NU FS356 Quiz: Introduction to Solid Food
Document Summary
The timing of which solid foods are introduced is very important. There are critical period related to developmental skills that relate to the texture of foods. If foods are introduced too late then they may reject them the rest of their life. Timing is also important in order to make sure the childs nutritional requirementms are being met while minimizing the risk of allergies. The current recommendation is to introduce foods at 6 months of age in addition to breastfeeding or infant formula. Before 6 months if we were to replace breastmilk there is a risk for decreased growth as well as a decrease in production in breastmilk since the baby would be feeding less. There is also evidence to suggest that infants absorb less iron from breastmilk when they ingest it with other foods. This would put the infant at risk for deficiency.