Starting solids for babies is the first major milestone in becoming independent
from mother.
The term ‘weaning’ comes from ‘wemian’, which means custom. Weaning begins
from the moment supplementary food is started and continues till the child is
taken off the breast completely.
Before 2005, it was the Traditional
Spoon-Feeding method (TSF), in practice. In 2005, “GILL RAPLEY”, coined the
term “Baby Led” weaning (BLW), which is a simple approach to start solid foods
where you bypass the TSF, and encourage the infant to self-feed.

Babies are offered different varieties of foods and baby feeds themselves directly.

It helps them know their own hunger signals, how much to eat and when to stop.

It helps the baby understand the texture of the food, touch and feel, colour and
appearance.

It helps a healthy relationship with food later on in life.

SIGNS OF READINESS WE SHOULD OBSERVE IN A CHILD FOR STARTING SOLID FOODS:
● Sitting up well and good head control,
which helps in swallowing food,
● “Pincer Grasp” or picking up things with 2-fingers (thumb and forefinger),
● Curiosity/interest in solid foods,
● “Tongue Thrust Reflex” or not spitting out everything, – this is a natural reflux babies have to protect
themselves from accidentally choking. This naturally goes away by 6-7 months.

FOODS THAT CAN BE GIVEN:

INTRODUCE ONLY 1 FOOD AT A TIME.
Give daily for 4-5 days and then add another food group or substitute.

1.Vegetables and Green Leafy Vegetables :
Well cooked vegetables, mashed (well cooked) vegetables or green leafy vegetables along with cereal or gruels like rice, rice flakes, ragi flour.
To make the meal calorie dense, add a small amount of ghee. Well cooked and strained green leafy veg. soups and mixed vegetable soups.

2.Fruits:
Soft fruits like banana, steamed apple, ripe avocados (mashed), honeydew, mashed deseeded berries, ripe mango.
Citric fruits might cause rashes hence look out for any symptoms.
Fruit juices should be avoided or initially given diluted with boiled water in 1:4 dilution.

3.Curd:
Home-set curd sweetened with fruit purees can be given in small amounts and gradually increased.

4.Pulses:
Well cooked pulses along with cereals, like soft mushy kichadi can be given, gradually pulse and veg can be combined or pulse and meat preparations can be given.

5.Millets:
Malted millet-cereals/ gruels are calorie dense and nutritionally power packed.

6.Egg:
Small amount of hard-boiled egg yolk can be given initially and if the infant tolerates, eventually whole egg yolk and
then egg white should be offered. Egg white in some cases causes allergies, hence look out for symptoms.

7.Meat:
Minced well cooked meat, fish can be given with mild flavors and spices, starting slowly first with clear soups around 7-8 months of age.

8.WATER..needed for digestion

FOODS TO BE AVOIDED
1. SALT, SUGAR AND HONEY are a strict NO-NO till the age 1.
2. Packaged foods, canned foods and juices should be avoided.
3. Store bought/animal milk can be given after the age 1.

In few cases nuts- especially peanuts, shellfish, soy, causes allergies in babies.
Few newer studies suggest that these
foods are advised to be given around 8-9 months, so the baby develops immunity towards them. Strictly look out for
symptoms. These foods should be given 1/week and looked out carefully. Can be regularly given if the baby tolerates.
On the other hand if the baby has any allergic symptoms, avoid it for a few
days and try later in small amounts and look out again.

START WITH FINGER FOODS AROUND 9 MONTHS OF AGE
Finger foods are easy to grab by the infant and hence has to be the size and
thickness of the adult little finger.
Few foods can be :

• Steamed green beans, steamed florets of cauliflower and broccoli, steamed and
  stir-fried vegetable sticks, such as carrot, potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, beets,
  raw sticks of cucumber(de-seeded), thick slices of avocado, rice balls along with
  dal or meat, or vegetables and well cooked chicken.
• Fruits, such as pear, steamed apple, banana, peach, mango, honeydew—as sticks or small pieces.
• Gradually, hard-boiled egg yolk-pieces followed by egg whites can be introduced.