How to Introduce Solid Foods to your Baby with step by step tips. In this post you can find out when and how to make the transition from breast milk to solid foods.
Don't stop Breast Feeding even if you have started solid food. Continue breast milk with other food too.
When you can start giving Solid Food
- When your baby's head is steady and when she can sit upright with a support.
- When she starts grabbing things and your plate when you are eating.
- When your breast milk is not sufficient for her.
- When you see that your baby is getting interest in other foods.
- When she always stares at you when you are eating. Eyeing your bowl of food, and keep looking as the food travels from the bowl to your mouth.
Before you start feeding your baby:
1)The first thing you have to remember is, start with mild non allergenic food.
2)Start with less portions, initially your baby need only 3 to 4 spoons of the food. So don't make a entire bowl of food and look for your baby to empty the whole thing. Gradually increase the portion size.
3)Never force feed your baby. This will make your baby get a bad feeling about food and she will start refusing all foods and go wild during feeding time.
4)Give breaks between each spoonful of feed. I usually leave a couple of mins break between each spoonful and show her toys or make funny faces, so she gets into jolly mood and enjoy the next spoon of food.
5)Let your baby swallow each mouthful properly before the next spoon.
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| your baby will surely show these type of faces when you are feeding |
6)If you are introducing a new food for your baby, continue that for 4 to 5
days or even a week. Don't introduce new foods each day, so your baby
gets to know about the food and familiarize herself with that taste.
7)Don't introduce more than one new food on a single day. This may cause problems in her digestion
8)If your baby doesn't like some food, try that food some other time.
After you finished feeding your baby:
1)If you find that your baby has some symptoms like vomiting, constant crying, diarrhea and something which makes you think that it is not right with your baby, you have to stop giving the particular food immediately.
2)Give some water after giving solid foods.
Things to remember:
1)Feeding your baby can be quite messy and takes lots of time. So don't be in a rush when you are feeding. Spend lots of time in feeding.
2)Don't give chopped fruits or veggies, even it is cooked. Always puree them or mash it completely.
3)Don't add too mush salt or sugar in your baby foods.
4)Always make your own baby food. Don't give store bought or packaged foods.
5)Prepare your food in a hygienic way. Always sterilize the vessels you use for your baby.
6)Wash your hands thoroughly before you start making baby foods..
More Point from my Viewers Comments:
1.Start giving food when the baby is 6 months
2. Food should contain 5 star qualities
* Cereal like rice/wheat/ragi etc.,
* Pulse like toor dal etc.,
* Should be solid
* Contain sweet
* contain fat like ghee,butter,oil
Best example: Sweet Pongal
Worst example: rasam rie
3.Give always homemade food..Don't give ceralac,farex etc.,So kids wont love homemade food when they grow
4.Don't feel shy when you are breastfeeding your baby even in the public place.
5.Breastfeed the baby till at least 2 yrs
6.give intervals between each feed..at least 2 hrs..then only baby will get hungry..
7.split the day into 5.
like 8.30am, 11 am, 1 pm, 4pm,7pm
8.30am,1 pm,7pm - give heavy feed
11am, 4pm - Give light feed
in between breast feeding ...
8.When you are feeding the baby don't show,tv,crow,trees like our grandma do..I
know it is very difficult ..but you can do it..I did it..eating is like a prayer,so the kid should see the plate and the food,then feed her.
If she is not ready to eat ,leave it...don't force..offer some other
food...again if she refuses then the baby is not hungry..so don't feed
her.after an hour you can try.. Let her decide her food n dress...
9.Offer her healthy food to choose...
10.start with semi solid,then solid..by the age of 1 she should eat what u r eating..
On her 1st birthday she should sit n eat with you..so give all food to
eat..one by one..including non veg. This will help the child come out of
allergy ...She wont get allergic to any food..
Main thing..treat your child like a adult...she knows what her stomach knows better than you..so let her decide the food and time of feeding..
Hope i have covered most of the things, i know. Will add more if i come across any other points. I am leaving you now with this picture of me and maha..
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Simran Shyam
OMG such a cute baby. A baby has a special way of adding joy in every single day. Happy Pongal to u and the lil one Maha.
Soumya
Hi..aarthi,
Solids foods is best to start after six
months breastfeeding or formula milk
months slowly introduce solid.This information is from my daughter's pediatrician...Baby will always love their mother's milk......
Soumya
Oishi Recipes
Anonymous
yea,, now its an ad in indian radio to feed only milk til 6
morri
Good advice! And this picture of you and Maha together made my whole day. It's so heartwarming, I can't stop looking.
Aparna Vijay
Very useful.. keep sharing.. thanks 🙂
Aparna vijay
http://aparnacooks.blogspot.com
Unknown
Very sweet. God bless the daughter and her parents..Good luck Aarthi..
ELel
Your baby is beautiful!
Anonymous
Hi Aarthi,
I agree with Soumya...what is said is correct...
I totally disagree with you first 5 lines...
You should start giving solid foods when the child is 6 months old.
Before that you should not give even a single drop of water.
Actually that is not needed for the baby.
Mothers milk is enough for the baby..very few women gets less milk..if you take good healthy intake that is enough.
I strongly disagree your 4th point...Always baby like their mothers milk.
But if fill baby's stomach with something then the baby wont give much interest.
Baby will see and try the catch the food after 3 months,bcoz of the color and smell attracts the baby,baby is not catching the food to eat.
Im a mother,Chef & a nutritionist too..
I want to share something thats my pediatrician advice..I followed that now my son is having a good food habit..
He is a very famous pediatrician
1.Start giving food when the baby is 6 months
2. Food should contain 5 star qualities
* Cereal like rice/wheat/ragi etc.,
* Pulse like toor dal etc.,
* Should be solid
* Contain sweet
* contain fat like ghee,butter,oil
Best example: Sweet Pongal
Worst example: rasam rie
3.Give always homemade food..Dont give ceralac,farex etc.,So kids wont love homemade food when they grow
4.Dont feel shy when you are brestfeeding your baby even in the public place.
5.Breastfeed the baby till atleast 2 yrs
6.give intervals between each feed..atleast 2 hrs..then only baby will get hungry..
7.split the day into 5.
like 8.30am, 11 am, 1 pm, 4pm,7pm
8.30am,1 pm,7pm - give heavy feed
11am, 4pm - Give light feed
in between breast feeding ...
8.When you are feeding the baby dont show,tv,crow,trees like our grandma do..I know it is very difficult ..but you can do it..I did it..eating is like a prayer,so the kid should see the plate and the food,then feed her.
If she is not ready to eat ,leave it...dont force..offer some other food...again if she refuses then the baby is not hungry..so dont feed her.after an hour you can try..
Let her decide her food n dress...
9.Offer her healthy food to choose...
10.start with semi solid,then solid..by the age of 1 she should eat what u r eating..
On her 1st birthday she should sit n eat with you..so give all food to eat..one by one..including nonveg.This will help the child come out of allergy ...She wont get allergic to any food..
Main thing..treat your child like a adult...she knows what her stomach knows better than you..so let her decide the food and time of feeding..
Hope this help you...
Aarthi
@Anonymous You have to note, that i didn't stop breast feeding for my baby. Some people dont have enough milk to feed their baby, or their baby seems always hungry after breast feed too. I consulted with my perdiatrician and he told me to start giving other foods along with breast milk.
And thanks for your info. I have added them to the post.
Anonymous
Anonymous: I disagree with the point that you MUST breastfeed until the baby is 2 years old. Yes, babies enjoy breast milk and the comfort of feeding. But not having to breatsfeed (for example, before bedtime) gives the mother a lot more freedom, so it should be a personal decision. It's recommended to breastfeed for 2 years, yes, but if you cannot do it for some reason, then just stop and don't worry. Nothing bad will happen, as long as the baby gets all the proper nutrients from food.
Anonymous
Hi aarthi..thanks for info.. please tel the foods which will increase breast feeding.. now my baby is 3 months old.. milk is not sufficient so per day twice or thrice I go for formula milk.. so please tel me the foods that produce more breast milk...
Aarthi
@Anonymousdrink lots and lots of milk, eat tapioca / Kappa a lot. Drink a tall glass of milk which is boiled with garlic(drink along with the cooked garlic)before you go to sleep.
Aabidha Banu
thanks a lot aarthi for giving us such a good advice..my baby girl is 4 months and 1week...im confused on which food shld i give her..now i got a clear idea of this...thanks dear..:)
Veera
Useful tips, keep up the great work Aarthi 🙂
Diviya Krishnakumar
Its really good one to see.. Thanks aarti.. actually baby looking so cute.. Thanks for the info..
Keep posting regarding baby foods
Looking forward to see ur recepies..
Anonymous
No salt or sugar till as long as possible. Babies should get used the natural taste of food. Sweet pongal is loaded with sweetness, would never give it for my baby!
Anonymous
true, in US, Doctors are against adding any salt or sugar.
alisha sharma
Breast milk or formula is the only food your newborn needs. However, by ages 4 months to 6 months, most babies are ready to begin eating solid foods as a complement to breast-feeding or formula-feeding. It's during this time that babies typically stop using their tongues to push food out of their mouths and begin to develop the coordination to move solid food from the front of the mouth to the back for swallowing.
I introduce solid food to my baby when she was 7 months old. I always buy baby solid foods from firstcry.com. They have good varieties of supplement foods.
Check out their food section here:http://www.firstcry.com/formula-and-supplements/2/79
Sadhana
Hi Arthi,
My baby is 3 months 1week old now.. Shall I stat giving fruits and veg purées to him along with my Breast milk.
Aarthi
@SadhanaTHis is too early..You can start solid after 5 or 6 months.Now give only breast milk
ramya sundar
Wondrrful article aarthi.. very useful thank u
Serviced Apartments London Lady
Amazing tips, thanks so much for posting (also, those pictures are just so adorable)!
Aarthi
Very thank for the recipe can we give breast milk after solid food immediately
Aarthi
@Aarthiif your baby demands that you can give, i have done that.
Anonymous
Thanks a lot for giving such a nice description. This will be helpful for all feeding mothers.
Kalyani Sagar
Hi Aarthi.
Very nice and informative blog. Looks like you are a super mom already :). for her and have so many questions and confusions. I started off with your blog on my dearest friend's suggestion. I am a mom of 6months baby girl. I have just started on solids. You specified to divide a day into 5 and give heavy feed 3 times and light feed other 3 times with bf in between. Could you please specify exactly what you meant by a heavy feed and light feed. What foods to include while heavy feeding and what foods to include while light feeding along with the quantities in each feed.
Waiting eagerly for your reply
Love
Kalyani
Aarthi
@Kalyani Sagarheavy feed is all kind of porridges. Light food is steamed foods like idli, dosa, idiyappam and things like that. just give her how much she eats
Sai Raj
Hi aarthi..this is latha
I'm very much worried about my 10months baby becz she is not eating much of solid foods..can any one plz suggest me some weight gaining receipe for baby..
It's my humble request..tried feeding her mashed rice with dal but she vomits it all the time...ppl around me tell that my baby is still not eating rice and i'm not a caring mother...but gods grace shez very active and plays well.
Her weight is 8kgs is that a normal weight??
Aarthi
@Sai Raju dont have to worry about her weight it is normal. Just give her healthy food as you can, babies at this age are really fussy. they will eat well as they grow up. Just keep her feeding.
midhuna
Hi aarthi... hw much quatity of idli or dosa to b fed for a 9 month old baby... could u please guide... thanks ad regards midhuna.
Aarthi
@midhuna1 idli or 1 dosa is good
Arulraj Kannan
thank u very much ...pls share wht is right time to give right food means in a day...
Aarthi
@Arulraj KannanCHECK THIS LINK
http://mahamylife.blogspot.in/search/label/Feeding%20Schedule
foru
Hi arthi, my baby is 4month 2weeks old and I suspect that my milk is not sufficient because she is not sleeping during day, she takes only 30 mins of nap n then wakes up n shows hunger signs always. I tried giving nanpro n lactogen but she throws up badly. Now I am planning to start Ragi kanji, do u have any other suggestion. Please advise...
Aarthi
u can start it after she is 5 months
Ashu
Hi Aarti
My baby is now going to be 6 months old in few days. As he his feeling hungry after breastfeeding so I started giving him solids like apple puree , carrot puree , ragi porridge also but in liquid consistency. I am giving him only two meals a day morning 10 o'clock and then 4 o'clock. Need your advice regarding feeding time. Can I give him as you have mentioned in your blog 5 meals? If possible pls upload a food chart.
figaro refined olive oil
hey, very nice site. thanks for sharing post
figaro olives
Dry Fruit
Jahnavi Jaanu
Each parent thinks about giving healthy food to their baby. In a hurry, most parents go with the packet food. This post really helps in creating an awareness of how good homemade food is. Very helpful post. Thank you so much for sharing.
Lilly Whitehead
Great blog post! I just started my little girl on solids a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been finding all the information on the web really overwhelming. Especially the whole puree vs BLW movement. This post sums up everything really nicely. I’m looking forward to trying those recipes!! Thanks!!