The Vegetarian Useful resource Group Weblog

photograph from Freepik

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

It’s thrilling for brand spanking new vegan mother and father to think about their child beginning to eat strong meals. There will probably be lovable images of the infant after a meal, with extra of the meal on the infant than within the child’s abdomen. There would be the thrill of the infant’s first style of a strawberry or broccoli or one other new meals. How can mother and father know when it’s applicable to introduce solids?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants be launched to meals aside from breast milk or toddler formulation when they’re about 6 months previous and that introducing strong meals earlier than 4 months will not be beneficial. Introducing solids sooner than 4 months seems to extend the danger of childhood weight problems. Breast milk or toddler formulation meets a child’s dietary wants for the primary 6 months and usually there is no such thing as a dietary want for solids earlier than age 6 months. Round age 6 months is when infants usually are able to develop the talents wanted to eat strong meals. Every child is completely different, in fact, and it’s extra essential to contemplate indicators of readiness for solids than to solely have a look at the infant’s age.

Some indicators {that a} child is able to begin strong meals embody:

• The infant can sit up in a excessive chair, a feeding seat, or an toddler seat with little or no assist and might management their head and neck. This implies the infant can lean ahead when they need meals or pull again or flip away once they’re now not hungry or .
• Being eager about what others are consuming. They might watch others consuming, attain for meals and open their mouth while you attempt to give them meals.
• When they’re given meals, they swallow it (or at the very least a few of it) as a substitute of pushing the meals out of their mouth with their tongue.
• The infant tries to know small objects and brings objects to their mouth.

In case your child’s physician approves beginning strong meals however the child doesn’t appear , wait a couple of days after which strive once more. Breast milk or toddler formulation will nonetheless meet the infant’s dietary wants as they start to eat strong meals.

To learn extra about feeding vegan infants see:

Feeding Vegan Children

Vegan Vitamin in Being pregnant and Childhood

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