Abdali Hospital - 25th floor - Amman - Jordan
let’s first take a look at the signs your baby is ready to start eating solid foods.
Signs of readiness for solid food, your child is likely ready to try solids when they:
• Can hold their head up and sit upright in a highchair
• Can close their mouth around a spoon
• Can move food from the front to the back of their mouth
*It’s important to remember that each baby will develop at a different rate. If your baby is showing some signs but not taking any solid foods, don’t worry, try again in a few days time. If your baby takes some food but pushes it out again with their tongue, it means their reflux action is still there, and they are not quite ready for solids yet. However, if your baby hasn’t started solids by 7 months it’s time to consult with your health care worker or doctor.
Food that can trigger allergic reactions
-It's important to introduce foods that can trigger allergic reactions one at a time, in very small amounts, so that you can spot any reaction.
Food groups
• Include vegetables that aren't so sweet, such as broccoli, cauliflower and spinach.
• This will help your baby get used to a range of flavours (rather than just the sweeter ones like carrots and sweet potato), and can help prevent them being fussy eaters as they grow up.
- Remember, babies do not need salt or sugar added to their food (or cooking water). Babies should not eat salty foods as it is not good for their kidneys, and sugar can cause tooth decay.
Vegetables
Cook to soften them, then mash or blend veggies to a suitable texture for your baby – or give them as finger foods, offer a variety including ones with bitter flavours:
• broccoli
• carrots
• cauliflower
• courgette
• green beans
• kale
• peas
• peppers
• spinach
Fruits
Mash or blend soft ripe fruits to a suitable texture for your baby, or give them as finger foods, harder fruits will need to be cooked to soften them, wash and remove any pips, stones and hard skin.
Fruit includes:
• avocado
• apples
• bananas
• blueberries
• kiwi
• mango
• melon
• oranges
• papaya
• peach
• pears
• pineapple
• raspberries
• strawberries
Starchy foods
- These can be cooked, where necessary, and mashed or blended to a suitable texture for your baby or offered as finger foods.
- Cereals can be mixed with breast milk or first infant formula – or with pasteurised whole (full-fat) cows' milk (or goat's/ sheep's milk) if your baby is over 6 months old.
*Starchy foods include:
• bread
• cornmeal
• maize
• oatmeal
• oats
• pasta
• porridge
• potato
• quinoa
• rice
• sweet potato
• toast
Protein foods
- This food group includes meat, fish, eggs, beans and pulses, and is suitable from around 6 months.
- As well as giving your baby protein, these foods contain other useful nutrients, such as iron and zinc, which are important for babies.
**If you have a severely weakened immune system or are on a medically supervised diet prescribed by health professionals, you should cook all eggs thoroughly.
*Protein foods include:
• beans
• beef
• chicken
• egg
• fish (no bones)
• lentils
• pulses, such as chickpeas
• turkey
Dairy
- Pasteurised dairy foods,like pasteurised full-fat yoghurt and cheese, are suitable foods for your baby from around 6 months.
- Full-fat, unsweetened or plain yoghurts are a good choice because they do not contain added sugars.
- Whole pasteurised (full-fat) cows' milk, or goats' or sheep's milk, can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months old, but not as a drink until your baby is 12 months.
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Ref : -NHS ( National Health Service )
-BabyCenter
