As a parent, you would want to feed best foods to your kid right from the beginning. Breast milk is the only food and source of nutrition for them till six months. When your paediatrician gives a green signal to start weaning, provide your tot with the best first foods to feed baby. Many first-time parents do not know how to conduct baby-led weaning and what foods to give to them. Keeping that in mind, onlymyhealth reached out to Dr. Siddharth Reddy, Paediatrician at Sharda hospital, Greater noida. Scroll down and check out what he is suggesting.
What are the Best First Foods for Baby?
Since taste buds of the child are developing, you should start with mild flavours that they can easily take. Start with bland and then go to flavorful foods. This will allow their tongue to develop taste gradually. However, you should keep in mind nutrition that is quintessential for kids to promote their growth and development.
According to Dr. Reddy, home made foods and semisolids foods are the best foods to introduce to baby after six months. Following are some first solid foods for babies:
- Mashed potato
- Daal chawal with ghee(just a little)
- Kheer(both sweet and savoury)
- Daliya
- Khichdi
- Fruits like Banana,Papaya which are easy in chewing.
All these foods are meant to be given in pureed form as they only have soft milk teeth and tender gums. It is easier for them to chew and digest these foods. If you are giving these foods to your child immediately after six months, then give them one bowl of these once a day.
Also Read: Say No To Packaged Baby Foods, Feed Your Baby This Homemade Multigrain Baby Food
Gradually increase the amount as per the appetite and digestibility of your baby. Dr. Reddy suggests giving one bowl three times a day after six months.
Why?
Movement of jaw for chewing and swallowing in kids will start after 6 months so we need to take care of proper nutrition for kids. Hence, giving these ensures maximal nutrition for your tiny tot.
Secondly, body development is slow and steady and so, nutrition should also be provided in a steady manner. By following this, you are maintaining the balance of protein, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins in kids body.
Best first foods to feed baby
Here are some foods that you can start feeding your baby after he/she turns six months old.
- Apple
- Potato
- Sweet Potato
- Avocado
- Yogurt
- Banana
- Egg
- Broccoli
- Salmon
- Squash
NOTE: The only requirement is that you puree these or get them into semi-solid form to make it easy for the child to consume.
Do’s and Don’ts
Let us now explains some food safety tips and potential risks that you must avoid.
Also Read: How to Tell the Difference Between Intolerance and Allergy
Allergies
Food allergies can happen to anyone and some babies are born with food allergies. Before feeding them, you must check with your paediatrician for possible food allergies that your baby might be having. Proceed only after you get their approval. The common foods that cause allergies are eggs, dairy, fish and peanuts. However, studies have found that feeding allergic foods in the first year can prevent allergies.
Avoid using bottle for feeding semi-solid foods
Many parents try to feed their child through bottles in order to fool them for milk. While this might work in some cases, it increases risk of choking. If the baby rejects the feed, it can lead to choking throat.
Supervise them
Do not let them eat alone as they might land up in trouble. Teach them the right sitting posture while eating to improve digestion. This helps them understand how to sit while eating. It also eliminates the risk of choking.
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