Babies are introduced to solid food from month four on. The food is best introduced in stages.
Starter foods, also known as intro foods, are thin and soft; they are mostly purees. They enable the baby to transition smoothly from milk to solid foods.
Guidelines for introduction:
- Introduce one meal (single ingredient only) at a time.
- Serve the same meal for two to four days while observing baby’s reaction (watch for skin rashes, hard or loose stool).
- Blend thoroughly to make a smooth runny paste for baby to feed easily.
These foods are mostly prepared by blending. Some examples include beans, carrots, peas, sweet potato, yams and squash for vegetables; apples, avocados, apricots, bananas, prunes, mango, peaches, papaya, pears, plums and prunes and pumpkin for fruits.
Note: your baby’s refusal to eat is not a sign that the food is bad. Babies can reject a new meal for a long time before accepting it. Continue feeding until your baby adapts to that particular meal.