Fortunately, doctors have zeroed in on a sweet spot for starting baby food, which is sometime between 4 and 6 months of age—though, ideally, baby should be receiving their nutrition exclusively from breast milk until the six-month mark, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP. Baby will give you clues, including:. Babies likes to mimic what we do, so if your child likes to sit up like a big kid and watch you eat, then by all means let them try eating too.
Introducing solids is a gradual process, and every baby learns in their own time. Here are some general guidelines for how to start baby on solids:. And even then, be prepared to clean up more than a few messes! To make it easier for baby to get accustomed to the idea of swallowing solids, start mealtime with a little breast milk or formula, then offer some food again, no more than a half teaspoon at a time and finish off with more breast milk or formula.
If baby cries or turns away when you present the spoon, try again some other time. Start off with introducing solids at one meal a day, then slowly work your way up.
The morning is a good place to start, since baby is often hungriest at that time. This makes it easy to track whether baby is allergic to a particular food. After all, baby is learning about new textures as well as new tastes.
It may be a case of trial and error until you find a winner. Got baby safely strapped into the high chair and bib? So why not simply start introducing solids with something you think baby will like? Here are a few common first foods for baby that are healthy and easy to eat and, in the case sweet potato and banana, also easy to digest. Whatever you decide to feed baby, mash it with a fork or puree before serving whenever introducing solids.
These foods contain easily absorbable forms of iron and zinc, which baby needs by 4 to 6 months, according to the AAP. At around 9 months, baby should have already worked their way up to a variety of foods, including cereal, vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs and fish see below regarding the last two. It can take 10 tries or more before your baby will accept a new food or texture, particularly as they get older.
Your baby will still be getting most of their energy and nutrients from breast milk or first infant formula. Breast milk or infant formula should be their main drink during the first year. Do not give them whole cows' or goats' or sheep's milk as a drink until they're 1 year old. Introduce a cup from around 6 months and offer sips of water with meals.
Using an open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve will help your baby learn to sip and is better for their teeth. Try mashed or soft cooked sticks of parsnip, broccoli, potato, yam, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear.
This will help your baby get used to a range of flavours rather than just the sweeter ones, like carrots and sweet potato and might help prevent them being fussy eaters as they grow up. Foods containing allergens such as peanuts, hens' eggs, gluten and fish can be introduced from around 6 months of age, 1 at a time and in small amounts so you can spot any reaction.
Cows' milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months of age, but should not be given as a drink until your baby is 1 year old. Full-fat dairy products, such as pasteurised cheese and plain yoghurt or fromage frais, can be given from around 6 months of age. Choose products with no added sugar. As soon as your baby starts solid foods, encourage them to be involved in mealtimes and have fun touching, holding and exploring food.
Let them feed themselves with their fingers when they want to. This helps develop fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. Your baby can show you how much they want to eat, and it gets them familiar with different types and textures of food.
Finger food is food that's cut up into pieces big enough for your baby to hold in their fist with a bit sticking out. Start off with finger foods that break up easily in their mouth and are long enough for them to grip. Avoid hard food, such as whole nuts or raw carrots and apples, to reduce the risk of choking. There's no right or wrong way. The most important thing is that your baby eats a wide variety of food and gets all the nutrients they need.
There's no more risk of choking when a baby feeds themselves than when they're fed with a spoon. From about 7 months, your baby will gradually move towards eating 3 meals a day breakfast, lunch and tea , in addition to their usual milk feeds, which may be around 4 a day for example, on waking, after lunch, after tea and before bed.
As your baby eats more solid foods, they may want less milk at each feed or even drop a milk feed altogether. If you're breastfeeding, your baby will adapt their feeds according to how much food they're having. Gradually increase the amount and variety of food your baby is offered to ensure they get the energy and nutrients they need. Try to include food that contains iron, such as meat, fish, fortified breakfast cereals, dark green vegetables, beans and lentils, at each meal.
As your baby becomes a more confident eater, remember to offer them more mashed, lumpy and finger foods. Providing finger foods as part of each meal helps encourage infants to feed themselves, develop hand and eye co-ordination, and learn to bite off, chew and swallow pieces of soft food.
From about 10 months, your baby should now be having 3 meals a day breakfast, lunch and tea , in addition to their usual milk feeds. Around this age, your baby may have about 3 milk feeds a day for instance, after breakfast, after lunch and before bed. Remember that formula-fed babies should take a vitamin D supplement if they're having less than ml of formula a day. They should be able to manage a wider range of finger foods, and be able to pick up small pieces of food and move them to their mouth.
They'll use a cup with more confidence. Lunches and teas can include a main course, and a fruit or unsweetened dairy-based dessert, to move eating patterns closer to those of children over 1 year. From 12 months, your child will be eating 3 meals a day containing a variety of different foods , including:. The World Health Organization recommends that all babies are breastfed for up to 2 years or longer. You can keep breastfeeding for as long as it suits you both, but your child will need less breast milk to make room for more foods.
Once your child is 12 months old, infant formula is not needed and toddler milks, growing-up milks and goodnight milks are also unnecessary. Your baby can now drink whole cows' milk. Choose full-fat dairy products, as children under 2 years old need the vitamins and extra energy found in them. From 2 years old, if they're a good eater and growing well, they can have semi-skimmed milk.
You can give your child unsweetened calcium-fortified milk alternatives, such as soya, oat or almond drinks, from the age of 1 as part of a healthy, balanced diet. Children under 5 years old should not be given rice drinks because of the levels of arsenic in these products. For information and advice you can trust, sign up for weekly Start4Life pregnancy and baby emails. Page last reviewed: 1 March Next review due: 1 March Your baby's first solid foods. When to start introducing solid foods Introducing your baby to solid foods, sometimes called complementary feeding or weaning, should start when your baby is around 6 months old.
Why wait until around 6 months to introduce solids? They'll be able to: stay in a sitting position and hold their head steady co-ordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at the food, pick it up and put it in their mouth by themselves swallow food rather than spit it back out The following behaviours can be mistaken by parents as signs that their baby is ready for solid foods: chewing their fists waking up in the night more than usual wanting extra milk feeds These are all normal behaviours for babies and not necessarily a sign that they're hungry or ready to start solid food.
What infant cereal or other food will be on the menu for your baby's first solid meal? Have you set a date? At this point, you may have a plan or are confused because you have received too much advice from family and friends with different opinions. Here is information from the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP to help you prepare for your baby's transition to solid foods. Can he hold his head up? Your baby should be able to sit in a high chair, a feeding seat, or an infant seat with good head control.
Does he open his mouth when food comes his way? Babies may be ready if they watch you eating, reach for your food, and seem eager to be fed. Can he move food from a spoon into his throat? If you offer a spoon of rice cereal, he pushes it out of his mouth, and it dribbles onto his chin, he may not have the ability to move it to the back of his mouth to swallow it.
That's normal. Try diluting it the first few times; then, gradually thicken the texture. You may also want to wait a week or two and try again. Is he big enough?
Generally, when infants double their birth weight typically at about 4 months of age and weigh about 13 pounds or more, they may be ready for solid foods. When you add solid foods to your baby's diet, continue breastfeeding until at least 12 months. You can continue to breastfeed after 12 months if you and your baby want to. Check with your child's doctor about the recommendations for vitamin D and iron supplements during the first year. Start with half a spoonful or less and talk to your baby through the process "Mmm, see how good this is?
Your baby may not know what to do at first. She may look confused, wrinkle her nose, roll the food around inside her mouth, or reject it altogether. One way to make eating solids for the first time easier is to give your baby a little breast milk, formula, or both first; then switch to very small half-spoonfuls of food; and finish with more breast milk or formula.
This will prevent your baby from getting frustrated when she is very hungry. Do not be surprised if most of the first few solid-food feedings wind up on your baby's face, hands, and bib.
Increase the amount of food gradually, with just a teaspoonful or two to start. This allows your baby time to learn how to swallow solids. If your baby cries or turns away when you feed her, do not make her eat. Go back to breastfeeding or bottle-feeding exclusively for a time before trying again. Remember that starting solid foods is a gradual process; at first, your baby will still be getting most of her nutrition from breast milk, formula, or both.
Also, each baby is different, so readiness to start solid foods will vary. NOTE: Do not put baby cereal in a bottle because your baby could choke. It may also increase the amount of food your baby eats and can cause your baby to gain too much weight.
However, cereal in a bottle may be recommended if your baby has reflux. Check with your child's doctor. Whether you decide to make your own baby food or buy premade baby food, you have many options.
However, keep the following in mind:. Look out for any reactions. There is no evidence that waiting to introduce baby-safe soft foods, such as eggs, dairy, soy, peanut products, or fish, beyond 4 to 6 months of age prevents food allergy.
Check with your child's doctor about how and when to give peanut products. Be sure to include foods that provide iron and zinc, such as baby food made with meat or iron-fortified cereals.
If you feed your baby premade cereal, make sure it is made for babies and is iron fortified.
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