As children grow up, they outgrow baby feeding bottles. It is time to introduce them to solid food. Your child can start eating solid foods once they have reached about 6 months. By the time they have reached 7 to 8 months, your child is able to consume a variety of foods from different groups. The different types of foods refer to cereals, meat, fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurts, cheese, and many more. Even so, children need to be introduced to fortified cereals such as oat, barley, and multi-grain instead of rice cereal.
Before feeding your child, make sure that they are sitting in the right position to avoid choking or any difficulties when consuming food. Apart from that, make sure that they are developmentally ready. Signs to know your child is ready are by making sure that they are sitting up alone or with support, able to control their head and neck, open their mouth when food is offered, try to grasp small objects, and are able to swallow food on their own.
How to start introducing your children to foods
Introduce your children to foods slowly and see if they have any allergic reactions or if they like the ingredient in them. Start by introducing your children to allergenic foods such as cow’s milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, soy, and wheat. Keep in mind to keep vitamins and minerals in their food so that they stay healthy and strong. They need sufficient vitamins and minerals to grow healthy.
It might be easier to mash the food to make sure that your child wouldn’t choke and help them familiarize themselves with the food. Expect reactions such as cough, gag, or spit-up when they are getting used to the texture. To reduce the risk of choking, prepare foods that are easy to dissolve with saliva and facilitate them as your child eats as well. Additionally, feed in small portions and encourage your child to eat slowly.
A few tips to prepare food for your child:
- Mash vegetables, fruits, and foods until they can be easily eaten by children.
- Cook foods until they are soft enough to be mashed with a fork.
- Remove fat, skin, and bones from meat, poultry, and fish before cooking.
- Remove seeds and hard pits from the fruit, then cut the fruits into small pieces.
- Slice or cut food into small pieces.
- Cook and grind wheat, barley, rice, or other grains finely.
- Mix cereals with breast milk, formula, or water to make it easy for your child to swallow.