When Can My Baby Start Eating Solid Foods?

"Babies can manage thicker textures and soft lumps soon after starting solids at 7 months to 8-9 months. Once your baby can sit alone and make chewing movements she can be encouraged to bite and chew even if she does not have teeth. Along with rice cereal you can start to give other cereal foods - rice, pasta, oatmeal, porridge, wheat flake biscuits, bread (eg rusks). There are advantages to giving your baby home-cooked meals like porridge: you know what's gone into her meals and you’ll be getting her used to what you eat. Vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots and potatoes can be boiled, mashed and added to the rice porridge. Also keep in mind that it is likely not a good source of iron for your baby and you may need to add other high iron foods like meats, prunes, apricots, spinach and beans.Try and give mashed (but moist) or soft lumps. Do not puree foods as your baby may find it hard to learn to chew later. Don't be too alarmed if she gags a little at first, that is how she clears her throat. Just give small amounts of soft lumps until she gets used to them. At 8-9 months to 12 months, you can progress from lumpy, to chopped and finger foods. Foods should now be left in pieces or chopped rather than mashed, though they still should be soft, or able to soften quickly in the mouth (eg rusks). Self feeding should be encouraged now, although it is messy, but you need to allow your baby to make a mess as she is learning important new skills. Make sure, no hard lumps, raw vegetable, hard raw fruit or nuts. These can cause choking in the first 5 years, From 12 months of age your baby will be able to join in with family meals much more easily. In the end its you and your pediatrician who should decide which food should be given to your baby keeping in mind any family history of allergy"

"PDs recommend 6mths than let bb take semi solids. Usually new mums will start off w cereal. For a 9 mth bb having to take cereal each day can get bored! ! Besides porridge u can cook soft noodles like mee sua too for variety."

"When baby turns after 6 mths, u can give porridge already. Adding different ingredients like carrot, spinach etc will give the porridge diff taste. If your 9 mth old baby is still taking cereal, that is not enough! She needs variety! Letting them explore diff foods will stimulate their taste sense and they would not be picky eaters later on."