ABC of Weaning

Weaning is the process of gradually introducing the infant to solid diet and reducing the supply of mother’s milk. A fully weaned infant derives all its nutrition from solid foods and is off breast milk completely.

How to know when your baby’s ready?
Today, most pediatricians advocate starting weaning only after the infant is six months old. Infants who are weaned too early may suffer dietary deficiencies as the milk is replaced by weaning foods. Moreover, younger infants are more prone to developing allergies because of underdeveloped immune systemdefine.

Also, weaning around six months is easier and more enjoyable as the baby can sit up and take an active part in feeding. The tongue thrust reflex is settled by now (young babies will automatically push solids out of their mouth with their tongue).

Key Points for the First Helping:
• The first solids fed to a baby must be easy to digest and unlikely to provoke an allergic reaction. It’s best to start with small amounts – offer one or two small teaspoonfuls of each new food.

• The foods should be pureed depending upon the child’s acceptability. Some kids may not need runny pureed foods and are able to move from runny foods to mashed lumpy foods and then to finger foods more quickly. Take special precautions for chocking foods.

• First weaning foods should be bland, with no added salt or sugar. Excessive salt in baby food can cause dehydration. They can be mashed or prepared in a blender and mixed with expressed breast milk or boiled water.

• Avoid spicy foods as these can irritate the digestive tract and cause diarrhea.

• Introduce one food at a time and watch out closely for any allergic reaction against it.

Suitable first foods:
• Most mothers start with baby rice softened with breast milk or formula milk and fed from a spoon. This can be followed by the gradual introduction of sieved or pureed fruits and vegetables. However, spinach, turnip and beetroot should be avoided initially.

• Cooked pulses, such as lentils or soybeans, which are put through a sieve, can be added to the diet gradually, followed by pureed chicken.

• Well cooked eggs, wheat-based cereals, bread, fish and cheese may be introduced between 9 to 12 months.

• Avoid serving cow’s milk to babies until they are 12 months old, mainly because it is low in iron.

Most importantly, weaning should be taken as a process, rather than an event. Be patient. Avoid abrupt weaning, as it can cause emotional trauma in the baby and physical difficulties like engorged breasts or breast infection in the mother.