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What does a 4 month old baby eat?
“My mother has been feeding us since the fourth month. I will follow her method with my child; The experience is always right!
No.. I heard a doctor on TV who does not recommend eating until the age of one year.
How did an American pediatrician recommend postponing food until the age of 6 months only?! ”
If you are on one of the mothers' groups on Facebook, you must read daily such conversations that only increase your confusion!
As soon as your baby reaches the age of four months, several questions about your baby's nutrition come to mind: Does the baby have to eat? What does the baby eat in the fourth month? What is the number of baby meals in the fourth month? Does he eat our food? Or is there a way to prepare the baby's food in the fourth month?
Today I will give you detailed scientific answers to these questions, and I promise that at the end of this article you will be able to make the right decision for your child.
What is the appropriate age for a child to eat?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends only breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a child's life; Breast milk or even formula is the only source of nutrition your baby needs at this time.
After 6 months, your child begins to need nutrients that are not found in breast milk, such as iron and zinc; We then resort to feeding them to the baby by introducing small amounts of food.
Most health experts acknowledge that by the age of 4 months, most infants are able to eat solid foods, in addition to breastfeeding or formula, which is the basis; The introduction of CERELAC in the fourth month of the baby is never a substitute for breastfeeding.
You also see the doctors themselves differ in the appropriate age for your child to eat foods, but they agree in several more important factors that determine your child's susceptibility to it; So before we answer the question of a 4-month-old baby, what does he eat, we must first clarify when the baby is ready to eat?
When is your child ready to eat?
There are several signs that tell you that your child is ready to eat, including:
That he can sit well and control his head, so as not to tilt or shake.
That the child has a desire to explore, so you find him putting his hand and his toys in his mouth; Thus, he is able to lift food with his hand to his mouth.
Being able to hold food in his mouth without pushing it out with his tongue, but rather directing it inward to swallow it.
That the child shows a desire to eat food by looking at him and opening his mouth.
In addition to the above signs, your child's pediatrician must first seek approval before beginning to feed your child.
4 month old baby what does he eat? (Meals for infants 4 months old)
Baby food in the fourth month:
Cereals (cerelac): such as rice, barley, wheat, oats.
Vegetables: such as broccoli, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, zucchini.
Fruits: such as bananas, mangoes, avocados, cooked apples and pears, peaches, plums, and guavas.
Dairy products: such as yogurt and cheese.
Here are 9 delicious meal ideas for 4-month-old babies, get to know them here.
Read also
When to introduce food to a baby - the first food for a baby
Benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child? Amazing benefits you didn't know before
How to prepare baby food in the fourth month
mash the baby's food after it has been boiled or steamed; So that it is soft and very soft, like the consistency of milk, so it is easy to swallow.
There are special preparations for the first meal:
Prepare the child for food to be in a good psychological state and not tired, and make sure that he is a little hungry.
Mix the food with expressed breast milk or formula. To make the taste familiar to your child.
Make the first food experience a positive fun experience and don't be a war; Allow a child to touch the food, hold it in his hand, and put it himself in his mouth.
Know that the child usually objects when eating the first food; So wait a few minutes and then try again. If he refuses, wait a week and try again. If he still objects, talk to your pediatrician to make sure this resistance is not a sign of a problem.
Golden tips that will make your 4-month-old baby feeding experience a success
Here are a set of tips that will make it easier for you to eat the baby in the fourth month:
Start by introducing one type of food (without adding sugar or salt) and gradually increase the amount of food over the days; On the first day, give your child two spoons, then four spoons on the second, six spoons on the third, and on the fourth give him a full meal, and in the meantime, notice any allergy symptoms that appear on him.
After a week, you can introduce a new variety on its own with the same gradation, while observing allergy symptoms. Then you can combine two tested foods together.
Bring the spoon to your baby's mouth first to let him smell and taste the food, but don't surprise him with the spoon in his mouth.
Keep in mind that a baby's stomach is small, about the size of the palm of his hand. Don't expect him to finish his meal completely, and don't compare his meal to yours or his older brother's meal.
Children prefer sugary taste more; They like fruits more than vegetables; So when you introduce vegetables to your child, make sure to mix them with fruits so that he does not reject them, this is of course after making sure that there is no allergy to any of them.
be diverse; Do not repeat the same foods every day so that your child does not get bored.
If your child does not like a particular food, try serving it differently with another food he likes. So be familiar to him.
When introducing a new food, remember that the amount a child eats does not matter as much as the number of different foods he tries; Because in all cases, he gets the nutrients he needs from breast milk. It only benefits from exposing him to different types of food to get used to eating.
Make mealtime fun for your child, and let him play; Try giving him a spoon other than the one you feed him with; Play with it, and later encourage him to eat himself.
Do not force him to eat more than he wants; Rather, make sure that you love him in eating, and create in his mind a positive association with him.
Have the baby's food at the same time as the family's meal; Children love to share.
Offer your child cooked solid fruits and vegetables. Cooking breaks down the cell wall of the plant and makes it easy to digest.
Follow food preparation instructions, which include washing hands thoroughly before cooking food.
If you don't want to cook food every day, you can make ready-to-heat meals and keep them in the freezer, and take out small portions on an outside dish for daily use.