Source: superbabyfood.com
Lots of parents are excited to start their babies on solid foods. Others are nervous
Check out these 6 tips for transitioning babies to solid food
1. Wait to introduce solid food until your baby shows all signs of readiness.
When I was a first-time mom, I heard our then-pediatrician and friends suggest: “Start feeding her rice cereal at six months!” Some advocated starting with solids at an even earlier age!
But I believe it’s best for baby to show the following signs of readiness before starting solid foods:
- can sit up and hold head unassisted
- is interested in food
- has doubled in birth weight
- still appears hungry after nursing or giving bottle (source).
My firstborn showed these signs around six months, but it was closer to seven months with my second child. My third child started eating solid foods closer to nine months old.
2. Introduce one new food at a time.
According to one of my favorite baby books it’s actually better to start with just one food at a time and feed that same food for three to four days before moving to a new one.
This way, you will be able to more easily tell if your baby is allergic to a new food or not. If your baby shows no signs of food allergy after introducing one food, you can move onto the next food.
3. Start with solid foods that you can easily mash up on your own.
There’s no need to run to the store and stock up with every flavor of baby food. In fact, you can easily start feeding your baby soft foods you most likely already have on hand!
I like for the first solid food I feed my babies to be mashed up avocado. You can simply mash a ripe avocado with a fork!
If you feel it’s too thick, you can add a little breast milk or formula to make it more runny. Avocados are one of the healthiest foods in the world and are great for your baby’s developing brain!
Bananas and mashed sweet potato are two other great foods to try feeding your baby.
4. Try making your own baby food.
It is not hard at all to make your own baby food! Some foods, like those mentioned above, don’t even require any special kind of equipment!
For most foods, simply boil or steam until very soft and then puree them in your blender! This homemade crock pot applesauce is a favorite and perfect for babies!
5. Feed baby what the rest of your family is eating.
I was afraid to do this with my first, but by the time I transitioned our third baby to solid foods, I mostly practiced baby-led weaning.
This is when you simply give the baby a cut-up or chopped-up version of what your family is already eating. Even before they develop teeth, babies can begin to masticate foods with their gums.
6. Simplify on-the-go feeding.
When I first became a mom, I had high aspirations of carrying homemade baby food around with me everywhere.
It just didn’t work out the way I thought. I didn’t like having to keep a cooler with me, and, quite simply, it was messier!
Source: thehumbledhomemaker.com
The post The Amazing Tips For Transitioning Babies To Solid Food. appeared first on Baby Food Central.