Feeding & Weaning
There is lots of debate about whether to breast or bottle feed your baby, with the general advice being if you can, you should breast feed as the milk contains antibodies which protect your baby against infection. This doesn't suit everyone though, and you can find out more information at Emma's Diary or by talking to your GP or midwife.
However you decide to feed your baby, milk alone is enough for the first six months. At this point you will need to introduce some 'solid' food into his or her diet ('weaning' the baby from milk to solids). This should be done gradually, by giving him or her a couple of teaspoons of pureed or mashed cooked fruit or vegetables, or baby rice as well as milk.
It might take time for your baby to get used to the taste or texture of this new food, so don't worry if he or she spits it out or cries. It's a good idea to do this in the middle of a milk feed so that baby isn't too full or to hungry to try it. Also, don't try lots of different foods at once as it will take time for him or her to get used to them. Solid food needs to be bland at first, and never add salt or sugar to any baby food. You should gradually increase the amount of solid food in the baby's diet, and also start to try lumpier foods after a while. There are no hard and fast rules about weaning, so do what suits you and your baby, and remember, if your baby doesn't like something first time around, you can always leave it a while and try it again.
