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Moving a premature baby onto solid foods

Moving a premature baby onto solid foods is usually necessary between four and seven months from the baby’s date of birth. These babies will still have a well-developed capacity for digestion, and even very premature babies are able to digest and absorb milk when it’s gradually introduced.

It’s important for the development of the mouth and jaw muscles that your baby starts on solids at this time, as he will probably have already started making chewing movements. If these chewing movements start any earlier and your baby seems to be upset, you may want to check the symptoms with your doctor.

Between four and seven months is also the right age to start introducing new flavours to your baby. It’s harder to introduce new foods to your baby when he gets older, and he can start to become suspicious of new flavours and textures. So starting these taste adventures for your baby when they’re in the four to six month age bracket is a good idea.