Baby First Food - What you need to know....

Assalamualaikum :)

Hello!
Greetings!

As a first-time mom, I have been very excited about my baby first solid food. Since she was about 5 months old, I have been browsing the internet for babies solid food recipes. There are tonnes of them online!! And I have even done a 1-month complete food timetable (based on 4-days rule) in order to track my baby's food intake and monitoring her potential food allergies.

 Listed below are few points to ponder before offering your baby her/his first solid food:

1) 4 days rule: Offer your baby the same food for 4 days and monitor for any signs of food allergies before switching to other types of fruit/vegetables.

2) Why puree? At 6 months, babies digestive systems are still very delicate. Thus, the best form of food is a well-blended (puree) food for easy digestion.

3) Starts small. Offer your baby a small portion first. 1/2 teaspoon should be sufficient. This is totest his/her acceptance to his/her very first food and first taste to other food besides his/her usual milk intake. It is alright if he/she rejected. There is always a plenty of time to try and make feeding time fun!

4) Best time: When is the best time to feed? best time is to try out is late morning or in the afternoon. If it is his/her first feeding, try to avoid feeding your baby in the late evening. Why? This is to prevent tummy upsets.

5) The best method: The best method of food preparation is to steam. This is because steaming helps to retain most of the nutrients available in the fruits/vegetables.

 6) Location: If possible, try feeding your baby at the dining table or dining area. This is an early training to teach your baby the importance of feeding time and also to teach them that meal times should be at the dining area.

7) Able to sit with support. Before starting to feed your baby, your baby should be able to sit up with support, turn his/her head away and also making chewing motions.

Last but not least, LET'S MAKE FEEDING TIME FUN AND MESSY!

Can't wait for my baby's first food! Very very soon! :)

Regards,
Mommy Ellysha Eryna

Dated: 26 October  2015 (11.40am malaysia time)