Information on Feeding Baby Solids

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Feeding Baby Solids

1.After three tablespoons of rice cereal are going down smoothly at one feeding, you may want to try other cereals such as oats and barley. Check with your baby'sdoctor before trying corn or wheat cereals, which provoke digestive problems in some infants.

2.After cereals have been established on the menu fora few weeks, you can introduce either fruits or vegetables. Vegetables may hold an advantagebecause they will not condition your baby to sweettastes. Fruits can be added later, and meats introduced last. You may choose to raise a vegetarianand not introduce meats to your baby at all, butif you do so, be sure that you are adequatelyinformed so your baby won't be deprived of anynecessary nutrients.

3. Remember to let your baby try each new food (oneto three tablespoons' worth) for a few days before introducing another. Observe for any signs of areaction: diarrhea, irritability, runny nose, coughing or wheezing, or a rash, especially around the face. If there is any possibility that a reaction hasoccurred, withdraw the food, wait for the problem :to calm down, and try again—unless the reaction is severe; then consult your baby's doctor. If you see the same response again, put that food aside for several weeks, and tell your baby's doctor serving it to her again. If there's a more severe reaction, such as an immediate rash or difficulty breathing, contact the doctor immediately.Fortunately, sudden intense reactions to foods are very uncommon at this age.

4. Once your baby is taking food from different groups (for example, cereal and vegetables), you can feed her solids twice daily and expand to three times firwhen three or more types of food are part of daily routine. in addition, her daily intake should include about sixteen to thirty-two ounces ofmilk or formula. (A rule of thumb is that onesession at this age delivers six to eight ounces of milk.)

Once she has become well well acquainted with solids, for most feedings you'll probably want to offer breast milk or formula after your baby has had other foods. (milk can also be given between meals and at bedtime.) Solids won't hold much interest if her tank is already full or eight ounces of milk.

If you are using commercially prepared baby food from a jar, make sure that safety button in the middle of the lid pops up when you open it. If it doesn't, return the jar or throw it away. Don't feed your baby directly out of the kar becaude the encymes and bacteria from her saliva may degrade or contaminate the food she doesn't finish. Instad, spoon a small amouny on a plate, and pt what remains in the jar into the refrigerator, where it will be good for a day (or a month frozen). Whatever is left on her plate shoudl be thrown away.

You may prefer to prepare your own foods rather than(or inaddition to) using commercial baby-food products. At first, keep them simple: adequately cooked and then pureed in a blender or baby-food grinder ormashed with a fork. Fruits other than bananas should becooked rather than served raw.

Avoid salty, sugary, and spicy concoctions as well as foods that might provoke allergic reactions. When your baby has had her fill of a particular item, you can storeany extra in the refrigerator. However, before servingrewarmed food to your baby at a later meal, inspectand smell for any signs of spoilage. if in doubt, toss itout.

Solid foods do not need to be hot; room temperatureor slightly warm is just fine for most babies. If you need to warm something from the refrigerator, use themicrowave with extreme caution—if at all—because ofthe possibility of uneven temperatures and hot spotswithin the food that could burn the mouth. Microwaved food should be thoroughly stirred so the heat isdistributed evenly throughout. If heating baby food in ajar, you can place the jar in a pan of warm water for afew minutes

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