Keepers at Home-Introducing Solids to your baby and Weaning

How do I introduce solids?

Introducing your baby to solid food starts when they're around 6 months old. This is because:

• breast milk or first infant formula provides the energy and nutrients needed until around 6 months (breastfeeding women should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement)
• it gives your baby time to develop so they can cope fully with solid foods
• your baby is more able to feed themselves
• they'll be better at moving food around their mouth, chewing and swallowing – this may mean they can have mashed, lumpy and finger foods (and may not need smooth, blended foods at all)

Tip:-You should also introduce baby to their bottle which can also be full with breastmilk, to make them accustom to drinking directly from the breast and the bottle.

The below method can also be used to clean and sterilize all baby utensils

What are the signs that my baby is ready for solids?

• stay in a sitting position, holding their head steady
• coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at their food, pick it up and put it in their mouth
• swallow food (rather than spit it back out)
• seeming disinterested or fussy when nursing
• "playing" at the breast, like constantly pulling on and off or biting. Babies who bite during nursing should be taken off the breast right away and told, calmly but firmly, "No biting. Biting hurts."
• babies who stare, reach and grab, and open their mouths for food are ready to try solid foods.

Behaviours that can be mistaken for signs of baby being ready for solids:-

• chewing fists
• wanting extra milk feeds
• waking up in the night (more than usual)

How much will baby eat?

How much your baby eats depends on their appetite, so let your baby guide you on how much food they need – never force them to eat.In the same way you follow your baby's cues when offering them breast or bottle feeds, be responsive to your baby when giving them solid foods, and learn to recognise when they're hungry and when they've had enough 

Things you will need for feedings:-

1. High Chair-Your baby needs to be sitting safely and strapped in, in an upright position (so they can swallow properly).

2. First Cup-Encourage your baby to sip water from a cup with their meals (instead of a bottle). Open cups or free-flow cups (without a valve) help your baby learn to sip and is better for their teeth.  

3. Spoons-Soft weaning spoons, usually made of rubber or plastic, are easier on your baby's gums. 

4. Plastic bowls-Ideally the ones with a suction base, otherwise they're likely to end up on the floor! 

5. Bibs-Easy-to-clean plastic or pelican bibs are best in the beginning. 

6. Baby Bottles-Bottle can be used for feeding water in small amounts

Ensure to burp baby after feeding and you can give small amounts of boiled water and put to cool. You can use another baby bottle for water so that baby recognizes one bottle is for water and the other for milk.

What are the foods you can make to introduce to baby?

Possible signs of food allergy or allergic reactions include:

• rash
• bloating or an increase in gassiness
• diarrhea
• vomiting

Foods Babies should not have:

• foods with added sugars and no-calorie sweeteners
• high-sodium foods
• honey:-this can be given after the first year of birth because it can cause botulism in babies.
• unpasteurized juice, milk, yogurt, or cheese 
• regular cow's milk or soy beverages before 12 months instead of breast milk or formula. It’s OK to offer pasteurized yogurt and cheese.
• foods that may cause choking, such as hot dogs, raw carrots, grapes, popcorn, and nuts

Tips to introduce solids or wean a child:-

• Engage your child in a fun play activity or an outing during times when you would usually nurse.
• Avoid sitting in your usual nursing spots or wearing your usual nursing clothes.
• Delay weaning if your child is trying to adapt to some other change. Trying to wean when your little one is just beginning childcare or during teething might not be a good idea.
• If your baby is younger than 1 year, try to introduce a bottle or cup when you would typically be nursing. For an older child, try a healthy snack, offering a cup, or maybe a cuddle.
• Try changing your daily routine so that you're otherwise engaged during breastfeeding times.
• Enlist your partner's help to provide a distraction at a typical nursing time.
• If your child picks up a comforting habit (such as thumbsucking) or becomes attached to a security blanket, don't discourage it. Your child might be trying to adjust to the emotional changes of weaning.

Tips for sleep time weaning:-

The nap and bedtime nursings are often the last to go and can be more difficult. Staying close to your little one to allow for quick attention before they are fully awake can also help with the overnight times.

• If the child is sleeping with you, you might consider moving him into his own bed or into bed with an older sibling. However, if the child resists the move, he might increase breastfeeding in order to preserve his feeling of closeness with you.
• Allowing another family members to help by taking over sleep-time routines.
• Offering a drink of water or snack if the child seems hungry or thirsty.
• Offering cuddles, hugs and music to replace nursing at night or for naptime.

If you decide to wean the nighttime feeding, make a bedtime routine not centered around breastfeeding. A good book or two will eventually become more important than a long session at the breast. Your child may agree to rest his head on your breast instead of feeding. Talk to your child about what’s going on ahead of time if you can as he may understand more than you expect.