Weaning Baby: Tips For Breastfeeding Mothers

Weaning or complementary feeding is recommended to begin when your baby is six months old. It’s a critical step in their growth, and it can be fun exploring new flavors and textures together. Weaning should start with smooth textures, because they are simple for your baby to learn how to swallow.

A baby food maker is ideal for preparing baby food and there are several of them in the market, each with a variety of appealing features and functions. Children don’t require three meals a day, so you can start by feeding that is suitable for both of you. You can gradually increase the variety and amount of food the baby eats until they can eat the same food as the rest of the family, in smaller portions.

Each baby is different, but there are some signs show your baby is ready for solid foods alongside breast milk or formula milk.

Getting started with solid foods

Always be with your child when they are eating in case they start to choke. Allow the baby to enjoy touching and holding the food and to feed using their fingers, immediately they show an interest. The baby should not be forced to eat. Do not try to force food into the baby’s mouth, wait till they open their mouth.

Babies and food allergies

Variety in a child’s diet is important. However, they may react to particular foodstuffs. That’s why cows’ milk, wheat, eggs, gluten, nuts, seeds, fish and shellfish should be introduced one at a time and after six months.

Once the baby is prepared for solids, feed them in minuscule amounts and watch carefully for any symptoms of an allergic reaction.

If you discover a known allergy, such as asthma, eczema or hay fever, you may need to be extra cautious when introducing peanuts and its products. Remember to crush or grind peanuts and other nuts.

Weaning Process

You can start with mashed or soft cooked vegetables and fruits like potato, apple or pear, all cooled before feeding. Soft fruits like melon; baby rice or baby cereal blended with your baby’s usual milk, are nutritious.

You should continue feeding your baby breast milk or infant formula milk, too, but avoid whole cows’ milk until they are a year old.

Finger food is a meal that is sliced into pieces about the size of your finger work. The baby can learn to chew this way. Try using soft, ripe banana or avocado.

When the baby get used to eating the foods above, they are fed soft cooked meat like chicken, mashed fish, noodles, rice, lentils and mashed hard-boiled eggs. They can also take full-fat dairy products such as yogurt or custard. Use products with no added sugar. Whole cows’ milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from six months.

Baby’s Health Diet

The baby’s diet should consist of different fruits, vegetables, bread, rice, potatoes and other starchy foods; fish, meat, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein; and milk and dairy products.

At a year, your child will now be ready for three meals a day. The food should be chopped breast milk or whole cows’ milk and snacks such as fruit, toast, vegetable sticks, toast and rice cakes.

They can now be given whole cows’ milk. Buy full-fat dairy products since kids below 2 require the extra vitamins and fat found in them. If they are a good eater and developing well, they can have semi-skimmed milk from two years. From five and above, 1% fat and skimmed milk are fine.

Foods to avoid giving your baby

• Salt, Sugar or honey
• Nuts
• Raw jelly cubes
• Low-fat foods and Saturated fat
• Shark, swordfish, marlin and raw shellfish
• Raw and under-cooked eggs

Before buying a baby food maker, it’s prudent to think about what works best for you and your family and to consider different options. Some things to consider when buying a baby food processor include size, ability to prepare different foods and perform different tasks.

The best baby food maker should meet your budget, is convenient, and is a perfect match for your involvement in preparing homemade food for your little one. The food maker should be convenient for using and cleaning, and keeps you in control of your growing child’s food intake. Making a selection may take time, but it’s a great knowing that you’re feeding your child safe, clean food with no additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients.