What are the best first solid foods for infants?
(July 13, 2010)
Caring for an infant can be very tough and extremely rewarding as well. New born babies require regular feeds and often take a while to settle down into a sleeping and feeding pattern. As the months pass, a baby’s senses start to develop and he/she becomes curious about his/her surroundings. A baby’s nutritional needs will also change and by the time the infant is about 4 to 6 months, you can start feeding solid foods. The best first solid foods for infants would include soft foods that are easy for the baby to swallow.
The best first solid foods for infants would include rice, applesauce, carrots, and sweet potatoes. These foods should be well cooked and pureed before they are fed to the infant. Rice is generally the first solid food for infants as it is extremely soft and easy to swallow. It also is high in several types of fiber that aid digestion. Furthermore, rice is bland and so it prepares the infant for new tastes. You can steam a little brown rice and then mash it so that it is a thin paste. Do not add this paste to his milk but instead mix it with a little milk and feed it to him with a soft plastic spoon. You can also use your finger to feed him if you wish to but make sure that you wash your hands well before you feed him. Furthermore your nails should be trimmed short to prevent dirt from collecting under them and to ensure that you do not hurt you baby’s delicate gums.
Once the infant is used to the new taste, you can start to add other foods to the rice puree. You can cook pieces of sweet potatoes or pumpkin and puree them along with the rice. This mixture would be slightly sweeter and so the infant would accept it with less of a fuss. Never force feed your child and if he does not seem ready for new tastes, you can wait a little while before trying again. Bananas and avocados are extremely nutritious and are very easy on the digestive system. You can puree a piece of banana or avocado along with the rice to increase the nutritive value of the feed. Since these fruits do not require to be cooked before they are mixed into a feed, they are often preferred as the preparation time of a feed is considerably reduced. Make sure that the infant receives these feeds in addition to the normal feeds and not instead of them.
