The right time for weaning

I get a lot of questions about what to feed babies at weaning, so I thought I'll answer some of them here, for all new parents out there ...

What's a good first food?

Can veggies and fruits be given raw?

How many servings of solid food?

What material should I use for feeding?

First of all, I want to congratulate mothers who choose to breastfeed (even for a short time). Breastfeeding is tough and I know that the idea of formula milk is always attractive to mothers.

When I tell other mothers that I breastfed my children, I always (not a single exception) hear about the different reasons why they stopped breastfeeding. It's almost like they're going through the reasons for their own conscience.

Of course, I don't mean to make any mother feel guilty for not breastfeeding. I believe parenthood is all about making decisions that make the most sense to you at the time.

However, I also want to make sure to give breastfeeding mothers the credit they deserve.

Breastfeeding is hard work and often very challenging so 'hats off to all breastfeeding mothers out there'.

Before I answer the questions above, I want to make it very clear that recent research suggests that six months of age is a good time to start weaning babies onto solid foods.

Of course, the most appropriate age to wean seems to change with time and new research, but I do agree that it's best to wait as long as possible to give a chance for the baby's gut to close properly before introducing solids.

At birth, and for a few months after, babies' guts have holes in them so that they can absorb as much nutrients from the mother's milk as possible. If undigested food goes through these holes, it could trigger allergies and other problems. That's why it's best to delay weaning.

From my experience, I was planning to wait until six months to start feeding my baby but I found that at five-and-a-half months he was showing signs of being excessively hungry.

He was not getting full after a full breastfeed, and his sleep was getting choppy after he used to sleep very well. So I made a decision to start him on light solids to check if that's the problem, and I was right. He was ready. So, my advice is to wait until your baby is as close to six months as possible.

What's a good first food? I suggest you start with vegetables. Many books suggest grains such as rice as a first food, but I disagree slightly. I feel that vegetables are much better because they contain enzymes and a wider variety of nutrients. Opt for mild vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cauliflower, broccoli, and avocados (although some may argue that avocados are fruits).

It's very important to start each vegetable on its own and see if the baby has any reaction to it. In my case, for example, I started with carrots and gave him just carrots for three days until I made sure his system accepted it.

Can veggies and fruits be given raw? Yes, but only if you can grind them to a very mushy texture (especially in the first two weeks until the baby knows how to handle chunkier bites).

For example, I give avocados raw. However, I prefer to lightly-steam carrots because they would be too hard for him to swallow. If you steam your vegetables, make sure to use the excess water back while you're blending them. Do not boil as you'll just be throwing out the water which has all the nutrients and the baby won't get much benefit from it.

How many servings of solid food? In the first two weeks of weaning, your baby is just learning about the concept of eating and how to handle food in her mouth. I suggest you go by what the baby tells you (body language of course).

For example, you can start with a few spoonfuls and then stop when she seems full. A baby who is not hungry will NOT allow you to put another bite in her mouth (trust me, I know).

The overall quantity your baby eats will depend on her age, size, etc. However, remember that in the first two weeks of weaning you have to give the full milk feed before the meal. At six months of age, my son used to eat about three tablespoons of mashed vegetables or fruits at each meal (two meals a day).

And, once you've established a certain vegetable or fruit then offer a new one. Do this until you have a varied selection that your baby is eating from.

During the first year, these are the foods that you should keep your baby away from: wheat, dairy (except breast milk or formula of course), honey, and nightshade vegetables such as potatoes, eggplants, peppers and tomatoes.

What material should I use for feeding? Many people use plastic for babies, but I feel that plastic does not do very well with heat. So, I would suggest you use normal ceramic or porcelain bowls for your baby, there's no need for plastic. I also suggest glass bottles instead of plastic (they're very easy to find everywhere, even in some supermarkets).

You can use plastic for the plates that you put in front of your baby, just in case he/she throws it. But serve everything else on non-plastic ware. And, in terms of utensils, you could use either. Plastic is a bit easier for the baby to eat with on but make sure you don't keep the spoon inside the hot food when you're using it.

Here's a quick list of what you'll need for weaning:

Fresh vegetables/fruits (ideally organic if you have access to it).

Small bowls (ceramic or porcelain).

A steamer (or you can steam in your own stainless steel pots using a strainer).

A blender.

Spoons.

Large bibs for the mess.

A beaker for offering room-temperature water with the meal.

For more nutrition and health tips, go to my blog on www.AliaAlmoayedBlog.com and sign up on website www.aliaAlmoayed.com