While your baby is getting older, he or she becomes extremely interested in trying new things, especially foods. They subconsciously copy their parents who can easily grab food from the fridge and eat what they want. All new shapes, textures and tastes are quite magnetic for kids and there shouldn’t be any problems with making your little one engaged in trying new stuff. But parents themself can make mistakes and offer unhealthy or inappropriate diets.
Sometimes, this process becomes challenging for parents who are unfamiliar with some basic rules. So when your loved one is ready to switch from breast milk or baby formula, you need to keep in mind these useful tips on how to make this new experience easy and pleasing.
Tips on how to do it
- It’s a matter of time, so don’t rush.
As your child’s stomach is used to breast milk or formula that is quite easy to consume and digest, they need some time to get familiar with chewing, sipping and other processes of eating. So, it is vital to do everything gradually. When the child shows the first sign of interest in «adult» food, give them a small amount of food daily and observe their reaction during the next few days. If a baby’s doing well, you can go on with other foods. Sometimes the reaction can be adverse and you’ll be able to find out what product causes that.
While introducing solids, babies are still eating some milk and getting all the necessary nutrients. But as you serve less milk you need to think about the nutritional value of foods that you give to your loved one. So, gradually substitute milk with fruits, veggies, cereals, meat, fish and other meals.
2. Let kids behave like adults.
They can be in charge of choosing the food for meals and that’s how they would be more interested in eating that later. Moreover, they can participate in grocery shopping. This process can be not only funny for them but also quite instructive. They would learn how to choose healthy foods and learn something about prices. Next step is preparing that food. Cooking can also teach them a lot as washing foods, cutting them and some other safety rules. That way children will be more interested in their own well-being.
Tips on what food to choose
3. Make your child’s diet diverse
Experts claim that a kid should eat as many healthy foods as possible. First years of life are extremely important and a child should get enough nutrients to have the strength to grow and develop. So parents have to feed their babies with food of different groups to enrich their little ones with necessary vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and other useful elements.
4. Make the food easy to eat.
You can search for some information online and get a bunch of recipes that are healthy for your child and easy to make. But the main idea is to start with foods that will be easy to chew and swallow. So you need to smash some veggies and fruits or serve those that are really soft and in small pieces. Remember to keep it safe for your baby.
5. Take advantage of ready-made food
You can even use some ready made baby foods when you don’t feel like cooking or don’t have the possibility to do that. They are slightly more expensive than cooking yourself and they actually save parents’ time. Moreover, organic food is also completely free from additives and kids love them so much. For example, you can use organic baby oatmeal. It is a great idea for breakfast and it is widely available. The really nice example, that most parents and kids are into, is HiPP oatmeal. Check it online or in the local supermarket.
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