By the time they are eight months old, most newborns are experts at consuming breast milk or formula, iron-fortified infant cereals, and puréed foods.
They will begin to experiment with table foods throughout the coming months.
Changing Eating Habits
Give your infant a range of flavors and textures from every dietary group. Try any new food for a few days or a week at first to see if there are any allergic responses. Infants under the age of twelve months shouldn’t have:
• honey up until the child reaches the age of one. In infants, it can result in botulism.
• Unpasteurized cheese, yoghurt, milk, or juice
Use regular soy or cow’s milk beverages in place of formula or breast milk before the age of one year. Pasteurized cheese and yoghurt are acceptable.
• items including hot dogs, raw veggies, popcorn, hard cheese, grapes, and nuts that can cause choking
• foods that include sweeteners without calories and extra sugars
• Foods high in salt
This age group of babies is probably more interested in table foods. You can chop, combine, or fork-mash any dish that the rest of the family eats. Cook meals at the table for a little while longer, until they are extremely soft, and then chop or shred them into manageable bits for your infant to avoid choking.
By the time a newborn is nine months old, they can typically pick up food between their thumb and finger and attempt to feed itself.
Bring your infant to meals with the rest of the family if you haven’t already. Their time at the table is enjoyable.
Babies are ready to move to cow’s milk after their first birthday. You can continue nursing for longer than a year if you’d like. Give your child formula with added iron if you decide to quit breastfeeding before their first birthday. Give your baby whole milk if they are older than 12 months.
Allow your child to continue practicing sipping from a cup, but avoid giving juice to babies under the age of one year. Serving whole milk in a cup after a year will facilitate the transition away from bottles.
Feeding Safety
Always keep an eye on your youngster while they eat. Ensure that your youngster is seated upright in a high chair or another secure area. Serve nothing that your infant could choke on.
Consider these questions if you’re not sure if a finger meal is safe:
• Does it melt when consumed? Certain dry cereals and light, flaky crackers have the tendency to melt in the tongue.
• Does it heat through enough to mash easily? Fruits and vegetables that are cooked through will mash easily. Likewise, canned veggies and fruits will do. (Select canned goods without added salt or sugar.)
• Is it gentle by nature? Soft ingredients include cottage cheese, shredded cheese, and tiny tofu bits.
• Is it gummed? You can gum pieces of well-cooked spaghetti with ripe banana.
Making Meals Work
When you feed your infant, consider their individuality. When you “play aeroplane” with the spoon to get the food into their mouth, a toddler who enjoys a lot of stimulation might find it entertaining. However, a more delicate child may require a few distractions when eating.
Serve new meals in tiny portions and persevere if your baby refuses to try them. A baby may need eight or ten tries before accepting a new food.
How Much Should My Baby Eat?
Breast milk and infant formula continue to be vital sources of nutrients for developing babies. However, as they learn to eat a wider variety of solid foods, newborns will start to drink less.
Be aware of your child’s hunger and fullness cues. Acknowledge your child’s fullness by responding to these cues. When a child is full, they could stop, turn away from the breast or bottle, or suck with less vigor. When given solid food, they can spit it out, look away, or refuse to open their mouths.
While you are feeding, let your infant hold a spoon or feed themselves by finger. This is an excellent way to get kids ready for the stage of toddlerhood when they manage their own feeding. And schedule a regular meal if you haven’t already.