How should weaning foods be given, and how often

Condition analysis:
Breastmilk is the best and safest food for young babies. Older babies need extra foods as well as breastmilk. It is important that babies are given extra foods as well as breastmilk at the right age, and in sufficient amounts, to enable them to grow and stay healthy. Too little food, given too late, or inadequate food with too few nutrients may lead to poor growth and malnutrition. The malnourished child will get sick more often and will be less able to fight off illnesses such as diarrhoea. Weaning foods can, however, be very dangerous for babies. If they are not hygienically prepared they can be a major source of infection. This Health Basics insert describes good weaning practices to help families prevent diarrhoea in their children. What is weaning? Weaning means giving family foods in addition to breastmilk. Weaning is a gradual process by which the infant becomes accustomed to the adult diet.

Instructions:
How should weaning foods be given, and how often? Start by giving one or two teaspoons a day of carefully mashed food in addition to regular breastfeeds. Do not use a feeding bottle. Slowly increase the number of meals and the amount of food given. By the age of eight months most babies need four 'meals' a day including a variety of foods, in addition to regular breastfeeding. At one year old a child should be able to be given all types of family foods, although the food may still need to be softened or mashed. At this age a child needs to eat about half the daily amount of food its mother eats. Feed babies using a clean cup and spoon. Do not add water to the weaning food. Watered down weaning food does not have enough nutritional value, and if the water is dirty or contaminated the baby will probably get diarrhoea. Patience is needed when babies are first starting to eat family foods - while they are learning to eat this way they may often spit out the food - this does not mean that they are not hungry. Let the baby get used to one food for a few days before introducing another. Weaning foods should ideally be:

high in energy;
easy to digest;
low in bulk and viscosity (not too thick);
fresh and clean;
inexpensive and easy to prepare;
not too highly seasoned.