Hungry Riley

Nowadays, Riley seems to salivate whenever we eat. And he wants to be near us when we're having our meals. It really seems that he wants to eat just like the rest of us. He is now 4 months, 4 weeks old. I check the label of some baby food and it says for age 6 - 12 months only. But as I browse the net today, I came up with this article about the signs if your baby is ready in taking solid food.

How will I know when my baby's ready?

Your baby will give you clear signs when he's ready to move beyond liquid-only nourishment. Cues to look for include:

√ Head control. Your baby needs to be able to keep his head in a steady, upright position.

√ Losing the "extrusion reflex." To keep solid food in his mouth and then swallow it, your baby needs to    stop using his tongue to push food out of his mouth.

Sitting well when supported. Even if he's not quite ready for a highchair, your baby needs to be able to sit upright to swallow well.

√ Chewing motions. Your baby's mouth and tongue develop in sync with his digestive system. To start solids, he should be able to move food to the back of his mouth and swallow. As he learns to swallow efficiently, you may notice less drooling — though if your baby's teething, you might still see a lot of drool.

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.

Growing appetite. He seems hungry — even with eight to ten feedings of breast milk or formula a day.

√ Curiosity about what you're eating. 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.

SOURCE: http://www.babycenter.com/0_introducing-solid-food_113.bc

So far, only those with checks are the signs my son is showing. I guess I have to wait for the perfect time to give him solid foods. Anyway, it’s only few days before he turns 5 months. For now, he can only look at those yummy looking food!