Infant feeding stages
With the mother of the child and since today mother’s milk is the basic food and the only child, through which the child gets all the food needs, and remains until the child reaches the fifth month, where this age is a transition from dependence on breast milk to different foods, The mother begins to introduce some foods to the child’s food gradually and in proportion to his age, and in this article will be presented the most important foods suitable for the child.
Encourage the child to eat
Eating solid foods is the most exciting phase of the first year of life. There are many foods of different colors and shapes waiting for the child to taste them. The mother advises that the baby should try to try the different foods by himself.
The right age to start eating solid foods
Most children are ready to start eating solid foods between 4-6 months. The child’s digestive system is able to secrete the enzymes needed to digest the various foods. Starting solid foods in the early stages of the child strengthens and builds the eating habit in the future, It is also linked to obesity and weight gain in the future. On the other hand, waiting until the age of 8 or 9 months will make the process of starting to eat solid foods difficult, as the child will resist any change in the taste of food, and will be difficult to teach new eating habits of chewing food and swallowing instead What he is accustomed to breast-feeding mechanism.
Indicators of child readiness to eat
It is best not to depend on the age of the child to determine the appropriate time to start the introduction of solid foods for food, and better to monitor the child to determine the appropriate period, and indicators that appear on the child and indicate readiness to eat solid foods as follows:
- The child becomes able to carry his head.
- The child is able to sit and balance in the children’s chair.
- The child shows some chewing movements.
- The child begins to gain weight, becoming double the weight at birth.
- Show child interest in eating.
- The child can close his mouth to surround the suspension.
- The child can move food in his mouth from the front back.
- The baby stops throwing food out of the mouth.
Foods suitable for the child at the age of five months
It is recommended that the mother start by giving her child mashed foods of vegetables and light-tasting fruits, such as sweet potatoes, squash, pears and bananas. In different choices, the child’s food should be soft and soft, digestible and chewable, Add some milk to the food to give it some freshness, preferably avoid the addition of water or cow’s milk; because children do not have in the first months of their ability to chew food well not to be the muscles and teeth in the mouth after, and over time the child will be able to eat food Better, and when A can stop adding liquids to foods. Here is a list of some foods suitable for the child at the age of five months:
Cereals
Cereals can be eaten by rice or oatmeal. These foods are the least sensitive to children, so it is best to start feeding the baby, but the mother is not forced to do so, and can start giving the child bananas or avocados instead.
fruits
The baby can start eating fresh fruit at eight months or slightly younger if the fruit is soft, the child does not have digestive problems, and the child can eat bananas, apples, pears, and avocados as fresh fruits that do not need cooking.
Vegetables
Be careful not to feed the child vegetables without cooking until the child is the first year of age, or until the child is able to chew food well, so avoid being at risk of suffocation, and good vegetables for the child potatoes, green beans and pumpkins.
Protein
The use of meat in all its forms should be avoided as food for the child at the age of five months.
Milk and dairy products
Baby milk or milk for another type of dairy product may not be replaced until the age of 12 months.
The amount that the child can eat
Children often eat small amounts of food the first time they try solid foods, and the amount is estimated to be half-hung from food alone. The mother should not expect the child to complete a full meal. This is his first experience. Over time, the child will be willing to eat more. Food, and as the child still depends on breast milk for his food needs, the mother should continue to breastfeed the child at this stage of life.
The appropriate amount of milk at the age of five months
When the baby is between 4 to 5 months of age and depends on breastfeeding, he needs a full meal of breast milk every two to four hours, while a child who relies on artificial milk needs a quantity of milk ranging from 24 to 45 ounces a day.
Tips for the mother when starting to feed the child
One of the tips that can be given to the mother when starting to introduce solid foods for baby food is the following:
- If the child refuses to eat the first time, you can try again after several days.
- Try to enter only one food at a time, so it is preferable for the mother to wait between two to three days before trying to introduce new food.
- The order of introduction of foods for the child is not important, and most mothers prefer the introduction of cereals, then fruits, then vegetables, and then meat to baby food.