When it comes to feeding your baby anything above and beyond breast milk or formula, you’ve got a lot to think about. Mainly, be sure your baby is ready to handle solid foods. The World Health Organization says that your baby’s digestive and motor skills should be developed enough at six months to begin alternating in solid foods. Bear in mind, that they also recommend you breast feed for up to two years.
The next thing you need to consider is what to start feeding your baby. If you decide to go with pureed food that you can buy at the grocery store, your doctor will probably recommend you begin with oranges and yellows. This will mainly consist of different fruits as well as squash and a few other mild flavored vegetables. However, research suggests that if you begin with the sweeter tasting foods, your child may be more inclined to reject some of the healthier green vegetables that nutritionally, they really need.
There is also an argument among advocates for baby led weaning concerning starting your baby on pureed food. The argument states that once the baby switches to stage two foods (containing lumps) they will become confused about whether to chew or swallow. Lots of parents choose to mash up the food they cook themselves, making it possible to leave some lumps for the baby to chew and also giving the child a more rounded experience with meal time in the family.
BLW is an extremely interesting practice, many parents are very pleased with the results. Basically the practices of BLW include, letting the child self feed from the very beginning of the weaning process. There is absolutely no spoon feeding. Instead, baby is offered a plate of soft finger food to choose from. If BLW is something your interested in you should research it yourself as there is much to learn. Choose what’s best for your baby when picking a baby food, mainly make sure they get the nutrition they need.
