Baby’s First Foods by Age
Gone are the days when bland rice cereal was the norm. Today, there are no hard and fast rules for a baby’s first foods. It’s more important to offer a variety of fruits, vegetables, and meats in order to get your baby used to different tastes. And if you’re wondering, the idea that introducing fruits first means your baby will only want sweets is a myth, so feel free to experiment with all the fruits you want.
Stumped on what solids to start with? Here are some suggestions.
4 to 6 months: Single-grain cereals
The level of iron that’s stored in utero drops after birth, and a baby reaches an all-time low at around 9 months. That’s why cereals fortified with iron are an ideal early food. Combine 1 teaspoon of single-grain cereal with 4 to 5 teaspoons of breast milk or formula.At first, most of the cereal will end up on your baby’s chin. “The point is to get your baby used to a different type of eating,” says W. Allan Walker, M.D., director of the Division of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School, in Boston. “Although it’s sloppy and frustrating, you need to go through this process.”
Don’t force your baby to continue eating if they shake their head no, turn away, or refuse to open up after only one mouthful. And if they seem completely uninterested in trying cereal, wait a week or so and try again. Once your baby is used to swallowing runny cereal, thicken it by using less water or breast milk and more cereal.
4 to 8 months: Pureed veggies, fruits, and meats
You may have heard that eating fruits before vegetables can cause a lifelong preference for sweet foods, but there’s no research to back that up. So it’s up to you to determine whether you begin with bananas or carrots—or pureed chicken for that matter.The AAP also believes that introducing allergenic foods early can reduce the risk of developing a food allergy, especially if your child is at risk. If you have a strong family history of food allergies in your family, talk to your baby’s pediatrician about the best ways to introduce common allergens. Common allergenic foods include peanuts, eggs, and dairy.
Guidelines for Preventing Food Allergies in Children
6 to 8 months: Single-ingredient finger foods
Whether you’ve begun with purees or are starting solids with finger foods, many babies enjoy experimenting with self-feeding from an early age. Don’t offer any hard, raw foods (such as apple slices or carrot sticks) at this point. Make sure fruits and veggies are soft enough to mash with gentle pressure between your thumb and forefinger. Some good examples are cooked peas, small pieces of banana or avocado, or rice puffs.The shape matters too. Younger babies will be picking foods up with their whole palms, so a mound of mashed potatoes or a wedge of avocado will be easier to handle than smaller foods. Don’t put salt or sugar in their food—it’s best if your baby learns to like it without the added sodium or sweetener.
The Best Finger Foods for Baby
9 to 12 months: Chopped, ground, or mashed foods
As soon as your child is able, transition them away from smooth purees. Incorporate more finger foods with textures like yogurt, cottage cheese, bananas, and mashed sweet potatoes. They can also use more iron, so try pureed meats like beef, chicken, and turkey.Solid Foods to Avoid
Eating solids opens up a whole new world for your baby, but there are some foods that aren’t safe for babies to eat. You should avoid giving infants under the age of 1 the following foods:- Honey: It can cause botulism, a serious illness if introduced too early.
- Cow’s milk (as a drink): Stick with breast milk and formula as a primary beverage until your baby is 1 year old. It’s fine to use cow’s milk in cooking or baking, though. Cheese and yogurt are also OK.
- Choking hazards: Avoid choking hazards such as nuts, seeds, raisins, hard candy, grapes, hard raw vegetables, popcorn, peanut butter, and hot dogs during your baby’s first year.
