First Foods
As baby grows, the time will come when you need to introduce him or her to solid foods. Usually this is around age 4 months. Solid foods can be introduced in any order. It is recommended that puréed meats, poultry, beans and iron-fortified cereals are introduced as first foods, particularly when your baby has been primarily breastfed.
Introduce only one single new food at a time, to enable baby to become familiar with the different textures and flavours. This will also help to identify any food that appears to not agree with baby’s young and fragile digestive system, which can then easily be eliminated and introduced again at a later stage.
Banana purée is rich in potassium and fibre and can be introduced with rice cereal which is one of the most common first foods recommended for baby. Rice cereals are the least allergenic and can be very easily digested. Other great suggestions are :
- Pea purée
- Avocado purée
- Sweet potato purée
- Butternut purée
- Baby carrots purée
Sippy Cups
How do you know when your baby is ready to start using a sippy cup? Experts say that around 6 months is the ideal time. By now baby is sitting confidently in a high-chair, can keep their balance and is able to firmly grip objects between both hands. By six months baby will also be well into eating solid foods. Babies have been known to start to reject their bottle around six months, which makes it the perfect time to introduce a sippy cup. Children stop drinking formula altogether by the time they are 18 months old and by this time, will be enjoying more interesting liquids in their sippy cup such as diluted fruit juice or rooibos tea.
Initially offer small amounts of cooled boiled tap water to encourage baby to become familiar with the feeling of a different way of drinking. At first, you may place baby formula in the sippy cup as well, however, it’s important to know that you should not substitute a sippy cup for baby’s normal bottle.
The idea is to simply introduce baby to the sippy cup, so that over time they become more comfortable with it. Weaning baby from the bottle is a big step and no matter your approach, it’s interesting to note that parents who decide to stick with the bottle longer without introducing a sippy cup, have found that baby tends to drink more milk. This causes baby to fill up making the introduction of solid food a little more challenging.
When first introduced to baby, the sippy cup is not meant to replace a bottle feed, bearing in mind that initially your baby may not drink too much from the sippy cup, until he or she grasps the concept and understands how sucking will bring the liquid up through the straw.
If you introduce a sippy cup at around age six months, your baby should be comfortable with it by the time you begin to wean them from the bottle at around 12 months. From a nutritional aspect, your baby by age 12 months, should not require a midday bottle anymore, making it a good first bottle to eliminate. Make the process of switching from bottle to sippy cup a gradual one – every few days – to ensure that baby doesn’t become distressed which could result in a refusal to take the sippy cup. Do this every few days until only the evening bottle is left.
The gradual switching from bottle to sippy cup over time, may not work for everyone and this is completely okay. You need to do what works best for you and your baby! There is no hard and fast rule that says baby must be completely weaned from their bottle by their first birthday or by 18 months. Please remember that these are merely guidelines.
Using sippy cups promotes good oral hygiene and prevents speech and dental issues that could develop. If your baby has been solely formula-fed, you may have already had to try several different brands of teats before finding the perfect fit. However, finding the perfect sippy cup for baby is just one click away. Baby and I have that perfect sippy cup!
The Gravity Learning Sippy Cup is dynamic with a practical design which makes baby’s drinking experience more interesting. With a V-shaped drinking straw, the cup is completely leak-proof and most importantly, choke-proof. The Gravity Learning Sippy Cup will train baby’s hand eye coordination with special features such as :
- 360 Gravity Ball
- Leakproof
- Eco-friendly
- Easy to Clean
- Durable
- BPA free
- Preferred Tritan Material
- Clean as Glass
Cleaning The Gravity Learning Sippy Cup is simple
- It is recommended to use warm water and a mild detergent to clean.
- If high temperature disinfectant is required, do not exceed 30 seconds as this can cause deformation of the cup.
The Gravity Learning Sippy Cup is available on Baby and I website . Please note certain products take 2-3 weeks for shipping, but Baby and I will stay in touch through this time.
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