When it comes to first solid food for your baby, you definitely want to make no mistake, as this experience is going to be deciding factor for eating habits getting cultivated in your baby. There are many factors you should consider. There are many myths, much confusion and many misinterpretations. So its important to have a clear guideline.

Here we go by considering all aspects about first solid food for your baby -

• A good rule of thumb is to start with rice cereal, which is gluten-free and less allergenic than other foods. Give your baby one or two teaspoons of dry cereal mixed with enough formula or breast milk to make a semi-liquid. Babies shouldn’t be directly transitioned to solid from breast milk / formula. Semi-liquid is important milestone in the transition and the time for transition need to be a long enough, which depends on baby’s response to it.
• Foods should be prepared and given in a safe manner, meaning that measures should be taken to minimize the risk of contamination with pathogens.
• Ensure that you are using a soft comfy spoon.  Remember baby’s gums may be tender from teething and a hard metal spoon may aggravate baby’s gums. If baby refuses the spoon or if the spoon seems to make baby uncomfortable, use your finger!
• If you are trying to feed a baby solid when baby is very hungry, she may be more likely to resist. Always offer breast milk and/or formula first and then offer solids.
• Introduce new foods during the morning or early afternoon. This will enable you to deal with any adverse reactions when your pediatrician is in office.
• Don’t Make a Fuss Over the Feeding Session! Follow your baby’s cues and allow him or her to explore the dish, utensils and the food herself!
• Don’t Force Your Baby to Eat! Wait for baby to open her mouth when food is offered. Always let your baby eat at his or her own pace and on his or her own terms!
• Offer a Variety of Foods and Colors! Offer your baby different foods once you have begun to introduce solid foods.
• Some babies need practice keeping food in their mouths and swallowing. Give her time to get used to the new food habits.
• Start with single ingredients only, that too introducing each new food at a space of 4 days apart. This way you’ll get a heads-up if your baby has an allergic reaction to one of them. The signs of an allergy may include diarrhea, a bloated tummy, increased gas, or a rash.
• If you’re feeding your baby from ready-to-eat jars of baby food, scoop some into a little dish and feed her from that. Also, throw away any baby food jars within a day or two of opening them.
• Stay away from foods that might cause her to choke.
• Avoid fast food for as long as possible.
• While you are feeding solids to your baby, if your baby leans back in her chair, turns her head away from food, starts playing with the spoon, or refuses to open up for the next bite, she probably had enough. Understand the clues given by your baby. Don’t overfeed your baby. But also keep in mind that sometimes a baby will keep her mouth closed because she hasn’t yet finished with the first mouthful, so be sure to give her time to swallow.
• If your baby turns away from a particular food, don’t push. Try again in a week or so. Don’t try to make your child eat food he doesn’t like. Respect her preferences and avoid power struggles over food.
• Don’t be surprised if your baby’s stools change color and odor when you add solids to her diet. If her stools seem too firm, switch to other fruits and vegetables and oatmeal or barley cereal. Usually rice cereal, bananas, and applesauce can contribute to constipation in babies.
• Make sure that the nutritional value of complementary foods should parallel at least that of breast milk. Solid foods are not meant to provide for baby nutritionally in the first few months, breast milk and/or formula fill this role! Also do not let solids interfere with liquid intake! 

Each baby will have unique food preferences, but the transition should go something like this:

1. Semi-liquid cereals

2. Strained or mashed fruits and vegetables

Good fruits and vegetables to start with include – sweet potatoes, potato, squash, applesauce, bananas, carrots, cauliflower, green peas, broccoli, oatmeal, mashed ripe banana, mashed ripe avocado, boiled apple, mashed pear and peaches. All food should be strained or mushy as at this stage your baby will press the food against the top of her mouth and then swallow. 

• Vegetables and fruits should be steamed or boiled and should be mixed with baby food made into a puree or you can give just puree of boiled vegetables and fruits to your baby.
• Whether you are giving her vegetables or fruit always peel the skin and boil it in little water so that the vitamins are preserved. Don’t add salt or pepper.

3. Finely chopped table foods, including meat and other protein sources

 These points will definitely help you to get a good schedule for starting solids for your baby. 

Starting your baby on solid foods is a very important milestone for your baby as well as you. This is the beginning of lifelong eating habits that contribute to her overall health. For this reason we have some general guidelines that can help you start your baby out on the right track to a healthy life.

How do you know if your baby is ready for solid foods?

Your baby may be 3 months old or 4 months old when you start to feel she may need “something more” than formula or breastmilk.

Your baby may begin to wake more frequently at night for a feeding and/or may begin to eat non-stop (cluster feed) as she once did as a newborn. But Growth Spurts do not mean baby needs solid food. Offer your baby more frequent nursing sessions and/or bottle feedings instead of solids; you will find that within a week or two, oftentimes the growth spurt is over and baby is back to usual feeding.

As per AAP Policy Note – 194 -introduction of complementary feedings before 6 months of age generally does not increase total caloric intake or rate of growth and only substitute foods lack needed nutrients and the protective components of human milk (and formula).

Remember that BEST food for babies is breastmilk and/or formula and these contain all the important nutrients that an infant needs to develop properly. Breast milk in particular and/or formula will be enough to sustain your baby’s nutritional needs for up to age 4 to 6 months, so don’t be in a rush to start solid baby foods. In fact, introducing solids too early may displace the important nutrition your baby needs to receive from breast milk and/or formula.

What does WHO says about starting solids?

“Complementary feeding should be timely, meaning that all infants should start receiving foods in addition to breastmilk from 6 months onwards. It should be adequate, meaning that the nutritional value of complementary foods should parallel at least that of breastmilk.”

Starting solids too early can cause your baby to develop food allergies. Your baby’s intestinal tract is not as fully developed during the first few months and introducing solids at this time can be too much to handle.

How Will You Know When Your Baby is Ready to Eat Solid Foods? Here are some guidelines you must check out.

1. Loss of tongue-thrust reflex – When any unusual substance is placed on the tongue, it automatically protrudes outward rather than back by infants using tongue-thrust reflex. In the first few months, the tongue thrust reflex protects the infant against choking. The loss of tongue-thrust reflex might start appearing in babies at anytime between 4 to 6 months of age. This allows baby to drink and swallow liquids with ease. But with the tongue-thrust reflex still present, baby may simply drink in liquid purees or push the food back out.

As and when tongue-thrust reflex diminishes, baby is ready to hold the food in his mouth without protruding it. This is an important signal to be taken into account for starting solids.

2. Chewing motions – Your baby’s mouth and tongue develop in sync with his digestive system. Infants don’t have the digestive system strong enough to digest solid foods. Similarly babies are yet to master the synchronization of mouth and tongue at that time. To start solids, she should be able to move food to the back of her mouth and swallow. As she learns to swallow efficiently, you may notice less drooling.

3. Head Control – Your baby needs to be able to keep her head in a steady, upright position. This milestone is usually achieved for most of the babies by the time they turn 4 months. Reaching this milestone ensures that baby can control her head while eating solid foods if you start.

4. Sitting well when supported- Even if your child might not quite ready for a highchair yet. Your baby needs to be able to sit upright to swallow well.

5. Curiosity about what you’re eating.  Usually breast milk or formula is the only food for the babies. But as the baby grow, she gets interested in the food others eat. Your baby may begin eyeing your bowl of rice or reaching for a forkful of fettuccine as it travels from your plate to your mouth.

6. Significant weight gain- Most babies are ready to eat solids when they’ve doubled their birth weight (or weigh about 15 pounds) and are at least 4 months old.

7. Growing appetite - The baby seems hungry even with eight to ten feedings of breast milk or formula a day. As baby gets older, her appetite increases. But keep in mind that growing appetite cannot be an indication that your baby is ready for solids.

If baby is breast feeding at least 8-10 times per 24-hours ( even after the first few weeks which probably is not Growth Sprut), empties both breasts at each feeding, and still wants more and the time between feedings becomes shorter and shorter over a period of several days, then baby needs supplementary food intake. The baby also might be signaling by becoming fussy in the middle of the night, whereas before she slept through with no problem or her sleep periods are becoming shorter instead of longer.

8. Ability to let you know she is full from a meal with signs such as turning away from the bottle or breast. This is important so that baby is able to self-regulate the amount of food  is being eaten.

Please keep in mind that these outer signs of being ready for solids do not mean that your baby’s inner digestive system is mature and ready. You should discuss with your baby’s pediatrician about starting your baby on solid foods. Only when you have thoroughly discussed the pros and cons of introducing solid foods with your pediatrician you will be able to have a better grasp of just when you should begin offering baby solid foods.

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” Gautama Buddha

 What is Anger?

Anger is highly explosive emotional outburst which may lead to physical attack or destruction of property. State of anger also includes exaggerate hostility to unimportant irritants, fast and harsh judgment statements made to or about others, use of passive-aggressive behaviors and social withdrawal. Tense muscles, clenched fist or jaw, glaring looks, refusal to make eye contact, heart rate and high blood pressure are the common symptoms of anger.

 Anger can be caused by both external and internal events. You could be angry at a specific person (Such as a co-worker or a friend) or event (a traffic jam, a canceled flight), or your anger could be caused by worrying about your personal problems.

 Anger Management

The purpose of anger management is to control both your emotional feelings and the physiological arousal that anger causes. You can’t get rid of, or avoid, the things or the people that enrage you, nor can you change them, but you can learn to control your reactions.

 Anger is one of the biggest obstacles to personal growth and career success. When we fail to control our anger, we face several unpleasant consequences.

• Anger blocks our ability to be happy, because anger and happiness can not go together.
• Anger makes marriages and other family relationships part away.
• Anger leads to lose in business, because it destroys relationships.
• Anger reduces our social skills.
• Anger leads to increased anxiety and stress.
• When we are angry, our rational and logical thought process blocks and we make mistakes.

 ”Anger blows out the lamp of the mind” Robert Green Ingersoll

 Develop your anger management skills

Those who have a tough time controlling their anger, following anger management techniques will definitely help.

Anger Management Tip #1

When you feel angry, take a time out. Step away from a particular event or person that is starting to upset you. Take time for a short brisk walk.

Anger Management Tip #2
Ask yourself “Will the object of my anger matter one year from now?” you may find out its doesn’t matter in a long run and you will see things from a calmer perspective.

Anger Management Tip #3
Ask yourself “What is the worst consequence of the object of my anger?”. Take out all the possibilities that may arise. You will notice almost 90% of the possibilities that you have listed out have not occured and you are not sure if those really will happen in future. This will allow you to concentrate and focus better on the possibilities that are happening now and work on those.

Anger Management Tip #4
Imagine you doing the same thing. Admit that you sometimes cut in front of another driver too sometimes by accident. Do you get angry at yourself? No you don’t. 

Anger Management Tip #5
Ask yourself “Did that person do this to me on purpose?” In many cases, you will see that they were just careless or in a rush, and really did not mean you any harm.

Anger Management Skill #6
You should master the ability to respond instead of react. Everyone with anger issues are quick to react instead of to respond. When you respond you think first and effectively communicate your feelings. When you react you are not thinking and simply reacting to what the situation or other person has done or resulted in.

Anger Management Skill #7
You should master the ability to communicate assertively. This involves practicing effective communication and responding to certain things without getting hostile or angry about it.

Anger Management Skill #8
You should master the ability to adjust your expectations. The main reason many people become upset is because their expectations did not come to reality. When you do not get something that you expected it can cause the frustration that often leads to anger. This will help individuals to learn to adjust to difficult situations and people.