Baby Threadmarks

Learning to feed a baby can be a daunting task for any new parent. You have to make sure your baby is getting the right kinds of foods at the right time and you have to know how to watch out for allergic reactions. Feeding babies isn’t necessarily complicated but it can be troublesome if you don’t know what you’re doing. What you feed your baby and the way you approach feeding your baby will teach your baby a few very important lessons for later in life.  There are basically three stages in baby feeding, but if you want a more detailed approach you can discuss a baby feeding chart or baby feeding schedule with your doctor.

Feeding Your Baby Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated

Let your baby do most of the work. Babies will restlessly squirm or cry to let you know that they are hungry and you should do your best to provide the breast milk or formula when they demand it.  The more in tune with your babies needs you are the less they will whine and cry about not being fed.

Baby Feeding with a Bottle

In order to establish a close bond with your baby you should always make sure to hold them while they eat whether it is from a bottle or from your breast. You should allow the baby enough freedom to move their arms and legs but you should be careful not to jiggle or shake them while they are eating.

Even though it may be fun to play with your baby it is generally not a good idea to do so while they are eating. Hold your bottle feeding baby or breast feeding baby close to you and make sure they are comfortable and can see your face clearly. Let the baby control the amount of food and do not force them to eat if they don’t want to.

When to Start Your Baby on Solid Foods

Babies can’t live off breast milk and formula forever. Eventually there comes a time when they must learn to eat more solid foods. Generally you will want to start introducing solid foods into your baby’s diet around 4-6 months of age and will want to gradually add new types of food over the course of the next 6 months. You want to wean your baby off of the formula and the breast milk, but don’t ever add solid foods to the baby bottle.

The Kidco Baby Feeding Dish

As you introduce solid foods into your babies diet do so one food at a time. Babies need to take things slow and you need to make sure they aren’t allergic to different foods before you start feeding it to them regularly. As you feed your baby maintain eye contact and offer each spoonful at a moderate pace. Don’t rush your baby into eating and make sure to keep their area and face as clean as you can. Speak to your baby with encouraging and quiet tones.

If you’re feeding your baby with canned or jarred baby feeding products make sure to never feed them directly from the container. Take out enough food for the baby’s meal and then store the rest away. Jars and cans can have foreign bacteria on them that you wouldn’t want your baby to ingest.  Also remember that babies are more sensitive to heat, so if you are going to serve them heated food, give it to them warm.

Meal Time Should Be Fun and Loving

You will probably find that feeding your baby comes naturally. You want to make the process of meal time as fun and loving as possible so that you can build a strong bond with your baby early in his life. Keep a close eye on him for any reactions and avoid foods like honey, overly salted or sweetened foods, and enriched formula until they are old enough to handle them.