When your baby is six months of age, you can start introducing solid foods. You may find that your baby is not full with just milk earlier ... ]]> How do I know if my baby is ready for solid foods?

Babies are strictly on milk for the first six months. The breast milk or formula will give

your baby all the nutrients he needs up to the age of six months. There are a few generic indicators. Your baby is six months of age, your baby is not full with just milk, your baby is waking up through the night repeatedly, your baby opens mouth when you place a plastic spoon or your finger close to her mouth, holds head up on his own and your baby takes particular notice of you when you are eating. If all of these or some are happening, then speak with your paediatrician. It may be time to introduce solids.

When your baby is six months of age, you can start introducing solid foods. You may find that your baby is not full with just milk earlier than six months. If this is the case, see your paediatrician. You may be able to start giving solids earlier. The first solid food to introduce to your baby is baby cereal. Start with rice cereal, it tends to be easier on babies tummy than other cereals. Start with one tablespoon of cereal and either one tablespoon of boiled and then cooled water or formula or breast milk. The liquid that you add should be warm to the touch. The cereal should have a runny consistency at first. You can gradually thicken the cereal once your baby gets used to the taste. After a week of feeding your bundle of joy rice cereal, you can try baby oat cereal. Start with one tablespoon of the oat cereal just as you did with the rice cereal. Try rice cereal in the morning and oat cereal at dinner. It is preferable to give your baby plain cereal at first. Your baby will not be ready for fruit in the rice or oat cereal until he is a bit older. If your baby is irritable, more than usual, has a rash, a swollen tongue, diarrhoea or is constipated, stop giving the food that may be causing the problem. If you cannot figure out what is causing the problem, see your paediatrician. It could be an allergic reaction to whatever you are feeding your baby, but it is better to be safe. There are other cereals you can give instead, for example; Barley cereal. The reason for giving one new food item at a time is to catch any allergic reactions that may occur.

Other reasons for trying one new taste at a time is to give your baby time to adjust to the taste, smell and color. It is much easier to see what is causing an allergic reaction when you are only giving one item at a time. Your baby can also taste the fruit or vegetable on its own. What do carrots taste like? If carrots have peas with it, how do you know if your baby is refusing the food because of the taste of peas, carrots or the combination of the two? It is also harder to decipher whether your baby is allergic to peas or to carrots. Try To give a week to test any new food. This way you can pin point which food your baby is allergic to. If your baby has already tried rice cereal and you are trying beans for the first time, keep giving the rice cereal to your baby as well as the beans. Your baby is already used to the cereal. If there is a reaction at this point, you know that it cannot be the rice cereal because your baby has been fine with it up to this point.