Whether you are breast or bottle feeding, it is a time for you and your baby to get to know each other. It is important to take time to enjoy the closeness of the regular feeds in the first few months. It gives your child several opportunities every day to feel your warmth, the familiar way you hold them, to get to know your scent, the feel of your clothes, the sound of your voice and perhaps the look of your face. This is important too for children who may be fed by non-oral methods, such as tube feeding.
Your baby may be more reluctant to drop feeds than other infants, so weaning may take a little longer. If feed times are difficult or if you are concerned about your child’s weight gain or growth, there are professionals who can help. For example, speech and language therapists often help with sucking and swallowing difficulties, and health visitors can advise on early feeding patterns and weight gain and can assess whether to refer your child to a paediatrician for extra help. If you are returning to work, you may have to plan how you wean your child very carefully.
If you are breast feeding you may have to introduce a bottle earlier, and then go on to solids. Most babies with vision impairment enjoy sucking, and you may need to transfer from breast to bottle to cup in very gentle steps.
Clues that help your baby know that it's mealtime:
Some children show they want to feed themselves by grabbing the spoon. Others may need you to encourage their independence. To be able to feed themselves, your baby needs to be able to hold a spoon, scoop with it, put it in their mouth, close their lips round it and then replace the spoon. Learning these skills takes time and you may have a long period where you both have a spoon.
At mealtimes, babies learn many skills:
When your baby is ready to start eating solids, take it slowly. Their main nutrition continues to come from their milk, and it takes time for babies to accept new flavours and learn to swallow lumpier food. If your child regularly chokes or gags on their food, you should express your concern to the health visitor or GP.
Introduce new flavours early on. Your aim is for them to like a wide range of foods. Encourage them to try tasting something again if they don't like it the first time. Remember that new experiences are accepted best when a child is feeling well, so do not push them if they seem ill.
Food can be a messy business. These are some tips from parents on how to make feeding and weaning easier for young children.
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