Starting to wean your baby and want to know more about safety? Well hopefully this blog post can help get you started.
So what do I mean by safely wean your baby? What hazards should we be thinking about?
Babies and young children can be vulnerable to bacteria that can cause things like food poisoning. They also may struggle with the shape and textures of some foods which may cause choking.
Preparing food safely for your little one
Food can sometimes be a choking hazard for babies and younger children, this can sometimes happen if the texture is wrong or they do not chew their food well. But there are steps you can take to help your little one:
Think about what you are offering. Can you change the shape of the food i.e. cutting into narrow batons or quartering round foods.
Stay with your child when they are eating. Always supervise babies and younger children.
Use an appropriate highchair or chair and ensure your little one is sitting upright and alert when feeding.
Introduce food from around 6 months or when your little one is showing all the signs.
So how do you prepare food for your little one? Below I will provide some examples and small changes you can make;
Vegetables and fruit
Cut small round fruits like grapes, strawberries, berries into quarters (4 small pieces)
Remove pips or stones in fruit
Cut large fruits like melon, apple into slices and not chunks
With firm fruits try grating, mashing or steaming them before offering
Try removing the skin from fruits and vegetables; this can make it easier for your little one to swallow
Cook, steam or simmer vegetables and fruit until they are soft (carrots, broccoli). Then cut into narrow batons.
Cheese
Grate or cut cheese into adult sized finger portions
Nuts and seeds
Do not give whole nuts to children under 5 years old. If serving nuts you should chop, flake or grind them.
Meat and Fish
Cut sausages into short strips. Cut them in half and then again lengthways. Peeling skin off sausages will make them easier to swallow.
Small amounts of processed meat are fine to give to your little one as part of a balanced diet.
When serving meat or fish try to remove all the bones. Cut into finger sized strips. Removing skin will make this easier to swallow.
Snacks and other foods
It is not recommended to give babies and young children popcorn, chewing gum or marshmallows.
Do not give babies or children boiled, hard or gooey sweets.
Hopefully this has helped put you at ease for starting to wean your little one.
If you need an help or want to speak with a paediatric dietitian, get in touch below.
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