Tips

3 Day Wait Rule

When introducing a new food it is important to give your baby the same food for 3 days in a row. This will help determine if baby has a reaction to the food.

Gagging

Sometimes when babies are offered a new food they will gag. This is their natural defence to choking. A tip to help rectify this will be to add a little of the milk that your baby is drinking to the puree.

Lumpy foods

Lumpy foods cause gagging in the same way that smooth foods do when introduced to your baby for the first time. In other words, your baby hasn't yet learned to deal with lumps and gags in order to stop any food at the back of his tongue from entering his airways. For some babies, though, this must seem like too much hard work and they end up refusing the lumpy food altogether. Try making sure that the base food is totally smooth and add a little bit of lumpy food to this. Gradually increase the amount of lumpy food.

Offering food 10 times

Sometimes you may need to offer your baby the same food ten times before he accepts it.

Microwave hotspot

If using a microwave to heat food, be sure to mix the food thoroughly before serving to baby. Alternatively, food takes about 4 hours to defrost in fridge.

If your baby does continuously reject food try waiting a week or two before offering food again.

It is VERY important to be calm, relaxed and patient when feeding a baby.

Mealtimes should be fun and something you and your baby looks forward to - creating a pleasant atmosphere at the dinner table can have a huge impact on the way your child views mealtimes for a long time to come.