Guidelines for Introducing Solid Foods to Breastfed Babies

It is undeniable that most important baby food is breast milk. All nutrition needed by the baby has already been supplied by this kind of milk. However, when the baby has started to enter the age of 6 months, it is time for the baby to get additional food or complementary food for breast milk.

This complementary food will supplement the breast milk consumption. Mommies are usually confused to decide what semi-solid foods should be given to the baby. 

Moreover, introducing the baby to new foods is not easy because if the food provided is inappropriate, it can lead to indigestion problem, such as constipation or bloating. 

Selecting Types of Food

Providing semi-solid food to the baby for the first time should be given gradually, considering the types of food, the portions, and also texture. The first standard semi-solid food to supplement the breast milk is rice porridge. The viscosity of the food and the portions must be adapted to the infant's readiness to digest the food.

Considering the texture of the food, the baby should initially be given a rather watery porridge, then the semi-solid foods after being familiar with the complementary foods. The solid porridge should be given after the baby has grown some teeth because he will also learn to chew the food with his teeth. 

For the portion, Mommy can start from a single spoon and then gradually increased in accordance with the portion of the baby. There are many kinds of baby porridge, ranging from milk porridge, rice porridge, fruit porridge, and so on. 

The porridge initially given to the baby is the porridge which is made of cereal-type, such as oatmeal or rice containing a lot of vitamins, fiber, and minerals which are good for the baby’s health.

Additional Snacks

During the complementary food administration, the baby also consumes breast milk according to the needs. When the baby has started teething, Mommy will usually feel pain while breastfeeding. To overcome this, Mommy can use the breastfeeding tips for babies who have started teething.

In addition to the porridge, other complementary foods such as snacks which can be given to the baby are biscuits. Biscuits should be given when the baby is 7 months old. At this age, the baby can eat and hold his own biscuits.

Biscuits can help babies learn to chew and stimulate the growth of teeth. Although the baby is permitted to eat cookies, mommy should avoid giving cookies containing high salt and sugar. Mommy can choose biscuits which have low sugar content, have soft texture, and contain vital substances from milk such as vitamins, proteins, and minerals.

In providing biscuits for the baby, they could be given by dissolving them to the warm milk or boiled water. If the baby can already sit and have started teething, the biscuits can be given directly to be held with his hands.