Our Best Tips
Here are some good tips for introducing solids:
- Offer food at room temperature; add breast milk or tepid filtered water to reach the desired consistency. Don’t heat food in the microwave because microwaves heat unevenly and also destroy essential nutrients.
- Introduce foods one at a time in small amounts.
- Give one teaspoonful on the first day, two on the second day and go on adding another teaspoonful each day until a full serving is given. Watch for signs of a reaction. If baby doesn’t appear to like the food you offer wait a couple of weeks before trying that food again.
- Wait at least 4 days before introducing a new food.
This may feel like a slow way to proceed but remember your baby has it’s whole life to enjoy food. Taking things slowly now will ensure a healthy immune system and give your child the best chance possible of avoiding allergies and food sensitivities in the future. Breastmilk can still provide the bulk of your babies food for much longer than 6 months, so don’t get too worried if your little one doesn’t enjoy food or has trouble with food when they first start with. Just continue breastfeeding when your baby tells you he’s hungry and offer food for the experience.
Signs of adverse reactions to foods
- A rash around the mouth or body
- Sneezing
- Colic
- Unsettled behaviour
- Change to bowel motions such as hard and difficult to pass or loose and watery diarrhea
- Vomiting or regurgitation of food
- Eczema
- Extra mucus such as runny nose or mucus in stool
If you notice any of these signs, stop that particular food and wait four days before introducing another food. You could try that food again in a couple of months. If none of these signs are observed during the 4 day introductory period then the food is safe to include in the baby’s diet and another food can be started in the same way.
When introducing foods it is a good idea to start with low allergy foods and slowly build the system until you are sure it is ready to handle more allergy forming foods such as wheat and dairy.
Begin the introduction of solids when your baby shows developmental signs of readiness. Most babies show these signs around 6 months.
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