Friday, November 20, 2009

First solid foods yet?

*thinking of giving Haikal his first solid food. but so far, he does not manifest any interest in food yet. we tried letting him taste various fruits- jambu, watermelon etc, but he does make face everytime he felt something strange in his mouth. he has no problem with breatsmilk so far, does not seems hungry even after hours we last fed him.so, we gather that we will wait till he shows that he is hungry for other than milk before we start giving him solid food. but this article below does answer lots of my questions*

You may be beginning to get nudges from eager grandmas or friends with older children to start introducing solids. Some doctors still recommend solids for 4-month-olds, but many currently advise waiting until the 6-month mark. Until you start the transition, all of your baby's nutritional needs are met through breast milk or formula. Somewhere in the 4- to 6-month range, his digestive system will finally be ready to accept solids as another element of his diet.
Every baby shows readiness on a different timetable. Some signs to look out for:


• Wants more than milk alone and still seems hungry even after eight to ten feedings a day.
• Starts making chewing motions and begins teething.
• Can control his head and keep it upright and steady.
• Has doubled his birth weight.

Most doctors recommend starting with rice cereal, as it's less allergenic than other foods. Begin with one feeding a day of about a tablespoon of cereal, mixed with enough breast milk or formula to make a semi-liquid. As your baby shows more interest, gradually thicken the consistency of the cereal and add another cereal feeding or two. After a couple of weeks of cereal, you can start introducing new foods at three-day intervals. This schedule allows your baby to get used to new tastes and helps you tell whether he's having an allergic reaction to any new food. Of course, your baby will still need breast milk or formula until he's a year old because solid food can't replace the vital nutrients he gets from breast milk or formula. He won't be able to tolerate cow's milk until he's 12 months old.

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