As your baby grows, so do his needs in terms of what to eat. You cannot expect your baby to eat pureed food all the time after a specific age. When your baby starts crawling and using his body more, he/she will need more energy and that is only possible through healthy solid food.
If you are not sure about how to start your baby on solid food, we have something that might help you with that.
Following are some things that you can do when starting your baby on solid food
- Start After Six Months
The best time to start giving your baby solid food is after 6 months. This is the time when your baby has started grabbing his food and putting it in his mouth on his own.
Most people also wonder can babies have ice cream at this stage and the answer to that is yes, they can. This is also the time when your baby is able to use his tongue properly to take the food inside. Giving solid food before this period can be dangerous since your baby has not yet developed enough to eat hard stuff.
- Start with Crushed fruits and Vegetables
You can try giving your baby cursed strawberries, bananas, peas, carrots, and other flavorful things at the start. The main benefit of these fruits and vegetables is that they have virtually no side effects on your baby’s health.
One thing to consider before giving your baby vegetables is that you must take the time to steam these. Steaming makes vegetables softer and thus easier for the baby to swallow.
- Start With One Feeding Per Day
Remember that solid food is something your baby is not familiar with at this point. You need to be patient and feed one time every day to make this habit stronger. Do not try to overdo it since that can put your baby off quickly.
The best time is after one hour of regular breastfeeding or whenever your baby is feeling happy and cheerful. Adding solid food at this time can help your baby associate positive feelings with it and make things a bit easier.
- Taste The Food Yourself First
Whatever you give your baby to eat, make sure that its taste is not off in any way. By having a taste, you can judge whether the baby will like it or not. The baby’s tastebuds are not so different than yours and that is why tasting the food will help you figure out if something is missing.
Tasting the food, yourself also allows you to determine whether the food is too hot or cold for the baby. This way you can ensure that your baby eats tasty food that is at a moderate temperature.
- Don’t Stop After the First Try
Let’s say you offer your baby a new fruit or vatable and he/she doesn’t like it one bit. They start crying and you immediately consider the food to be the reason. You need to understand that your baby knows little about what is good or bad for them at this point.
Do not stop giving new food after one rejection and try it again when your baby is in a good mood. Chances are your baby will gladly eat the same food if he or she is in a better mood.
- Keep the Food Runny
The first time you transition from liquid to solid is a new experience for the baby. You need to make the food look similar to a liquid. You can keep the consistency of the food between a solid and a liquid in the start and slowly build your way up to the more solid stuff.
Changing from liquid to solid suddenly can put your baby under extra stress and that is why you must start with runny and liquid-like foods.
Final Thoughts
So, now you know how to start your baby on solid food in the most effective way. If you be patient, start small, and with crushed and mashed foods, you will find this transition to be easier and more fluffing.
We really hope the above information has been of some help to you. Following these few steps can make eating solid food more fun for your baby and the experience more rewarding for you as a parent.
