Mother And Baby: When Is a Baby Ready for Solid Foods?
At some point all babies are ready to start eating solid foods, it is important to recognize the signs so that you will be able to start your child at the appropriate time.
These signs are pretty easy to spot as the child will make it pretty obvious when he is ready to start eating solids.
Most babies will start to eat solid foods at an age of four to six months, prior to this he will not be able to digest the foods properly and is not ready for them.
The clearest sign that he is ready for solid foods is if he is able to sit up and control his head properly.
He does not necessarily have to be able to sit up unsupported but he should be able to do it with a minimal amount of assistance.
Another good sign that a baby is ready for solids is that he is able to determine when he is full.
It is important that a baby be able to do this so that he does not over eat.
You will notice this when your baby is able to start deciding on his own when he has had enough of his bottle or breast feeding.
If he turns his head away after he has been feed a sufficient amount it is his way of telling you that he is full, at this point you should be able to move on to solid foods.
One last sign to look for to make sure that your baby is ready for solids is that he does not push foods out of his mouth with his tongue.
In infants this is a reflex that is designed to make sure that they do not eat solid foods that they are not ready for.
If his tongue automatically pushes food out of his mouth than he is not ready for solid foods.
There are a few other signs that you may want to pay attention to in order to help decide if your child is ready for solid foods.
These ones are not particularly reliable however so you will want to make sure that you see other signs to go with them.
The first of these is that your child shows an interest in the foods that you are eating.
Another sign is that his birth weight has doubled.
One last sign is that a baby who has previously had regular sleep patterns starts waking in the middle of the night because he is hungry.
These could be signs that he is ready for solid foods or they could be caused by other things.
These signs are pretty easy to spot as the child will make it pretty obvious when he is ready to start eating solids.
Most babies will start to eat solid foods at an age of four to six months, prior to this he will not be able to digest the foods properly and is not ready for them.
The clearest sign that he is ready for solid foods is if he is able to sit up and control his head properly.
He does not necessarily have to be able to sit up unsupported but he should be able to do it with a minimal amount of assistance.
Another good sign that a baby is ready for solids is that he is able to determine when he is full.
It is important that a baby be able to do this so that he does not over eat.
You will notice this when your baby is able to start deciding on his own when he has had enough of his bottle or breast feeding.
If he turns his head away after he has been feed a sufficient amount it is his way of telling you that he is full, at this point you should be able to move on to solid foods.
One last sign to look for to make sure that your baby is ready for solids is that he does not push foods out of his mouth with his tongue.
In infants this is a reflex that is designed to make sure that they do not eat solid foods that they are not ready for.
If his tongue automatically pushes food out of his mouth than he is not ready for solid foods.
There are a few other signs that you may want to pay attention to in order to help decide if your child is ready for solid foods.
These ones are not particularly reliable however so you will want to make sure that you see other signs to go with them.
The first of these is that your child shows an interest in the foods that you are eating.
Another sign is that his birth weight has doubled.
One last sign is that a baby who has previously had regular sleep patterns starts waking in the middle of the night because he is hungry.
These could be signs that he is ready for solid foods or they could be caused by other things.