If you're a first time mum and have a baby around the four-month mark, you're probably getting excited about starting solids.

But before you rush into stocking the freezer with mini casseroles and other bite size gourmet delights, it pays to remember that patience is the key. When it comes to introducing solids, slow and steady certainly wins the race. Let's take a look at a few of the fundamentals and latest advice.

Worth the wait

The age of introduction of solids goes in and out of vogue, however current health professional guidelines recommend solely breast or bottle feeding with the appropriate formula until your baby turns 6 months.

Ages and stages

The signal to start solid food is not simply age specific and you should take into consideration how developmentally ready your child is too. Signs that they are ready include an interest in your own food, good head support, loss of the tongue-thrust reflex, as well as wanting to chew on everything including toys and their hands.

First foods

Baby rice-based cereal mixed with expressed breast milk or infant formula still tops the list as the first food of choice. However there is no reason not to choose a fruit like pureed apple or pear or a vegetable like pumpkin.

Off the menu

There is no need to add salt, pepper, sugar or other condiments to spice up the variety of your babies pureed pumpkin or apple as babies have super sensitive taste buds. What seems bland and boring to you will be a whole new gourmet adventure for your little one.

According to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, there is little evidence that delaying the introduction of complementary solid foods beyond 6 months reduces the risk of allergy. There have been some suggestions that delaying introduction of foods may actually increase (rather than decrease) allergy, however at this stage this is not proven.

Also, the Society found there is insufficient evidence to support previous advice to specifically delay or avoid potentially allergenic foods (such as egg, peanuts, nuts, wheat, cow’s milk and fish) for the prevention of food allergy or eczema. This also applies to infants with siblings who already have allergies to these foods.

For more, see these websites:   

www.allergy.org.au   

www.allergy.org.au/images/stories/aer/infobulletins/2010pdf/ascia_infant_feeding_advice_2010.pdf

www.rch.org.au/nutrition/health-info.cfm?doc_id=2897

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