When to offer the baby solid food?

By 4 to 6 months, most babies are ready to start eating solid foods as a complement to breastfeeding. During this time, babies usually stop using their tongues to get food out of their mouths and begin to develop coordination to move solid foods from the front of their mouths to the back to try to swallow them.

And a way to understand the moment to start this process occurs when:

Your baby can sit upright and lift his head

The baby is curious, looking at everything around him - especially what you are eating!

He lost the reflex of pushing his tongue that automatically pushes food out of his mouth

She still looks hungry after breastfeeding

It is important to stress that there is no need to rush this milestone. Most babies are ready to start with solids between 5 and 6 months. And never start with solids before 4 months.

BLW Method

The BLW approach was created by health agent and midwife Gill Rapley and has been gaining great popularity worldwide. It aims to be a form of feeding that allows the baby to be included in the family's food routine, thus making meals together with parents and caregivers.

This is because the method consists of encouraging the child to eat without someone else giving the food in the mouth with a spoon, but rather exploring and eating them with their hands.The BLW method proposes that food be offered in pieces, strips or sticks. In addition, in this approach, the way of preparing the food consists solely of cooking it, there is no other form of preparation in relation to the consistency, such as kneading, grinding or shredding.

What foods can be eaten in the BLW method

Both in the conventional method and in the BLW, it is important that the baby receives nutritious food. The following are some healthy options that can contribute to the development of the baby's taste:

Beetroot

Potato

Pumpkin

Cauliflower

Zucchini

Okra

Carrot

Broccoli

Chicken and meat (suck only).

It is also possible to offer some fruits:

Banana

Mango

Apple

Kiwi

Orange

Peach

**Practical Tips

There is a difference between choking and gagging. Many first time mums think gagging is choking, where in fact gagging is a normal response for baby who finds food at back of their mouth for the first time.

To prevent choking, babies doing BLW should be well supported and supervised while eating at all times.

If your baby starts gagging simply pretend to cough in front of baby to teach them how to move the food out of their throat.

Avoid high-risk choking foods when starting BLW such as raw apple, small round foods like sultanas, nuts or peas.

Maintaining self-esteem on a daily basis is no longer easy, imagine after becoming a mother when all eyes and attention are directed to the baby and your life has a single objective: your child. And okay, we know this is how it happens, but in order for the experience of motherhood to be enjoyed as best as possible, mom has to remember that she also needs support, care, affection and attention - from others and from yourself.

In fact, the natural tendency in the early years is that childcare takes up a lot of our time. Self-care? Ah, this is at the bottom of the list of priorities. The point is that, to take care of the other, you first have to take care of yourself. And it has nothing to do with selfishness. A happier mother is sure to raise a happier child as well.

Where to start??

EMBRACE THE NEW WOMAN YOU BECAME

Looking with affection at your body is also a way to recover self-love and feel better to face the other tasks of the day. Will a longer bath, with the right to self-massage and moisturize your hair, make you happier? Enjoy the moments when the children are sleeping or when there is help to take care of them and invest in it.

Do not fall into the trap of comparing your body before having children with the one you have now. Much less compare it to that of other mothers. Each has a story and you need to embrace and embrace the woman you have become. If you try to be the woman you once were, it brings suffering, just stop. Instead of focusing on the parts you don't like about your body, value what you like about it. Avoid looking at external references and try to wear clothes that make you feel beautiful. Use them because you feel good and not because you need to be well dressed to be accepted.

FIVE MINUTES OF FULL ATTENTION. ONLY FOR YOU

How about leaving the "autopilot" mode, which involves changing diapers, bathing, meals, taking care of the house ... and giving a little attention to your body?
We need to value and encourage the practice of breaks in everyday life. They are restorative and prepare us for the next challenges. Make space in the agenda for small moments when you really do what you have to do.