Any change in feeding pattern can result in the baby’s showing no weight gain during that week or even a weight loss. But such a holdup or loss will be made up for by the baby’s increased appetite the following week. A cold, an upset stomach, or the process of teething can have the same temporary effect.
It is easy to judge the amount of solid food to give a previously bottle-fed baby; the milk in the bottle can be measured. But for a breast-fed baby it may be necessary to weight the baby before and after each feeding for one day, to determine the total milk consumption.
Any increase in the amount of food given to a baby must be gradual. One teaspoonful more at selected times is the maximum advisable, especially of fruit and vegetables, for one week at a time. If the baby seems to be gaining weight too rapidly, cereals should be increased even more slowly.
When the baby has reached the stage of having five or six teaspoonfuls of pure vegetables at lunchtime, some meat, poultry, fish, or cheese may be added. The baby’s milk consumption should decrease as the consumption of solid foods increases.
Having started on solids at age four months, for example, a six-to seven-month-old infant generally has three main mealtimes plus an afternoon snack of a teething biscuit and a bottle of fruit juice.
Food should be pureed for a baby up to age seven months; the puree should be of sufficiently thick consistency for the baby to be able to eat it from a spoon. Mince or grind food for a baby of age seven to ten months. After this age, a baby can eat food that has simply been cut up into small pieces.
