Growing Independence : 9 to 12 months

erm.. afif dah 10 bulan lebih... let see how 10 month baby should eat..taken from annabel karmel's site.. i love her book so much..but currently can't afford to buy one.. maybe next time...


ENCOURAGING SELF-FEEDING

As your child's hand to eye co-ordination matures, she will find it easier to feed herself. Finger foods will become an increasingly important part of your baby's diet. You should also encourage your baby to experiment with using a spoon or fork as soon as she is able to hold one. It will be messy at first and she may well end up biting the wrong end but eventually the food will actually go to its intended destination.
TIP The more you allow your baby to experiment, the quicker she will learn to feed herself
TIP Bowls that stick to the tray by suction are a good idea as it means that your baby is less likely to push the bowl around the tray in frustration as she tries to get a spoonful of food. Serve food in colourful bowls and plates and try to make the food look attractive using contrasting colours and cutting food into interesting shapes
TIP If more of her food ends up on the floor or on her lap than in her mouth you could use a two-spoon system. Give her a spoon to hold so she can attempt to feed herself and use another spoon yourself to get some of the food into her mouth.

LEARNING TO CHEW

By this age, your baby should have gained some teeth and graduated to a high chair. It's important to introduce coarser textures in order to encourage your baby to chew. Your baby will gradually be eating more solids so that eventually solid food becomes the main part of the meal. Variety is important so try introducing lots of different flavours and textures during this stage. Try to give some food mashed, some grated, some diced and some whole. It is surprising what a few teeth and strong gums can get through.

BREAKFAST

You can now give wholegrain low sugar adult breakfast cereals like Weetabix or Ready Brek and maybe add chopped fresh or dried fruits and maybe some toasted wheatgerm for a nutritious breakfast. Many breakfast cereals are fortified with iron so it is good to give some vitamin C rich food or drink at the same time like kiwi fruit or orange juice as this helps to boost iron absorption. Eggs are also a good food for breakfast but you must make sure that the yolk and white are cooked until solid. Well cooked scrambled eggs and omelettes are fine but soft boiled eggs and poached eggs are not advisable for young babies. Yoghurt and fromage frais are good for breakfast but choose whole milk rather than the low-fat variety. Eggy bread and cheese on toast are also good and for a treat you can make pancakes. Fresh and dried fruit make good finger food for breakfast.

GOOD FOODS FOR YOUR BABY
• Starchy foods including bread, pasta, rice, cereal and potato - these provide a good source of energy
• Lean red meat - this provides the best source of iron
• Calcium rich foods like cheese and yoghurt - these are important for healthy bones and teeth. Babies this age should have at least 600ml (20fl oz) fortified infant milk a day however a portion of the milk intake can come from dairy products like yoghurt or dishes like cauliflower cheese or rice pudding
• Eggs, cooked until the white and yolk are solid - these are a good source of protein.
• Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables - these provide important vitamins and minerals
• Oily fish like salmon, tuna and sardines are important for brain and visual development

FOODS TO AVOID
• Whole nuts
• Salt or soy sauce
• Processed, salty meat products eg: sausages, bacon, chicken nuggets
• Crisps and salty snacks
• Undercooked eggs
• Mould ripened soft cheese eg: Brie and blue cheese
• Artificial sweeteners
• Shellfish
• Added fibre in the form of bran which can affect your baby's ability to absorb calcium, zinc and iron and other vitamins and minerals

TIP Remember that low-fat, high fibre dietary guidelines for adults do not apply to babies and young children. Babies and young children need more of their diet to come from energy-rich fats and dairy products so foods like Macaroni cheese, Shepherd's pie,Baked potato and cheese and Rice pudding are good.
TIP At this age it is normal for babies to be quite chubby. As soon as your baby starts crawling and walking he will lose excess weight.

MILK FEEDS

Your baby may be drinking less milk as her appetite for solid food increases, but she still needs 600ml (1 pint) of her usual milk per day. Continue with breast, formula or follow-on milk until your baby is one year old as cow's milk is too low in iron or vitamin D. This can also be included in her diet in other forms like cheese sauce or yoghurt. The sooner your baby can drink from a beaker, the better. There are lots of different beakers to choose from. A beaker with a long spout that is not rigid makes a good transition from a bottle. Aim to dispense with bottles by the age of one. Most milk feeds are better given in a beaker or cup, perhaps reserving just one bottle feed for before bedtime if it helps to settle your ba .


FINGER FOODS

Finger foods will become an important part of your baby's diet. Remember that finger foods should be firm enough for your baby to pick up, yet tender enough for her to chew and swallow easily. Just because your baby has teeth, it doesn't mean that she instinctively knows what to do with them. Young babies are quite likely to bite off a piece of food, try to swallow it whole and choke, so they must not be left unsupervised when eating.

IDEAL FINGER FOODS

VEGETABLES- eg: Carrot or Cucumber sticks, Cauliflower or Broccoli florets To begin with it is better to lightly steam vegetables or cook them in a little boiling water for a few minutes so that they are still crunchy but not quite so hard. Once your baby gets more proficient at chewing you can give raw vegetables. If your baby is teething, chilled peeled cucumber sticks are good.

FRUIT - eg: banana, apple, pear Introduce soft fruits like banana or kiwi to begin with if your baby finds it difficult to chew. If your baby is teething a semi-frozen banana is good.

DRIED FRUIT -eg: apricot, apple

FINGERS OF TOAST -rice cakes, rusks etc...

MINI SANDWICHES with fillings like mashed banana, cream cheese or tuna CHEESE sticks, slices, mini cheeses etc.. DRY CEREALS COOKED PASTA SHAPES SMALL PIECES OF CHICKEN OR TURKEY MINI MEATBALLS OR CHICKEN BALLS ....