Has your baby reached the age where you are starting to question if it is time to start giving them solid foods? Many of the pediatrician boards and associations recommend waiting to 6 months, or even older.
When you directly ask your own pediatrician he will probably tell you to watch for signs the baby is ready, but not tell you what signs. Here are a few of the baby feeding tips to help you determine if it is time to start with solid foods.
The first thing, which is almost a requirement, can your baby sit up on their own, and support their own head? If not, you need to wait. Your baby needs to have matured to the point of having adequate physical strength and skills to support themselves sitting up before you introduce solid foods.
Has your baby started rejecting and losing interest in the bottle when they are no longer hungry? This is the beginning of responding to the feeling of being full. You want your baby to be able to indicate when they are full, instead of you continuing to give them food until they spit up.
Has your baby doubled their weight from birth? This is a good indication of enough growth and physical maturity. Do not use this as your only guideline, combine it with the other signs.
You have probably noticed your baby thrusting their tongue forward to reject things from their mouth. This usually continues until they are four to six months old, then slowly fades away. One of the most important baby feeding tips for parents is to wait until this response decreases. If you try to feed your baby solid foods while they still have the tongue thrust response, you will become very aggravated. Every bite you place in their mouth will be promptly pushed back out. This one of the most important signs to watch for.
Has your baby started waking up more often, and getting hungry more often? This will give you an indication your baby is either heading into a major growth spurt, or is needing to start on solid food. To determine if this is an indication of needing to start on solid food, observe the other tips, and see if there are any other signs.
You will probably begin your baby on Rice Cereal, or another baby cereal. One of your important baby feeding tips, do not get too worried or upset if your baby refuses to eat the cereal. Some babies enjoy cereals, other babies dislike cereal and will make their opinion known very clearly. If you are getting the tongue thrust, it probably indicates they need to be a little older. If they just gag, turn their head away, and get upset about the cereal, they are telling you they do not like it. You may discover they love other choices, or will eat the cereal if it is mixed with another baby food, like bananas.
No matter how many baby feeding tips you hear, there is only one true way to know if your baby is ready. You will need to try feeding them solid foods and observe their reactions. Just keep yourself in a playful mood, you could be in for a lot of fun watching the food spit all over your shirt.