Tips For Babies' Food

Babies grow quickly in the first year of life, so they need plenty of energy and nutrients. Babies grow in spurts, which means that appetite and hunger can vary from day to day. Breast milk or infant formula is the most important food for babies until about 12 months of age, but it is essential that solid foods are also introduced.

By about six months of age, a baby's iron stores are low and extra foods will be needed to prevent later nutritional problems. Start to introduce solids around six months of age - depending on the developmental needs of your child.

Starting baby on solids

Starting solids too early can cause problems

Hungry babies should be offered more breast or formula feeds until they are ready for solids. Some parents want to try solids before four months, believing this may help baby grow, sleep or settle better. Giving solids too early rarely helps these problems and may lead to other difficulties including:

a greater chance of developing food allergies,
poor growth, if the solid food replaces breast milk or formula as the baby will be unable to assimilate the solid food, and
loose bowel actions or diarrhoea, if baby cannot digest the food.

Don't leave starting solids too late

It's also important that starting solids is not left too late, as this may lead to problems, such as:

poor growth due to low nutrient intake, and
iron and other nutrient deficiencies.

How do you know when your baby is ready for solids?

When your baby starts to need the nutrients that solid food can provide, there will also be signs they are ready to try new foods. These clues can include:

watching and leaning forwards when food is around,
putting fingers in their mouth, especially when food is within their sight,
opening the mouth when food is offered,
the ability to move their tongue up and down, and
reaching out to grab food or spoons.

At nine to 12 months your baby will develop other feeding skills including:

showing an interest in self-feeding,
the ability to chew lumps in food,
the ability to use a feeding cup, and
independent eating with some assistance.

Signs that your baby isn't yet interested in solids or is full may include:

closing the mouth tightly and turning the head away when offered food,
crying when the food is offered, or
pushing the spoon away.

If this happens at your first attempts to feed your baby, relax and try again in a few days. While most babies naturally spit food out when first given solids, they soon learn to swallow if you continue.

Tips for introducing solids

Food should be given on a small, infant-size spoon. Tips for introducing solids include:

Try to be calm and relaxed when you start to feed your baby.
Make sure your baby is sitting comfortably and isn't too hungry.
Stay with your baby when they are eating.
Let your baby sit with the family to watch and learn.
First solids should be finely mashed and smooth, then graded to coarsely mashed.
Your baby may only take a spoonful at first, but this will increase with time and practice.
Be prepared - all babies make a mess as they learn to eat.
Introduce a new food every few days.

When a baby is weaned from the breast or bottle, it may have reduced body stores of iron and vitamins C and D. To maintain nutrient body stores:

Give your baby foods that are rich in iron, for example, iron enriched rice-based cereals should be the first solid to be introduced, to reduce the risk of allergy to wheat.
Fruits and vegetables should be introduced after the cereals. They are important for vitamin and mineral content and to introduce new textures, tastes and colors.
Meat, poultry and fish are generally introduced last.
Don't add salt, sugar or other material; add only water, breast milk or formula for dilution. Cow's milk should generally be avoided in the first 12 months, although a small diluted amount may be suitable.
Introduce foods one at a time. Offer new foods once every four to five days to avoid confusion and to rule out food allergy and sensitivity.
Give ample liquids if your baby has diarrhoea.
Feed frequently - up to four to six times a day.
Occasional exposure to sunlight is usually enough to provide a baby's vitamin D requirements.

Some foods are not suitable for babies under 12 months. These include:

Honey - there is a potential risk of bacterial infection from honey.
Tea - contains tannins that can restrict vitamin uptake.
Whole nuts or other hard foods - should be avoided due to the risk of choking. If there is no food allergy in your family, nut pastes can be used after 12 months.
Fruit juice as these contain limited nutritional benefit and can reduce the amount of milk consumed.
Reduced fat milk is unsuitable for children under two.

References

Bland, J. 1996, Contemporary Nutrition. J & B Associates.

Davies, S. and A. Stewart., 1997, Nutritional Medicine. Pan.

Elliot, N. 2004, Green Peace. Practical Parenting.

Holden, S., Hudson, K., Tilman, J. & D. Wolf, 2003, The Ultimate Guide to Health from Nature. Asrolog Publication.

Pressman, A. and S. Buff, 2000, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. (2nd Ed.) Alpha Books.

Soothill, R. 1996, The Choice Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. A Choice Book Publication.

Sullivan, K. 2002, Vitamins and Minerals: A Practical Approach to a Health Diet and Safe Supplementation. Harper Collins.