Solid Foods: The Whys

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

Solid foods are the question every mother starts to ask when her baby is somewhere between four and six months old. Breast milk and formula provide great nutrition for a baby until they are four months old and in some cases until they are six months old. Nutritional values in breast milk do not go away at six months, either, however growing babies need an adequate supply of calories and they may not be getting as many calories as they need as they get older.

There are many babies that remained on breast milk only until one year of age and they were just fine. However, starting solid foods is a developmental milestone. There is also some evidence that children who start their solid foods late have difficulty accepting it.

Every baby is different. While there is an average time for starting solid foods, your baby will be ready when they are ready. Of course, the obvious question is when is your baby ready? When your baby starts staring at what you are eating and making mouthing gestures - then you know they are ready to start.

Babies go from staring to reaching, so if you need reassurance - when your baby is reaching for your food, then you will know it's a reasonable time to start offering it to them. My five month old nephew is already staring bullets at anyone who is eating food and he's more than ready to start eating solids - he's getting downright demanding about it.

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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