Weaning Your Baby onto Solids

dis is more info bout solid food..

The term 'to wean' comes from an ancient phrase that means 'to accustom to'. So weaning refers to the period during which an infant gradually becomes accustomed to food other than milk. There is no right age when your baby should be weaned. However, you can tell when your baby is ready for weaning when he:

-Shows signs of hunger before his usual feed time
-Dribbles and puts things in his mouth
-Can sit up with support
-Shows an interest in your food

It is generally agreed by experts that from 6 months on, a baby would need something more substantial than just milk. However, infants who exhibit poor growth or iron deficiency anaemia may be weaned earlier, between 4 to 6 months, as advised by their doctor or dietitian. Weaning too early, e.g. at 2-3 months, could result in digestive disorders and there is also a higher risk of setting off a food allergy. On the other hand, if the baby is weaned too late, he may not get adequate nutrition and this may lead to growth retardation.

Suitable Weaning Foods
Plain rice cereal is usually given as the first solid food. This can be mixed with breast milk or formula milk. When baby is older, he can progress on to other cereals like wheat and mixed cereals. Some are milk-based and need only water to be added, while others need to be mixed with milk. So mothers must check the labels carefully before preparation.

These cereals are usually fortified with iron to help meet baby's increased need for dietary iron at this time.
*Another option is blended home-cooked rice porridge using white or brown rice.
*Vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots and potatoes can be boiled, mashed or pureed and added to the cereal or rice porridge, or served on their own.
*If necessary, they can be moistened with some milk.
*Fruits such as bananas, papayas and other soft, ripe fruits can be mashed and added to the cereal or scraped and fed to the baby directly. Strained, diluted fruit juices can also be given.

** anyhow, walaupon ur babies da diberi solid food, BF jangan lupe ye.. hehe selain dr baby dapat complete nutrition dr BF, baby juga akan lebih rapat dgn mommynya.. sambil kita BFkan baby sambil kita hug n belai2 dia.. mcm zara.. she loveeee sesangat time BF.. to all mommies, goodluck all!