow your baby's development. We can think of the process in four stages.
Stage 1 First tastes - smooth foods
around 6 months to about 7 months
Stage 2 Learning to chew - soft lumps
7 months to 8-9 months
Stage 3 Self-feeding - finger foods, firmer lumps
8-9 months to 12 months
Stage 4 Family diet with some changes
from 12 months on
Babies go through these stages at different rates, so the ages given are just a guide.
STAGE 1
First tastes - smooth foods around 6 months to about 7 months.
When to give
• Start once a day, at a suitable time for you. When this is taken well, try twice or perhaps 3 times a day by the end of this stage.
• Always give solids after or between milk feeds, not before as yet. Your baby still needs to take plenty of milk.
Foods to give
• Baby rice cereal (this will have extra iron).
Rice cereal is a good first food because:
o babies usually like it and can digest it easily
o it is quick and easy to prepare
o it can be made up thicker or thinner to suit your particular baby
o it provides extra iron at the time babies are likely to run low on iron stores
o it can be mixed with breast milk or formula milk, fruit or even pureed vegetables to give a variety of flavors.
• Fruits - cooked, pureed apple or pear, ripe banana, avocado etc.
• Vegetables - potato and squash first, then carrot, sweet potato and all yellow vegetable followed by zucchini, peas beans and all green vegetables, all well cooked and pureed.
• Milk foods - yoghurt. Do not use straight cows milk in solids before 6 months, or even later if there are allergy concerns.
Texture
Smooth, pureed (use blender, food processor, mouli or sieve), semi liquid at first, then more paste-like.
How much
Start with 1 teaspoon and build up to 2 tablespoons, or more if your baby wants it.
5-6 months
mashed potato and
squash
How to give
• Prepare 1 or 2 teaspoons of food (usually rice cereal). Use a clean bowl and spoon. Mix the cereal with the baby's usual milk (expressed breastmilk or formula) Make it fairly runny at first.
• Hold the baby comfortably on your lap or in a supporting chair. Have a bib and cloth close by. It will be messy!
• Put a little food from a small spoon well into your baby's mouth. He may love it and take it well, or he may scream and spit it out.
• It takes time to learn this new skill so be prepared for plenty of mess. If your baby can't take or doesn't want solids at first, leave it for a few days and try again.
• Once your baby has learned how to take and swallow cereal from a spoon, you can try other foods.
• Offer new foods one at a time, at least four days apart so that he can learn how different foods feel and taste.
• This way, you can make sure each new food "agrees" with him. If it doesn't, he may have vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash around the mouth or on the body, or excessive crying.
• If your baby seems to have a definite reaction to a type of food, talk about it with your doctor or nurse. If you are unsure, try the food again in a week or two.
• Your baby's bowel actions may look and smell different , and some foods will come through unchanged at first. This is normal and nothing to worry about.
• Do not add salt or sugar. Let your baby learn the natural taste of foods. Do not add honey. It can cause a serious illness called botulism in young babies.
• If your baby does not like one type of food, leave it for a week or so, then try again. Meal times should be fun so do not force or even coax. Keep offering though, as it can take several tries before babies accept new foods.
• Once new foods have been accepted you can mix them together sometimes. This is easier and gives even more new tastes. Keep offering food separately at other times.
Enjoy
Thanks
Kathy
I just wanted to share an article that I wrote on Starting Solid Food, Part 1
STARTING SOLIDS 1 - how and when to start solids
By Kathy Sinclair CPD, CLE, CHBE
Starting solid foods is a big step for a baby and it often takes babies a while to get used to this new way of eating. If you watch for your baby to be ready and take it at the baby's pace your baby will probably soon enjoy trying new foods and tastes.
WHEN TO START
• Babies are ready to have solid foods as well as milk some time around the middle of the first year. By this stage their digestive systems are able to cope with different foods and their sense of taste is becoming well developed.
• Breast milk or formula provides all a baby needs for healthy growth and development for about 6 months and continues to provide most food needs for 12 months or so.
• If you are breastfeeding, it is good for your baby to be fully breastfed as long as possible. When babies are having solids they tend to take less milk from the breast.
Look for the following signs when deciding when to start:
• your baby is interested in things around her; she tries to get hold of things and put them in her mouth. She watches you eat and tries to grab the food
• she can hold her head steady and sit with some support
• she has lost her 'tongue-thrust' reflex which makes young babies push anything solid out of their mouths, so she is able to cope with spoon feeds. (Many babies push the food out for a little while until they get the idea of spoon feeding).
• she may seem less satisfied with just milk feeds - she may stop gaining weight or start wanting a lot more feeds. However, it is normal for breastfed babies to gain more slowly between 3 and 6 months.
Wait until about 6 months?
• Solids are not needed earlier so only make unnecessary work for parents.
• Starting solids does not usually help babies sleep at night.
• There is more risk of allergy to some foods if they are started early.
• Young babies are more likely to get infections - such as "tummy bugs" (gastro), so you need to take great care with preparing and storing food for them. There is less risk after 6 months.
• A young baby may become constipated on solid foods.
• Young babies may not be able to digest some foods well.
• If the baby is eating other foods he may take less breast milk so the breasts will make less and he may not get as much milk as he needs for healthy growth.
• It can be hard to get solid foods into a young baby because of his "tongue thrust reflex" which makes him push them straight out again.
• Young babies are less able to tell you when they have had enough so they can be overfed.
Why not later than 6 or 7 months?
• Breast milk or infant formula are still the most important food but they do not always have enough iron or energy (calories) for the second 6 months. Babies who are not given solids until much later may have health problems or not grow as well as they should.
• Some babies who are not given solids before 7 or 8 months (when they are reaching out and wanting to try things) may not be so willing to try new tastes and foods later on.
HOW TO START
The best way to work out how and what foods to give is to follow your baby's development. We can think of the process in four stages.
Stage 1 First tastes - smooth foods
around 6 months to about 7 months
Stage 2 Learning to chew - soft lumps
7 months to 8-9 months
Stage 3 Self-feeding - finger foods, firmer lumps
8-9 months to 12 months
Stage 4 Family diet with some changes
from 12 months on
Babies go through these stages at different rates, so the ages given are just a guide.
STAGE 1
First tastes - smooth foods around 6 months to about 7 months.
When to give
• Start once a day, at a suitable time for you. When this is taken well, try twice or perhaps 3 times a day by the end of this stage.
• Always give solids after or between milk feeds, not before as yet. Your baby still needs to take plenty of milk.
Foods to give
• Baby rice cereal (this will have extra iron).
Rice cereal is a good first food because:
o babies usually like it and can digest it easily
o it is quick and easy to prepare
o it can be made up thicker or thinner to suit your particular baby
o it provides extra iron at the time babies are likely to run low on iron stores
o it can be mixed with breast milk or formula milk, fruit or even pureed vegetables to give a variety of flavors.
• Fruits - cooked, pureed apple or pear, ripe banana, avocado etc.
• Vegetables - potato and squash first, then carrot, sweet potato and all yellow vegetable followed by zucchini, peas beans and all green vegetables, all well cooked and pureed.
• Milk foods - yoghurt. Do not use straight cows milk in solids before 6 months, or even later if there are allergy concerns.
Texture
Smooth, pureed (use blender, food processor, mouli or sieve), semi liquid at first, then more paste-like.
How much
Start with 1 teaspoon and build up to 2 tablespoons, or more if your baby wants it.
5-6 months
mashed potato and
squash
How to give
• Prepare 1 or 2 teaspoons of food (usually rice cereal). Use a clean bowl and spoon. Mix the cereal with the baby's usual milk (expressed breastmilk or formula) Make it fairly runny at first.
• Hold the baby comfortably on your lap or in a supporting chair. Have a bib and cloth close by. It will be messy!
• Put a little food from a small spoon well into your baby's mouth. He may love it and take it well, or he may scream and spit it out.
• It takes time to learn this new skill so be prepared for plenty of mess. If your baby can't take or doesn't want solids at first, leave it for a few days and try again.
• Once your baby has learned how to take and swallow cereal from a spoon, you can try other foods.
• Offer new foods one at a time, at least four days apart so that he can learn how different foods feel and taste.
• This way, you can make sure each new food "agrees" with him. If it doesn't, he may have vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash around the mouth or on the body, or excessive crying.
• If your baby seems to have a definite reaction to a type of food, talk about it with your doctor or nurse. If you are unsure, try the food again in a week or two.
• Your baby's bowel actions may look and smell different , and some foods will come through unchanged at first. This is normal and nothing to worry about.
• Do not add salt or sugar. Let your baby learn the natural taste of foods. Do not add honey. It can cause a serious illness called botulism in young babies.
• If your baby does not like one type of food, leave it for a week or so, then try again. Meal times should be fun so do not force or even coax. Keep offering though, as it can take several tries before babies accept new foods.
• Once new foods have been accepted you can mix them together sometimes. This is easier and gives even more new tastes. Keep offering food separately at other times.
Enjoy
Thanks
Kathy