Sit your baby upright, either in a highchair or on your lap. She should be secure but able to move her arms and head freely, so she can grab the food if she wants to or turn her head away if she doesn't want something.
A baby’s stomach is tiny and her digestive system needs to learn to cope with food. So don’t overdo what you give your baby in the first week. For the first ‘meal’ it’s fine to have just one spoonful of baby rice.
Increase the amount of food fairly quickly if you’re starting your baby on solids at six months. Within a few weeks she should be having three ‘meals’ a day, each with a small helping of something savory and something sweet.
Don’t worry how much your baby eats as long as she is growing normally and seems generally healthy. It’s counterproductive to worry. She’ll pick up on the stress and get anxious about food.
Make sure she’s not filling up with milk if she’s not eating much. At six months, she’ll typically be having five milk feeds a day: when she wakes up, mid-morning, lunchtime, mid-afternoon and just before bed. These will reduce as she eats more solids.
Follow your baby’s lead if she rejects food – don’t try and make her eat. If your baby turns away, stop and don’t offer her food half an hour later just in case she's hungry. Wait until the next mealtime.
Give new foods at breakfast or lunch, not dinner. That way, you can monitor how she responds to it. Introduce one new food at a time to identify anything that causes a problem. If you have allergies like eczema or asthma in your family, be careful about foods that are common causes of an allergic reaction, like cow’s milk or wheat.
Give water to drink with meals. It doesn't matter if she doesn't drink, but it's a good habit to get into. Never leave your baby alone when she's eating. There’s a risk she could choke.
If your baby gets constipated, hold off the baby rice and try just fruit and veg. These have a high water content, which helps wash food through.
Constipation is common when a baby first goes onto solids, so don't worry. Her tummy is struggling to cope with the change in diet.
-Image credit to Web MD
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