Learning to feed themselves, sitting up well in a high chair, becoming more and more curious - there’s a lot to look forward to with your eight month old. It is important that at this stage you offer food before their usual milk feeds. This means that your baby will begin to get more of their nutrition from food than in the earlier stages.
At meal times they might enjoy eating their meals with the rest of the family and they’re probably keen to handle their own spoon or even eat with their hands. This is a great way for them to learn, experiment and be more independent at meal times. It’ll also improve their hand-eye coordination.
Here are a few tips to start you on the journey
- Prepare for the mess – it’s part of the fun! Your baby has discovered a whole new world to play with. Putting down newspaper or plastic sheeting under their highchair is a good idea as it’s surprising how far a little chunk of banana can travel.
- Damp cloths – have plenty of these handy for wiping messy faces and fingers, you might also want to invest in a large sized bib. Clean them up at the end of the meal as wiping a babies face while they are eating turns them off enjoying their food.
- Let them try – give your baby plenty of space to learn using fingers or spoons, but be close by to give them a hand if they need it.
Carry on with breast or formula feeds alongside solid foods, as milk will still be providing much of the nutrition your baby needs. Now you can offer solids before milk so they are more hungry for their food.