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Is
your Baby Ready?
Breast milk or infant formula should be your baby's main source of nutrition
for around the first year of life. Solids can be introduced from four to six
months of age, depending on your baby's developmental readiness and preference.
The idea is to expose your baby to new tastes and textures, encourage the
development of their jaws and teeth, and pave the way for enjoying food and
eating in the future. Be guided by your baby and let them set the
pace.
Signs your baby may be ready for solids
If a young baby
is offered solids, they will poke out their tongue and push the food out of
their mouth. This instinct or reflex prevents choking. Signs that your baby may
be ready for solids include:
- They no longer display the tongue-poke reflex
- They are able to hold their head unsupported
- They watch you eat with interest
- They indicate, through gestures and sounds, their interest in sampling
whatever it is you're eating.
Getting started
Suggestions for
getting your baby started on solids include:
- Offer solids between milk feeds, when your baby is neither too hungry nor
too full.
- Use a high chair with a suitable harness or sit your baby (facing you)
upright on your lap.
- Expect a mess and plan for it.
- The spoon should be small and shallow, such as a mustard spoon.
- The food should be smooth and runny.
- Avoid adding salt or sugar.
- To check for adverse reactions, introduce one food at a time and keep
offering that same food for two or three days before introducing another.
- Start with just half a teaspoon or so.
- Gradually increase the amount over days or weeks, allowing your baby to set
the pace.
- Offer solids at breakfast, lunch and dinnertime.
- Never force your baby to eat.
Foods to choose
Suggestions
for foods to start your baby on include:
- Four to six months of age - the food needs to be smooth in texture.
Appropriate solids include iron-fortified baby rice cereal, mixed with breast
milk or formula, and finely mashed or pureed fruits and vegetables - such as
banana, pear, apple, pumpkin, potato, avocado and carrot. Begin with half a
teaspoon and gradually increase to two to three tablespoons.
- Six to eight months of age - at this age, the food can be lumpier
(perhaps mashed or minced). Babies chew food with their gums, so don't feel you
must wait until a certain number of teeth appear before introducing foods with a
firmer texture. Start widening the variety of their meals by including such
foods as meat, chicken, fish, baked beans, yoghurt and cheese.
- Nine to 12 months - food should be becoming more important at this
age. Offer your baby solid food before his or her breast or formula feed.
Start to gradually replace more of the breast milk or formula with solid
foods. Allow your child to feed themselves. Foods which will encourage biting
and chewing include finger sandwiches, steamed vegetable sticks and strips of
cooked meat.
Weaning your baby from the breast
Some women
gradually, partially or abruptly wean when their baby starts on solids, while
others continue to breastfeed throughout the first few years of their child's
life. It is up to you and your baby to decide on the best time to wean. Don't be
pressured by relatives or experts. After making the decision to wean, it helps
to remember that breasts make milk on demand. The more your baby suckles, the
more milk is produced. Conversely, the less milk taken, the less your breasts
make for the next feed. Keep this simple supply-and-demand concept in mind, and
wean your child slowly over time. Stopping too suddenly can lead to painful
engorgement and an increased susceptibility to infection
(mastitis).
Suggestions for weaning
The pace at which you
choose to wean is your personal choice. This is influenced by the physical
comfort of your breasts, your emotional readiness and your baby's adaptability
to the change. Start by replacing a breast feed every couple of days or one a
week. For babies under one year of age, use a suitable infant formula. Children
over one year of age can drink full cream cow's milk, using either a bottle or a
cup.
Continue to do this until your baby is drinking formula
exclusively. This can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending
on your milk supply. You may have to wear nursing pads for a while, as breasts
tend to leak during the weaning process.
Things to remember
- Solid foods can be introduced anywhere from four to six months of age,
depending on your baby's preference.
- Offer one food at a time, to help your baby experience a variety of new
tastes and textures and to check for adverse reactions to a particular type of
food.
- Gradually wean your baby from the breast over weeks or months to reduce the
risk of uncomfortable engorgement.
Make Room
for Family Mealtime
It seems most American families
suffer from the same maladies: not enough time in the day and not enough time
spent sitting down for dinner as a family.
Too often, family members rarely see
one another since they are busy with work, school, hobbies, meetings and other
activities. But now more than ever we should pursue family togetherness,
especially at mealtime. Try a few "Daily Do-Ables" from the Dole Healthy Family
Advisory Board to bring your family together.
All Hands on Deck
Get everyone in the kitchen on a
weekend afternoon and make meal preparation a family affair. While you arrange
the side dishes, have the youngest member of the family assemble the salad (no
knives necessary!). Dole makes it easy with convenient, triple washed,
ready-to-eat salads. Some family favorites include Family Caesar Salad Kit, Just
Lettuce and American Salad Blend. Teens can prepare the meal and set the table.
Before you know it, dinner is ready, and you've had the chance to bond while
sitting down to a great meal.
Make Your Own Night
Each family member makes exactly what
he or she wants. This eases the burden on one person to prepare the entire meal,
but still allows the family to sit down together. You can also take this
opportunity to instill healthy eating habits in your kids by including fresh
salads and vegetables with the meals you prepare for yourself (and by making it
a requirement for all family members to include fresh vegetables in their
meals).
Everyone Takes a Turn
Older kids can help with dinner
preparation by taking one night a week to make their own signature dish. Whether
it's spaghetti and meatballs, Caesar salad or hot dogs, let your designated chef
take responsibility for dinner one night a week. Chances are you won't get tired
of it, if you don't have to make it.
For consumers wishing to add Dole
salads to their menus, send a self-addressed stamped envelope for coupons and
recipes to: Daily Do-Ables, c/o The Londre Company, Inc. 3365 Barham Blvd., Los
Angeles, CA 90068.
For more information, visit the Dole
Web site at www.dole.com. Courtesy of ARA Content
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