Weaning Your Baby Onto Solid Food

The term 'to wean' comes from an ancient phrase that means 'to accustom to'. So weaning refers to the period during which an infant gradually becomes accustomed to food other than milk. There is no right age when your baby should be weaned. However, you can tell when your baby is ready for weaning when he:

• Shows signs of hunger before his usual feed time
• Dribbles and puts things in his mouth
• Can sit up with support
• Shows an interest in your food

It is generally agreed by experts that from 6 months on, a baby would need something more substantial than just milk. However, infants who exhibit poor growth or iron deficiency anaemia may be weaned earlier, between 4 to 6 months, as advised by their doctor or dietitian. Weaning too early, e.g. at 2-3 months, could result in digestive disorders and there is also a higher risk of setting off a food allergy. On the other hand, if the baby is weaned too late, he may not get adequate nutrition and this may lead to growth retardation.

Suitable Weaning Foods

Plain rice cereal is usually given as the first solid food. This can be mixed with breast milk or formula milk. When baby is older, he can progress on to other cereals like wheat and mixed cereals. Some are milk-based and need only water to be added, while others need to be mixed with milk. So mothers must check the labels carefully before preparation.

These cereals are usually fortified with iron to help meet baby's increased need for dietary iron at this time.

Another option is blended home-cooked rice porridge using white or brown rice.

Vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots and potatoes can be boiled, mashed or pureed and added to the cereal or rice porridge, or served on their own. If necessary, they can be moistened with some milk.

Fruits such as bananas, papayas and other soft, ripe fruits can be mashed and added to the cereal or scraped and fed to the baby directly. Strained, diluted fruit juices can also be given.

Progression Of Weaning

At 6 months - getting started

Food should be only slightly thicker than milk so that the baby can lick it off the spoon easily. Start with liquid paste and progress to semi-solids. The baby's milk feed should be given first and then the food, since at this stage offering solids is only meant to expose the child to different kinds of food and to get accustomed to spoon-feeding. Milk should still remain the main source of nourishment.

At 7- 9 months

As baby gets older, he will be ready for foods of different textures and tastes. Your baby's food need not be in a milky consistency anymore -- you may leave it thick. Milk should now not be the only source of nourishment and since acceptance of foods is important at this point, it is necessary to give the food first followed by the milk feed.

From 9 months onwards

Foods need not be blended and mushy anymore. Roughly chopped soft foods can now be given. Your baby can also be introduced to finger foods like teething rusks or biscuits. This helps to encourage him to try self-feeding, however messy the result may be! By 1 year, baby's food can be adapted from the family meals and there is no need to cook separately for him.

Practical Tips For Easy Weaning

Parents often find feeding fraught with problems. Some babies are easily weaned while others fight the change. This is an important stage of emotional and behavioural development for the baby and much patience is required. Offering baby solid food introduces him to a whole new world of tastes and textures and your baby will soon discover that good food can come from a bowl or plate as well as from the breast or bottle.

Here are some practical tips to consider for easier weaning:

• Let your baby set the pace. If he rejects the food, give him his milk feed and try weaning again when baby is less hungry or tired.
• It is best to introduce one food at a time as it makes it easier to identify food intolerance. Offer only a small amount of food (about ผ tsp) and gradually increase the quantity over a few meals.
• Avoid adding sugar or salt as babies do not have an acquired taste for seasoned food at this age. Moreover, baby's kidney may be stressed by the additional sodium load.
• Avoid adding fats such as butter or oil, unless advised by your doctor or dietitian, as they are harder to digest for small babies.
• If you are heating food in a microwave oven, stir the food very well and test the temperature on the back of your hand before feeding.
• If your child expresses a dislike for a certain food, don't force the issue. Try and give it to him in another form, which he may accept. It may also be comforting to know that babies have been known to reject the same food up to 7 times before finally accepting it!
• Do not be fussy about neatness during a meal; there is plenty of time to teach your baby table manners!

Conclusion

Mealtimes should not be an occasion for you and your baby to declare war on each other. It should be a happy occasion and not something to be dreaded. Every baby is different, so do not compare one baby with another. Be patient and turn mealtimes into fun times that both of you will look forward to.

Useful Tips When Weaning

To prevent choking:

• Your baby must be supervised when eating
• Feed suitable textures according to your baby's capabilities
• Avoid nuts, raw carrots, hard sweets and grapes
• Ensure a calm environment during feeding times
• Sit baby in a chair

Practise good hygiene in food preparation:

• Always wash your hands before handling your baby's food
• Separate raw and cooked food
• Cook meat thoroughly
• When reheating food, always bring it to full boil
• Cover and refrigerate leftovers promptly
• Discard unfinished food

	6 months	7 - 9 months	10 - 12 months
6 am	180 - 200 ml milk	210 - 240 ml milk	210 - 240 ml milk
9 am	3 dsp of infant rice cereal mixed with 120 ml of milk ? - 1 egg yolk (hard-boiled or mixed in cereals) Few tsp of water	? bowl infant rice/ wheat/ mixed cereals mixed with 120 ml milk 1 hard-boiled egg yolk Few tsp of water	1 hard-boiled egg yolk 1 slice of bread 120 ml milk (try serving in a cup) Few sips of water
12 pm	180 - 200 ml milk 3 tsp unsweetened apple juice (1? tsp juice diluted with 1? tsp water)	Mixed together: ? bowl thin porridge 2 tsp sieved spinach 1 dsp scraped meat 4 tsp scraped apple Few tsp of water	? - 1 bowl thick porridge 3 tsps mustard green leaves (cut into small pieces) ? piece soft beancurd ? dsp chopped liver 2 dsp watermelon, cut into small pieces Few sips of water
3 pm	180 - 200 ml milk	210 - 240 ml milk ? teething rusk or ? baby biscuit (if baby is teething)	210 - 240 ml milk 1 teething rusk or 1 baby biscuit Few sips of water
6 pm	? bowl of thin porridge 1 tsp scraped meat 1 tsp sieved spinach 1 tsp of scraped papaya Few tsp of water	1 mashed potato 1 dsp mashed carrot 1 dsp of mashed baked fish 4 tsp scraped papaya Few tsps of water	? - 1 bowl thick porridge 1 - 2 dsp pumpkin, chopped into small pieces 1 - 2 dsp minced chicken 2 dsp banana Few sips of water
9 pm	180 - 200 ml milk (some babies may need 1 - 2 extra milk feed at night)	210 - 240 ml milk (some babies may need 1 extra milk feed at night)	210 - 240 ml milk

The information is provided by KK Hospital - Singapore's leading Women and Children's Hospital. Please visit www.kkh.com.sg for more information.