What does a four month old baby eat?

 

Child nutrition

     The first two years of a child's life are considered one of the important stages for their growth, improvement of their health, and acquisition of their behaviors, which is why they need adequate and adequate nutrition at this stage, and during early childhood.  of nutrients in the child, the incidence of some childhood diseases and growth problems, as well as malnutrition in these years is associated with a greater risk of delay in motor and mental development, and a greater risk of death, and it has been proven that breastfeeding improves the psychological health of the child, so many organizations, including the World Health Organization, recommend providing breastfeeding without adding food to babies up to the age of 6 months.  Complementary feeding can also be started when breastfeeding becomes insufficient for the baby's needs, introducing liquids and other foods in addition to breast milk.

     four month old baby eating

     It is possible to start eating solid foods for the child when their eating skills are developing, and doctors usually recommend this to start after six months, but in some cases the child may be ready to eat these foods before then, and this can be known if the child's ability to eat develops.  Sit up and control the head and neck, which usually occurs between the fourth and sixth month, and the child should have stopped pushing food, or what is called reverse swallowing (tongue reversal), and can control the lower lip to pick up food, in addition to its weight.  He has doubled his birth weight, so he must get enough and regular sleep, and his ability to express satiety has developed. Such as: moving away from the bottle of milk, in addition to the fact that the child's interest in food when he sees it is one of the signs that indicate the possibility of starting to provide him with food. 

It is worth noting that there are no specific recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is because there is no evidence to confirm that the child needs certain types of food at this age, but it is recommended to start offering vegetables before eating fruits.  Because children prefer to eat sweet-tasting foods, offering them fruits first can prevent them from eating vegetables, and appropriate servings at this age are one teaspoon of puree mixed with four tablespoons of breast milk until liquid.  consistency, then the amount is increased to a tablespoon. And offer it to the child twice a day, and here are some foods that can be offered to the child in addition to breastfeeding at the age of four months:

• infant formula.
• Vegetable puree such as: zucchini, sweet potato.
• Fruit puree such as: bananas, apples and peaches.
• Meat puree such as: chicken, beef.
• Semi-liquid cereal fortified with iron.
• Unsweetened milk in small quantities.
• stay away from small solid foods; Such as: seeds, nuts, raw carrots and celery. To avoid the risk of choking, it is also recommended to avoid sugary drinks, honey, coffee, tea, foods with a high salt content, cow's milk and all its substitutes. Such as: soy and almond milk.

Tips to start introducing food to the baby

     There are several important steps that must be taken to introduce solid foods to your child, and the most important of these steps are as follows:

•      Start serving food simply; By providing one type of food without adding salt or sugar, and it is recommended to provide this food regularly for a period of three to five days so that a new type of food can be provided, and this step is important in determining the child's reaction to different foods that cause diarrhea, vomiting, or rashes, and then the foods can be mixed and fed to the child. 

• provide essential nutrients to the child; Such as: zinc and iron, and these elements are found in meat purees, iron-fortified cereals, lentils, beans and others.

•      Provide baby cereal with breast milk or formula, and encourage baby to eat it with a spoon. When the baby is able to eat more liquid textures, she can begin to thicken the food by mixing it with less liquid.

• Gradually increase the amount of food offered to the child, increasing its variety. When providing rice grains, barley and oats, it is recommended not to rely solely on rice grains due to the possibility of arsenic contamination.

•      - Repeat attempts to give food to the child if he refuses to eat it, and a new spoon of food can be offered before nursing, so that the child is more willing to eat it when hungry. 

• Continue to breastfeed the child with breast milk throughout the first year of life, as solid foods gradually replace milk, until this food becomes the child's main food at the age of 18 to 24 months . 

The correct way to feed a four month old baby

     It is recommended that the following steps be taken when introducing food to the child, including the following:

• Sitting upright at the mother's feet, the infant holds his face forward to facilitate swallowing of food and reduce the risk of choking. The child can start to sit in a high chair after she gets used to it.

•      Talk to the baby quietly while she feeds him. This is to encourage him to eat and to keep him away from distracting toys and things. Avoid offering solid foods in a bottle. This can increase the risk of choking, as it delays their ability to learn to eat and can cause a child to eat large amounts. It should also be noted that putting cereal with milk in a bottle does not help the child sleep better at night. Contrary to popular belief.

• placing food on a plate instead of feeding child directly from a food storage container; This is because feeding directly from it can transfer bacteria from the baby's mouth to the bowl, so it is always recommended to use a clean spoon to transfer food to the plate.