Signs that your baby is ready for solids

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with Master, Doctor Ngo Thi Oanh - Pediatrician - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.
Parents are advised to introduce solid foods when the baby is 6 months old. However, there are children who can start solids earlier or later. Knowing the baby's signs of demanding solids will be very helpful for parents in determining when the baby can eat more foods other than breast milk.

1. What is weaning?

At birth, breast milk is the baby's main source of food. By the age of 6 months, babies will need more vitamins and minerals, especially iron, than the nutrients in breast milk they receive. At this time, parents need to feed their baby with other foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, etc. This is called weaning. During the weaning process, breast milk remains the main source of nutrition for the baby until the baby is 1 year old or older.

2. Ideal age for babies to eat solids

Health experts and nutritionists all recommend that parents wait until their baby is 6 months old to start introducing solids, even if babies ask for food as early as 4 or 5 months old. The reasons are because:
Early introduction of solids causes the baby to miss out on some essential nutrients from breast milk (including energy, vitamins and minerals that help the baby develop); Your baby's digestive system is still developing and maturing. 6 months old is the mold baby easier to digest food; The organs in a child's body are still continuing to perfect their coordination. After 6 months of age, your baby will easily swallow food, reducing the risk of choking; Breast milk provides babies with all the nutrients they need for the first 6 months, so before this time, parents don't need to give them solid foods.

3. Signs for babies to eat solids

As your baby approaches 6 months old, parents may start to notice some signs that a baby is ready for solid foods. They are:
Double birth weight: This is a sign that the baby needs new foods besides breast milk to ensure the necessary nutrition; Baby maintains a balanced sitting position, can hold his head steady – a sign that he is strong enough to be able to begin to get used to more solid foods; Baby knows how to take food and put it in his mouth; The child has reflex to bring the lower lip forward to receive food from the spoon; Children know how to turn their heads away when they do not want to eat a certain food; Baby's tongue no longer automatically reflexes to push foreign objects as before; Children show interest in food that adults give them; If parents notice these signs of introducing solids, they need to watch their baby carefully to see if he swallows or is still pushing the food out of his mouth. Maybe the baby will push the food out the first time because it is a reflex to the strange food, but the next time it is fed, the baby will swallow it. If the baby swallows the food, it means that the baby is ready for solid foods.
However, parents need to be aware that the baby may unconsciously show signs that make parents think that the baby is ready for solid foods when in fact it is not. Signs such as holding hands, asking for more milk, waking up in the night (even if your baby has slept soundly before) are completely normal, not signs that your baby is ready for solid foods.
If the baby does not sleep well at night, parents often give the baby a supplement in the hope that this will help the baby sleep better. However, there is no evidence that solids help babies sleep better. So, when the baby wakes up at night but there are no signs that the baby is ready to eat solids, the mother just needs to give the baby more milk.
The age of 6 months is not the only criterion for starting solid foods. When the child has all the signs on the new parents should start giving the baby solid foods to help the baby develop well both intellectually and physically.
The period of baby eating solid foods is an extremely important period to help children develop comprehensively. Children who do not eat properly are at risk of micro-mineral deficiencies, causing anorexia, growth retardation, malabsorption, etc. If they notice the above signs, parents should supplement their children with supportive products. The supplement contains lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well.
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