fter months of a liquid diet, your baby might be starting to show interest in ‘real’ food. Here is an overview on introducing your baby to solid foods.
Don’t forget that your baby will still need breastmilk or formula until his first birthday. Solid foods will only supplement these feedings.
When Can I Start Feeding My Baby Solid Foods?
• Most pediatricians recommend introducing solid foods between 4 and 6 months of age, with more and more babies waiting until 6 months.
What Foods Do I Start With?
• Most babies start with iron-fortified rice cereal (and then possibly an oat or barley cereal) since it is a low-allergen, easy-to-digest food.
• Start by adding a half-teaspoon of dry cereal to breastmilk or formula, creating a thin consistency.
How Much & How Often?
• When first introducing cereal to your baby, try to ‘sandwich’ her feedings. First, feed her half of her regular bottle (or nurse for half of a regular feeding) and then offer a teaspoon of the cereal mixture. Then finish the bottle (or nursing session).
• Over time, gradually increase solid feedings to a tablespoon and thicken the consistency.
• Start with one daily feeding during the first month. In month two, increase the feedings to twice daily. By the third month of solid foods, your baby should be eating 3 times a day (in addition to formula and/or breastmilk).
• By 8-9 months of age, you’ll notice that your little one will want to start feeding himself. It’s best to start with very soft finger foods before you try and get him to master utensils!
How Do I Introduce New Foods?
• Over the next few months, introduce new foods every 3-4 days. (This way, if your baby has an adverse reaction to a food, you’ll know exactly which food is responsible.)
• If your family is prone to allergies, you might want to wait longer than 3-4 days before introducing a new food.
Which Foods Should I Introduce?
After you have introduced cereal, move onto the following foods:
• Mashed or strained fruits and vegetables, yogurt, applesauce
• Table foods that have been diced into very small pieces (introducing proteins last)
Tips & Tricks
• If you’re using pre-packaged foods, don’t feed baby right from the jar. He likely won’t finish a jar at first and putting a used spoon back into the jar will only introduce bacteria from his saliva.
• If your baby doesn’t like a food the first time he tries it, try it again in a few days. He just might come around. However, if he still rejects it after several attempts, it’s okay to hold off for a while.
• Don’t be afraid to introduce spicy or more ‘flavorful’ foods. Studies show that children introduced to a wider variety of foods early on will continue to eat them as they grow older. Of course, go slowly and start with a very small amount.
Foods to Avoid in Baby’s First Year
• Honey
• Cow’s milk
• Strawberries
Foods to Hold off on
Speak to your pediatrician about when to introduce these foods:
• Tree nuts and nut butters
• Egg whites
• Wheat
• Soy
• Fish/Shellfish
• Chocolate
Foods to be Cautious of
• Citrus or acidic foods: these foods might not spur an allergic reaction, but they can cause a rash.
Choking Hazards
The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends avoiding the following foods until age 4 since they can be choking hazards:
• Hot dogs
• Nuts and seeds
• Chunks of meat or cheese
• Whole grapes
• Hard, gooey, or sticky candy
• Popcorn
• Chunks of peanut butter
• Raw vegetables
• Fruit chunks, such as apple chunks
• Chewing gum
