Current recommendation on introduction of weaning food for babies affirms that nothing other than breast milk should be given to a baby until they are 6 months old. Now…This has been put into question…
Most mothers, very often urge the Paediatricians to “yes” for starting the solid foods early for their babies. They show their keenness in starting the solids. Paediatricians have resisted that urge of the mothers, for decades.They have spent an awful lot of time, advising the parents not to start the weaning food early.
Now study done in the UK proves that parents are right. Babies introduced to solid weaning foods early, slept much better and longer, woke less frequently at night and encountered fewer serious sleep problems, than those exclusively breastfed until 6 months of age….
This study is titled as “The Enquiring About Tolerance (EAT) study ”
This is not the first time the current advice of “delayed weaning” has been put into question.
The main reason why delayed weaning is advised is to avoid food items that potentially could cause allergy later in life, if they were introduced early in life. But that idea has been proven to be wrong from multiple studies
Weaning recommendations
Introduction of solid weaning food into the diet of healthy babies between the age of four and six months is safe and does not pose a risk and does not result in ill health.
Continue to breast feed while solids are introduced
Offer babies a range of textures as soon as possible. Pureed food to start with and go onto soft finger foods from around six to seven months of age
Start Iron rich foods such as spinach early ( at 6 months )
Food charts are not mandatory to a successful weaning process.
“It is the process of trial and negotiated settlement between the smart mother and the cute baby”
It would seem that the age to offer solids to a breastfed or ABM fed infant is when they show development milestones that coordinate with maturation of the gut … of course some of these are researched as being ability to sit for extended period of time; pincer movements of fingers; coordinated hand to mouth; and showing an interest in “people food” at a table … these can happen as early as 4-5 months and as late as 7-8 …
True.But food and it’s consistency could be modified to suit the developmental ability of a particular baby. Most of the solids food items could be pureed and given at quite an young age. What we now is that delayed intrduction of supposedly allergenic foods is not helpful to prevent allergies in children in the long term. On the otherhand introducing them early could be helpful
It would seem that the age to offer solids to a breastfed or ABM fed infant is when they show development milestones that coordinate with maturation of the gut … of course some of these are researched as being ability to sit for extended period of time; pincer movements of fingers; coordinated hand to mouth; and showing an interest in “people food” at a table … these can happen as early as 4-5 months and as late as 7-8 …
True.But food and it’s consistency could be modified to suit the developmental ability of a particular baby. Most of the solids food items could be pureed and given at quite an young age. What we now is that delayed intrduction of supposedly allergenic foods is not helpful to prevent allergies in children in the long term. On the otherhand introducing them early could be helpful