Weaning is the process of gradually introducing the infant to solid diet and reducing the supply of breast milk. The infant is considered to be fully weaned once it no longer receives any breast milk and begins to rely on solid foods for all its nutrition.
Weaning around six months is easier as the baby can sit up and take an active part in feeding. Also, by six months of age, most babies have lost the tongue-thrust reflex (young babies will automatically push solids out of their mouth with their tongue).
How to know when your baby’s ready?
There are a number of signs that will tell a breastfed baby is ready for the introduction of solids in his diet. These include;
• The baby can sit up
• The tongue thrust reflex is less noticeable
• Readiness to chew
• The baby can pick up food and put it in the mouth.
Laying the foundation:
At first only a supplement to – not a substitute for – breast milk, solids should be introduced one at a time. It’s best to start with small amounts – offer one or two small teaspoonfuls of each new food. A baby who starts solids at six months may not need runny pureed foods and is able to move from runny foods to mashed lumpy foods and then to finger foods more quickly.
• Foods can be mashed or prepared in a blender and mixed with expressed breast milk or boiled water.
• First weaning foods should be bland, with no added salt or sugar.
• Introduce one food at a time. This gives enough time to notice any allergy developed against it.
Suitable first foods:
• Baby rice
• Mashed vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes
• Mashed fruits, like banana, stewed apples or peas
The next foods to introduce include;
• Foods containing gluten, such as, bread, pasta, breakfast cereals
• Well cooked eggs
• Cheese(pasteurized)
• Yogurt
At nine months, baby can be given a wide variety of foods in small chunks or as finger foods.
Avoid giving
• Peanuts
• Unpasteurized cheese
• Raw eggs
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