When our baby is born, they get the essential nutrients they need primarily on milk, whether breastmilk or formula milk. It is of course recommended that parents feed their babies with their breast milk, but it solely depends on the parent’s choice.

How will I know they’re ready?

After a few months of feeding on liquids, babies slowly developed their tummies, and now may be able to digest solid foods. Though it is recommended by pediatricians that babies should feed only on milk up until they are 6 months of age or when their pediatrician gives them the OK, but growing babies start to become more interested in the thing you put in your mouth while they are 4 to 6 months old.

You may notice your baby starts to grab for the food you eat. This may be a sign that he may be ready for solid foods. It may help you on introducing solid foods to your baby if he can already hold his head steadily. And if you have noticed that your baby seems hungry even after you’ve fed him, then it may also be a sign that he wants to eat more often.

How to introduce the food:

When introducing solid foods to your baby, you should consider giving him simpler foods appropriate for his age like baby cereals or mashed potatoes while mixing in breast milk or formula. In addition, the food should contain no lumps for him to easily digest the food. Adding salts should also be avoided because your baby’s kidneys are still unable to handle them. If you’ve just started feeding your baby with solid foods, you should only consider vegetables and cereals for him. Serving meat can wait up until he’s older than 6 months. Also, for him to easily digest the food, it should be mixed with liquid.

How much should I feed him or her?

Your baby is still new to solid food so you should start be feeding him only a few amounts each day. Start off with a teaspoon or two. By then you will notice if there are some allergic reactions to the food or if his stomach cannot handle it yet. However, if you’ve noticed that he likes the food he’s eating, you can gradually increase it day by day. Furthermore, you can try introducing another recipe.

Introducing solid foods to your baby doesn’t necessarily mean that his liquid intake is lessened. Remember that the food you’re giving him is still on a liquid form, so offering him liquids is not really necessary other than milk and water.