Baby Care

Posts Tagged ‘bottle-feed’

Weaning is the process of introducing your baby to solids after being totally dependent on breast milk for her nutritional need for the first six months of life. You can gradually introduce your baby to minced or mashed foods and foods that need to be chewed. Of course, you may continue to breast or bottle-feed your baby alongside solid foods for as long as it’s comfortable for you and your baby.
As with breastfeeding on demand, Baby Weaning is a method of introducing solid foods that leaves it up to your baby to decide when and how much to eat.  While not necessarily a “hands off” approach, Baby Weaning does advocate allowing your baby to make all food choices for him or herself.
You are the best judge of when it’s time to wean, and you do not have to set a deadline unless you and your child are ready to do so. However, now the Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months (26 weeks). Breast milk and formula milk are easy for your baby to digest and provide all the calories and nutrients your baby needs for healthy growth and development. Also, it is thought that the chances of developing allergies are greatest during infancy, so feeding your baby a diet of breast milk or formula until this time helps reduce the risk of introducing allergens. As your baby’s digestive system matures, he or she will be better able to handle different foods without an allergic reaction. Breast or formula milk will continue to be a very important source of nutrition whilst your baby adjusts to a mixed diet and for the first year or so of life. If you feel your baby needs to start solids before this, do talk to your health visitor. The Department of Health used to recommend that babies were started on solids between the ages of four and six months.

How to know when your baby is ready for weaning?
Don’t rush into weaning as a result of pressure from parents or friends, but be guided by the following signals from your baby:
• being unsatisfied after a full milk feed
• demanding increasing and more frequent milk feeds
• weight gain slowing or leveling out without a period of illness to explain why
• after a period of sleeping through the night, your baby begins waking because he/she is hungry

You may also notice your baby showing interest in your food and attempting to put things in his/her mouth.
If you are unsure or concerned about when your baby is ready to begin weaning, talk to your health visitor.