When to start feeding solid food to your baby

In the Philippines, experts recommend feeding first solid food to baby at 6 months. One difficulty I find with that is at that age, a baby can already grab a spoon or even the bowl itself and make a lot of mess around the dining area. More importantly, it takes more time for the baby to get accustomed to eating from a spoon. When this happens, feeding becomes a daunting task for both the parent and the baby himself.

I, pretty much a hands-on Mom, have three girls. I started feeding my first-born at 4 months old. That was an awesome experience. I have a picture of her eating her first baby food with gusto. For the 2nd and 3rd children, I started feeding them at around six months. When I started feeding my 3rd child, that's the time I realized again that I should have started feeding her earlier. I know I also had a little difficulty feeding my 2nd child at 6 months but I didn't write it down. I sort of forgot(?) the experience and there came the 'feeding my third child for the first time' and the realization all came back to me! At about 4 and 1/2 months she was already beginning to show real interest in the food that we eat. I ignored that for a few more weeks and sticked to the advice to start feeding her only when she's 6 months old.

I was exclusively breastfeeding and at five months old, my baby wanted more milk than I can produce. (As a Mom, you would know when this happens.) I find her crankier. I couldn't give her formula milk because she refused feeding from a bottle. I saw it happened as the days go by but still I waited for the 6th month. When I started feeding her at six months, it took about two weeks before she can at least eat a tablespoon of baby food.

Feeding first foods can be a cherished moment, stress-free, not to mention camera and video friendly (one of the baby's firsts, remember?) for both parent/s and baby if it is started once you see your baby is ready.

Remember that every baby has individual needs, so don't be surprised if your baby seems ready for solids earlier or later than other babies of the same age. Don't be pressurized by friends with young babies, or helpful relatives. Be guided by your own baby.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
* if your baby still seems hungry after a milk feed
* wants feeding more frequently
* starts waking at night after some weeks of sleeping through
* shows a real interest in the foods that you are eating
* seems more restless and cranky

If your baby is showing some or all of these signs then she is probably ready to begin solids but the majority of babies should not be given solid foods before four months as their digestive systems can't cope. Be guided as well by any family history of allergies, eczema or asthma.

In the first few days or weeks of feeding, your baby is not dependent on solid food for the supply of nutrients as this is still met by milk feeds. Don't worry if she only takes a taste of food - the actual experience of taking food off a spoon is the important thing.

However, by six months the baby's body store of nutrients has been used up and solid foods are crucial for supplying vital minerals and vitamins your baby needs. But of course, milk will still be an important part of your child's diet.

Here's one recipe to try as baby's first food. It's very simple to prepare. It's consistency should be only slightly thicker than milk. Then as days or weeks go by you can reduce the amount of water and add some other vegetables which you can find in the other recipes.

SQUASH PUREE

1 cup squash (diced about 2cm wide)
1 cup water

Boil the water then add the cubed squash. Simmer for 15 minutes. Puree in a blender or a food processor.

Add previously boiled or purified water as needed to make the puree smoother when you're going to feed it already. Instead of water, you can use expressed breastmilk or formula milk (if your baby is already drinking formula milk) just before serving so that the taste will be more familiar to your baby.

My baby is allergic to formula milk that's why I only added formula milk to her food when she's already 1 year old.