One of the most common question asked by parent is, “When will my child ready to be introduced with solid food?”. WHO recommends that infants start receiving complementary foods at 6 months of age. Meanwhile, breastfeeding can be continued until 24 months.. Why 6 month? Because at this age, your baby’s digestive system has been mature enough to receive solid food. Moreover, in this stage, baby needs more iron intake that breast milk alone is not enough to cover it. These are the signs that your baby is ready for solid food :  

• The baby wants to put things in his mouth.

• He shows interest when you try to feed them.

• Baby still looks hungry even after breastfeeding

• Baby turns their face when seeing food while breastfeeding, because they are more attracted with solid food.

  Solid food given has to match baby’s digestive organ capacity and feeding skill.. Here is the guidance to help you giving solid food for your baby:

• 6 Months+

Introduce food with soft texture first, one flavor of food at a time. To direct your baby, open your mouth when giving a spoonful of food to your baby. Nutritional needs: 560-900 calories.

• 9 Months+

At this stage, you can introduce harder and more solid texture, with various flavors. At this age, your baby is able to hold the food and bottle by himself. Nutritional needs: 600-1000 calories.

• 12 Months+

You can give your baby more solid texture with more various shape of food. At this age, your baby is able to use the spoon by himself. Nutritional needs: 770-1200 calories. Introducing solid food based on age and milestones will help the baby to get a good diet pattern in the future. So, make sure you know and follow the steps given when introducing solid food to your baby.