How to Make Baby Food for Weaning

Weaning means making a young child used to other foods other than his mother's milk. The baby can begin to have tastes of food when it weights 15 lbs. This is at about 4 to 6 months or earlier. Generally, where the living standard is low and protein-food is difficult or too expensive to get, the breastfeeding must continue well into the second year. If the mother is educated and healthy she can stop when she feels like, as long as the baby gets enough animal protein.

Sometimes a poor mother may be pregnant and want to wean the baby. In this case, She only need to eat well so as to breastfeed as long as she can–some animal protein, however little, is better than non.

Weaning should be gradual and pleasant: therefore the mother should start at a time of a day when she has plenty of leisure to give to the baby.

1. Foods commonly used by the family should be tried. The baby should be given some new things to taste, starting with only a little at a time. Later, this should be increased very gradually according to the baby's likes and dislikes.

2. No food should be forced on a baby. If it does not like something then it should be omitted for a while–until he get used to the 'starter-food'.

3. As teething often occurs at this time, the baby may be 'cross' and difficult.

While teeth are erupting through painful gums, the baby may not want to come-off the breast-milk and cope with a hard spoon.

4. If certain stage of weaning has been reached then the mother should stay at that stage and not go back to milk-feeding altogether.

5. The protein part of the meal should be fed to the child first as they tire quickly, it is more important than the starchy staple.

6. Many foods can be used in weaning provided that they are mashed, pounded, or sieved at the begining, but later when the child has learn to swallow something thicker than milk, it need only to be chopped small.

7. Food should be colourful, attractively served and not too highly seasoned or flavoured.

8. The whole process should be associated with pleasure and the idea of "family meals made enjoyable."

Good eating habits established at weaning will make the child healthy and more socially acceptable later on. Children should be gently taught to eat all foods and not encouraged to have likes and dislikes. This is a matter of management.

Food Which can be Used in Weaning

PROTEIN

Cow's milk: fresh boiled or dried.Eggs: boiled and chopped up, scrambled, or mixed with milk and sugar.

Beans: in soups with meat. Bean milk. Mashed with the staple.

Peas: boiled and mashed with fat.

Groundnuts: groundnut soup or sauce (in larger quantities than the rest of the meal).

Meat: mashed or sieved lives. Minced or shredde meat. Stewed slowly until very soft.

Fish: boiled with groundnut sauce. Mashed with staple. Steamed with fat and eggs over a sufuria or a plate.

FAT

Cheese: grated or chopped and added to mashed vegetable or matooke, spread on bread.Butter: very good on bread or mixed with vegetables.

Groundnut, Turkey or vegetable fat can be used for cooking soups and vegetables.

VITAMINS

Vitamin A: spinach, boiled and mashed with butter. Banana, Palm oil.Vitamin B: brown bread, beans, meat, liver, eggs, spinach.

Vitamin C: fresh fruit, pawpaw, oranges, mango, pineapple, tomatoes.

Vitamin D: margarine, eggs, milk.

MINERAL SALTS

Calcium: milk, sorghum.Iron: greens, liver, eggs, meat.

Phosphorus: milk, eggs, meat, fish, cereals.

Iodine: sea-fish–has a great content of iodine.

Sodium: salt in food.

There are many foods that can be used for weaning provided they are sieved or grounded at the very beginning, and later chopped, as the child, when it can take something thicker than milk, must learn to chew and exercise its teeth and gums. Food must be attractively served and not too highly flavoured, so curry powder and peppers should not be used for young babies.