Introducing Solid food to the baby
Breast milk is the perfect food for a human baby's digestive system. Your newborn should be nursing eight to 12 times per day during about the first month. In the beginning, mothers may want to try nursing 10 to 15 minutes on each breast, and then vary the time as necessary. Most experts suggest you nurse or feed your baby whenever he or she seems hungry. Clues to look for include:
Head control: Your baby needs to be able to keep his head in a steady, upright position.
Losing the extrusion reflex: To keep solid food in his mouth and then swallow it, your baby needs to stop using his tongue to push food out of his mouth.
Sitting well when supported: Even if he's not quite ready for a highchair, your baby needs to be able to sit upright to swallow well.
Significant weight gain: Most babies are ready to eat solids when they've doubled their birth weight and are at least 4 months old.
Growing appetite: He seems hungry even with eight to ten feedings of breast milk or formula a day.
Your baby's appetite will vary from one feeding to the next, so a strict accounting of the amount he's eaten isn't a reliable way to tell when he's had enough. If your baby leans back in his chair, turns his head away from food, starts playing with the spoon, or refuses to open up for the next bite, he has probably had enough.
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