Question
My baby is about to be weaned. What is the general age at which it’s appropriate to wean? After weaning, what brand of milk powder should I give my baby? And what brands of fish oil and calcium tablets? Also, what kinds of complementary foods should I introduce? As a new mother, I’m not very clear about these issues and hope a doctor can help me answer them.
Answer
Weaning should never be done abruptly. It is a gradual process that requires preparing various complementary foods for the baby before weaning to help them adapt to foods other than breast milk or formula. Generally, babies are most receptive to other foods between 4 to 6 months old, and they try to learn to eat complementary foods through oral activities. While introducing complementary foods, they should be done in parallel with weaning, not because of weaning that you start eating complementary foods. The baby’s diet should include five meals a day, including three main meals and two snacks, emphasizing balanced nutrition and a reasonable mix of coarse and fine, grains and noodles, meat and vegetables. The main dishes can include soft rice, mashed noodles, rice porridge, and small dumplings, while the side dishes can include minced meat, chopped vegetables, and egg custard. Milk remains a necessary food for the baby every day after weaning, as it is easy to digest and rich in nutrients. Moreover, it is advisable to avoid feeding the newly weaned baby with irritating food, as their taste buds and digestive systems are not yet adapted to such foods.