After months of breast feeding and/or bottle feeding every 2-4 hours, there will be finally some relief. When breast milk is the sole source of nutrition for your little treasure, it will soon be time mix milk and food in their diet. So it is time to start introducing food, and this is called Weaning. Weaning is the transition to reduce the nursing time and mix their diet with food, eventually making a full transition to food. But you want to make sure they are ready. My lactation consultant says that you should look at introducing food. This can happen as early as 4 months as stage is actually between 6-8 months. You should attempt to keep breast milk in their diet for at least the first year, but on a much more scaled down schedule, as you begin the long weaning process.

Child health and nutrition is our focus as parents. We make sure they have the appropriate vaccines; they are given the right care when it comes to hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation. They take the right vitamins; drink enough water, their fed well...and so on. Our children are our complete responsibility. Prior to the discharge from the hospital and during consults or check ups with the pediatrician we are given constant reminder and additional knowledge on health care for children. So we have the definite dos and don'ts to their nutrition and health down to a science, which ultimately includes slowly weaning them at the right age as well as the progression.

When you start the weaning process, you need to be careful about food allergies. We start by feeding smooth and easy to swallow foods. Single ingredient cereals or plain fruits and vegetables are ideal to know their tolerance and to easily point out the possible reason for break out of rashes, diarrhea, vomiting or wheezing in case they are allergic to the food. Give each food 3-5 days interval before adding another new variation. But be reminded at all times that "food is only a factor for those allergic reactions". It can be from many other things. And those signs and symptoms mentioned above can even be due to a far different reason. Child health is pretty sensitive and needing immediate attention. Consult your pediatrician right away for any abnormality encountered. "Assumptions" are not within the dictionary of  children's health and well being.

Stay away from food that could easily choke them. First starts with mashed soft vegetables like potatoes and carrots; it needs to be thin in consistency like pureed sweet potatoes, and scraped apples or bananas. The following week you can give blend simple foods like boiled meat with potato, and then blend chicken breast with carrots can follow after 3 days. The idea is to introduce a whole new taste apart from milk to slowly encouraging them to chew, and all the while learning if there are any food allergies you the parent need to aware of.

Introducing food is both exciting and challenging for the child and the parent. Let it be a fun addition to your dinner routine and to use it as a wonderful tool for further mommy-baby (or daddy-baby) bonding time. Trust me meal time will never be the same, just be prepared to bath time immediately afterwards.