Baby care breastfeeding, baby food

Precautions to be taken while feeding solid food to your four month old baby for the first time. * First and foremost, whatever you feed the baby, make sure to follow a strict timetable for his meals. By this, you are setting a routine for the baby's appetite from an early age. * Before starting any solid food, consult your doctor and get a baby food specifications chart done for him. * Maintain a balance in the baby food diet and in the amount of nutrients, so that your baby neither lacks any nutrients nor gets an overdose of any one nutrient. * If you are feeding a new solid food item to the baby, feed him only 3-4 spoons initially. If he can digest that item without vomiting it out or without causing any stomach disturbance, you may continue with that food * Make the baby sit while feeding him. A four month baby can be held in the lap or can sit in a baby chair, with some support. Sitting position will help him digest his food faster and better. * Use a small spoon

Whether or not a four old month baby is capable of having food other than breast-fed milk or baby formula, depends on the health condition of the baby. If the baby has not experienced any stomach related problems up till four months, he can start having solid food in his diet. Generally, smashed food is fed to the baby, as he can swallow it without chewing. Pastes and liquid food can be included in the baby food diet. However, it is advised that nothing spicy or oily should be tried.

Your baby does not need to feed often as he reaches four months. His stomach grows bigger by this age and he tends to develop feeding habits that are more like elders. Despite less feeding, he will still gain weight. He may attempt to snatch the food off elders' plates. Though he may be unable to chew, due to lack of teeth, he will lick it to test its taste. Parents often mistake this gesture of the baby and encourage him to eat more of the solid food . Parents should keep in mind that baby food for 4 month baby is very different from what we adults eat.