Wonders to Wander

The Do’s and Don’ts in Feeding Your Baby Solid Food

Wonder and Ponder

For new moms, it’s pretty hard to think of which solid food are good for your baby and what isn’t. With that, here are some tips on feeding your baby.

1. Schedule your baby’s solid food intake.

This would work perfectly if you’re just starting. You can schedule your baby’s solid food intake about two to three times a day on top of milk. Solid food cannot be used as a substitute for milk.

2. Don’t feed your child artificial baby food.

You might see boxed or bottled baby food in the market. However, don’t get tempted into buying these! As much as possible, make your baby’s solid food with fresh ingredients.

3. The first solid food of your baby should be porridge.

This is according to Dr. Alma Enriquez, a well-known pediatrician. Your baby’s first solid food should be porridge or lugaw. It’s important that you should not puree it. Have it mashed and mix the vegetables with the porridge so the baby will get used to eating food with texture.

4. Your baby can start eating table food at seven months.

You might be wondering when your child can eat the kind of food you also eat. The answer is within seven months. You can choose either rice, porridge, or congee for your child’s carbohydrate intake. You can give your child vegetables from your prepared viand. Mash and mix it with the rice you have initially. You may also add finely cut fish or chicken meat from time to time.

5. Invest in the right feeding equipment.

Feeding your child this first solid baby food will come easy with the right equipment. Invest in your child’s own dining utensils such as a small plastic bowl, a plastic baby spoon, and a rubber bib.

6. Keep introducing rejected foods.

Since this is a trial-and-error process, you should keep on introducing the foods that your child initially didn’t like. There’s a high chance that your baby will reject the food first because they’re not yet used to the texture and taste. But the key here is that you should keep on introducing the food until they have come accustomed to it.

Here’s a list of the recommended vegetables that can feed your baby when they’re four to six months of age. They may be served either steamed or mashed with porridge or oatmeal.

For the fruits, on the other hand:

For seven months and up, you can serve your child mixed vegetables from the prepared viand you have on your table with rice. Brown rice is the most preferred rice that you should feed your child because of its nutritious contents. You can also serve fruits as dessert after every meal.

The Benefits of Feeding Your Baby Nutritious Food

1. For their strong, healthy growth

If adults would need nutritious food to keep them healthy, what more would it do for your child? By giving them healthy food, you’re not only supplementing their growth, but you’re also keeping them healthy. These foods usually contain vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, and protein, which are necessary for their growth and development.

2. It introduces them to eating healthily

Start introducing your child to healthy food when they’re young. There are a lot of children who absolutely hates eating vegetables such as broccoli and the like. However, the problem is that these kids weren’t introduced to eating healthy food when they were still younger. If you start them at an early age, they will come accustomed to the taste and would be a staple food for them as they grow older.

3. It supports their brain development.

According to the research done by Marc Goodman-Bryan with The Urban Child Institute, children who eat a healthy diet receives direct brain development benefits. Iodine and iron, for example, are vital nutrients for your child’s brain development. These nutrients can be found in most meat and vegetables. Without the proper amount of iodine and iron, your child may experience delays in their cognitive and motor growth.