Baby food is a food other than breast milk or formula that is made specifically for children aged approximately from four to six months up to 2 years. The food comes in multiple varieties and tastes can be produced by many manufacturers, or can be table food that the rest of the family is eating, mashed up. Because babies have no teeth, many different baby foods are designed for ease of eating, but they are a soft paste or liquid foods that are easy to chew.
Nutrition;
Babies typically move to consuming baby food once nursing or formula is not enough for the child’s appetite. Babies do not need to have teeth to transition to eating solid foods. Teeth, however, usually begin to appear at this age. Care should be taken with certain foods that pose a choking hazard, such as cooked vegetables, or foods that may contain bones. Babies should begin eating liquid style baby food, sometimes mixed with rice cereal and formula or breast milk. Puree vegetables and fruits are an example of liquid baby food style. Then, as the baby is able to chew, small parts, or soft bumps may be included. Care should be taken, as babies with teeth have the ability to break the pieces of food, but do not possess the back molars to grind so worried parents carefully mass or break baby food into manageable pieces for your baby. About 6 months old, babies can begin to feed themselves (picking up food pieces with hands, with the whole fist, or later, the pincer grasp and thumb and forefinger) with help from parents.
The World Health Organization, UNICEF and many national health organizations recommend not giving your baby any solid food until about 6 months of age, but babies are very different. A good way to know when to introduce baby food is to watch for signs of readiness in the child. Warning signs include the ability to sit without support, loss of tongue thrusting and display active interest in foods others are eating. Baby can start directly on normal family food, if you pay attention to a choking hazard; this is known as baby-weaning. Because breast milk takes on the flavor of foods eaten by the mother, these foods are especially good choices.
If you have a family history of allergies, it may be useful to introduce only one new food at a time, leaving a couple of days in between to notice any reactions that might indicate a food allergy or sensitivity. This way if the baby is unable to tolerate a certain food, then you can determine which food is causing the reaction and try to avoid it in the future.
Health;
As a global public health recommendation, the World Health Organization recommends that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Six months of age, children are physiologically ready for the development of new foods, textures and forms of power. Experts advising the World Health Assembly have provided evidence that introducing solids before six months increases the chances of babies having disease without improving growth.
One of the health problems associated with the introduction of solid foods before six months is iron deficiency. The early introduction of complementary foods can satisfy the hunger of the baby, resulting in less frequent breastfeeding and less, ultimately, and production of milk in the mother. Due to the fact that the absorption of iron from human milk is depressed when the milk is in contact with other foods in the proximal small intestine, the early use of complementary foods may increase the risk of iron deficiency and anemia.
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