Eating a wide variety of nutritious foods in childhood is important, because this is when future eating habits are established. Parents can set a good example by providing a wide variety of foods and regular meal patterns.
The introduction of solids is a process through which your baby, having previously been fed solely on breast milk or formula, gradually becomes accustomed to other foods until they can deal with the family diet. During this time your baby is experiencing a range of new tastes and textures.
Quantity
Many parents or carers are often mistakenly more concerned about the amount of food consumed rather than the type of food offered. Make your main focus to:
- purchase and prepare a variety of nutritious foods
- set regular meal and snack times
- present meals appropriate to your child's stage of development
- set limits on what is acceptable eating behaviour
- make meal times enjoyable.
THE FIRST FOUR WEEKS OF SOLIDS
Week 1
Start with one teaspoon of rice cereal once per day after a breast or bottle feed
Week 2
Increase rice cereal to two feeds per day after breast or bottle feed
Week 3
Add a pureed fruit to the cereal for one of the two meals
Week 4
Add a pureed vegetable as a third meal per day
After the first four weeks, continue to offer your baby a variety of the blander fruits and vegetables, gradually increasing the amount until you are up to about 1/2 cup of solids (around 120g) per solid meal.
When is my baby ready for solid food?
Babies should not be offered solid food from six months of age but not before four months. From six months most babies begin to adapt to different foods and textures. Your baby's feeding behaviour will have progressed from sucking to biting (and chewing by seven - nine months). However, breast milk or formula should remain the main part of your baby's diet in the first 12 months.
After six months of age, your baby's digestive system will be better able to process starches in food (eg potato)
What if my baby gags?
This is a normal reflex for your baby which prevents him/her from choking. Some common reasons are:
- Your baby may not be ready for the introduction of solid food.
- There is too much food on the spoon.
- The spoon is going too far into his/her mouth.
- The food is too thick or lumpy.
- Your child may not be hungry.
What is normal eating behaviour?
Many parents wonder if their child's eating behaviour is normal. The following are general characteristics of a child's developing eating pattern.
- Because your child has a small stomach, he/she needs small but frequent nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day.
- Your child's appetite will vary considerably depending on his/her growth, physical activity if he/she is tired and general health. Look at what your child eats over a week rather than a day, as he/she is likely to make up one day what he/she missed the previous one.
- Babies and children prefer simple, mild tasting foods they can manage easily. At about nine months, babies will start to feed themselves. Suitable finger foods include pieces of cooked vegetables such as carrots and broccoli; soft fruits such as melon, mango, banana or pear; toast fingers; lean pieces of meat, chicken or fish; hard-boiled egg or lentil patties.
- Your baby will learn to associate food with more than eating. For example, if you offer sweets as a reward for good behaviour you are likely to influence your child's preference for that food.
- Babies and children can be extremely slow eaters and lose interest in food quickly - another reason to offer small meals frequently.
- Adequate fluids are important for your child. From six months, you can add water to their diet or diluted fruit juice (30/70 mix). Breast milk or baby formula is good, as is cow's milk after 12 months of age. These drinks provide calcium and because of their high protein content, will satisfy your child's appetite more than other drinks. Too many sugary drinks may displace more nutritious foods in your child's diet, and increase the risk of obesity and tooth decay.
- If you choose to offer fruit juice to your infant, it is important that you dilute to less than 4% natural sugars (or about 70% water).
What if my baby won't eat?
If solid foods are introduced too early, while your baby's tongue-extrusion reflex (where they push their tongue out) is still strong, they will reject the spoon. You may think your baby is refusing to eat the food, when it is the hard object they are rejecting. Wait a few days and try again when you and your baby are relaxed. Early introduction of solids does not lead to earlier loss of the extrusion reflex - it may just cause you more frustration.
Don't introduce solid food any earlier than four months, as your baby's digestive system cannot correctly process foods other than breast milk or formula. However, by six months breast milk or baby formula is nutritionally insufficient particularly in iron. If you delay solids much past six months, you may cause a delay in the development of skills such as chewing, and your baby's acceptance of new tastes and textures.
Once your baby is used to solid foods, they may seem fussier some days than others. But your baby's tastes and appetite will vary and what he/she accepts willingly one day will be rejected the next. Or the food may be new and not what your baby was expecting. Continue to offer a variety of foods, even ones that you think your baby does not like. It may take up to ten attempts before they accept a new food.
Fussy eating is more common after 12 months, particularly between 18-24 months, and often worries parents. It is a normal stage in your child's development, so try not to fuss as this may aggravate the situation.
If you are concerned about your child's eating, seek professional advice from your doctor, dietitian or Child Health Nurse. If they have no concerns about your child's growth and development, and a variety of foods are being offered, it's likely your baby is getting all the nutrients they need.
Fussy Eaters
Between one and five years, it's normal for children to become fussy about their food. After 12 months of age a child's rate of growth slows and therefore so does their appetite. This is also a time when they are becoming more independent, developing their emotions and interacting more verbally with the people around them- they like to test their limits and show you what they think too! It is important not to join in the "power game" - if you set certain limits on acceptable eating behaviour, stick by them and encourage acceptable eating behaviours in more positive ways.
When starting solids, it's easy to mistake your baby's reaction to new food as being fussy. Don't give up on the first try as your baby will usually accept a new food after a few attempts.
Some of the reasons your baby may refuse certain foods include:
- They may still have the tongue-extrusion reflex and be unable to pass food to the back of the palate.
- The texture of the food may be too thick or lumpy to swallow
- The food may not be what your baby was expecting because it's a new taste or texture - we are all born with a 'fear of the new' and negative reactions to new foods is just part of this.
- Your baby may be too tired to eat.
Always seek professional advice from your doctor, dietitian or child and family health nurse if you are concerned about your baby's eating. Provided your child's growth, general health and development are normal and a variety of foods are being offered, it's likely they are getting all the nutrients they need. If your child is on a restrictive diet that excludes major food groups, a nutritional deficiency is more likely to occur.
What do I do?
- Because they have small stomachs, children need to eat small amounts frequently. Children are often slow eaters and can quickly lose interest in eating large amounts. They usually prefer simply prepared foods.
- It is important to offer new foods frequently. Provide a variety of nutritious foods that your child likes at meal times, plus a new food to try. If your child does not like a food that the rest of the family eats, continue to serve it but only place a small amount on the child's plate and don't make a fuss if they don't eat it.
- Your child's appetite will fluctuate considerably from day to day, depending on growth and activity. Many parents find their children eat better at certain times of the day. Children often eat poorly at the end of the day when they are tired.
- Never use food, especially food high in fat or sugar, as a reward. It will increase a child's preference for that food and make them less likely to accept more nutritious foods.
- At about nine months, babies will begin to assert their independence and may want to feed themselves. Offer food they can eat with their fingers, such as pieces of cooked vegetables and meat, lentil patties, soft fruits or bread.
- Children like to copy the rest of the family so it's important they see them eating a variety of nutritious foods. For this reason, families often review their eating habits when babies start eating solids.
- If fussy eating is becoming a bigger and continuing problem try using some the behaviour management ideas suggested by the Positive Parenting Program (PPP) such as, 'time out' , and reward systems (not food rewards!) or consult your local health care provider for advice on behaviour management.
- Be patient and keep meal times relaxed and happy.
