I actually thought that it would be better if we introduced our baby's first solid foods when he turned 6 months. But the way see his, we think that he's ready for it.
So days before our baby turned 5 months, we already started to introduced him to solid foods... not actually a solid yet but we had mashed apple for a start, well atleast for a week, and then next would be another kind of mashed fruit for morning and mashed vegetable for the evening. I guess, it would be depend if we think he's ready for another new food. FOr now, he's loving his apple meal. We tried giving his kewpie's fruit and yogurt, and okayu (rice cereal) but seems he wasn't ready yet.
As much as possible, we don't want him to give baby instant foods that are sold in the stores since we agreed to have time when it comes to our baby casper's food. I guess those are only good for busy parents =)Instant food products may be also rich in nutrients although we prefer natural and fresh home made foods (atelast for now hehe).
my hubby does the preparations and feedings every day. SO sweet.... that's what i love with my husband, he always participates when it comes to our Baby , he never fails...
I've done research on feeding our babies in the first year. Let me share what I've got, and these are important
Water and juice
- Babies who are exclusively breastfed don’t need extra water. When your baby begins to eat other foods, you can start to offer water occasionally.
- Babies and children don’t need to drink juice. Too much juice, especially apple juice, can cause diarrhea. It can fill up small stomachs and decrease your baby’s appetite for nutritious foods. Too much juice can also cause early childhood tooth decay.
- When you do offer juice, be sure it is only 100% fruit juice. Always offer it in a cup, as part of a meal or snack. Offer water to babies and young children between meals and snacks if they are thirsty. Limit juice to 120 to 180 mL (4 to 6 oz.) per day.
Foods not recommended
- Don’t give babies sugary drinks or foods, such as candies, soda/pop or energy drinks.
- Don’t give honey to babies under 1 year old, as there is a risk of infant botulism (food poisoning).
- To reduce the chance of an allergic reaction, avoid giving egg whites until your baby is 1 year old.
- If you have a family history of allergies, you may want to wait until your baby is 3 years old before introducing peanuts, tree nuts (such as pecans or walnuts) or shellfish.
How to prevent choking
- Always supervise babies and children while they are eating. They should be sitting down.
- Don’t feed your baby peanuts, nuts or popcorn.
- Dice or slice round foods such as wieners or grapes.
- Grate raw vegetables such as carrots to make them easier to chew.Remove pits from fruits.
- Cook hard fruits and vegetables to soften them.
- Spread sticky foods like peanut butter thinly on a cracker or toast rather than bread.
- Chop or scrape stringy meat and add broth to moisten it.
Helpful Links on Feeding:
Feding Your Baby in The first year
