Infant Feeding: How to Introduce Solid Foods

Though introducing foods to babies can be very fun, offering foods can also cause families increased stress. Parents often have many questions, such as whether the baby eats enough to grow well, meets expectations for their age, or will grow up to eat enough vegetables. Follow the recommendations below to introduce solid foods to your baby confidently.

When to Start Offering Solid Foods

Both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend waiting until about six months of age to introduce foods. Up until six months, breast milk provides all the nutrients a baby needs. Even if babies are formula-fed, they don’t need food until about six months, just like breastfed babies. Also, babies are typically more developmentally ready to eat solid foods around six months after birth.

Signs that Your Baby is Ready to Try Solids

Your baby might not show all of these signals, but look for some of these behaviors to see if your baby might be ready to try foods:

• Baby is watching you eat.
• Baby can sit up independently or sit upright well when propped.
• Your baby has good head control when sitting up. The baby doesn’t fall over from a seated position, and its head stays upright on the neck without falling to the side.
• Baby is starting to grab toys and put things in its mouth.
• When you offer food on a spoon, the baby opens its mouth.
• When food is in the baby’s mouth, the baby can move the food to the back of the mouth, and the food doesn’t drip back out.

Remember, food is for practice initially. It’s okay if your baby takes only a bite or two of a new food. Don’t force your child to eat food if you see signs of disinterest, such as turning their head away or not opening their mouth when you offer food.

Foods to Offer Your Baby First

Though we refer to a baby’s first foods as “solids,” the term typically means purees or foods that are closer to a liquid at first. The first solid foods you offer should include iron and zinc-rich foods, which breastfed babies in particular need at six months.

Iron and zinc-rich first foods for babies include:

• Fortified baby oatmeal or rice cereal mixed with breastmilk or formula. Start with a more liquidy mixture by mixing one tablespoon of rice or oat cereal with about four tablespoons of breast milk or prepared infant formula. As the baby becomes better at eating, add more cereal and less breast milk or infant formula to make a thicker cereal.
• Ground chicken, ground turkey, or other ground or pureed meats
• Pureed black beans

At first, try foods 1-2 times per day, then increase to offering foods at three meals per day. Ideally, offer one single-ingredient food at a time (like pureed carrots or pureedpears), then wait a few days to introduce another new food. By waiting a few days between new foods, you’ll be sure which food caused a reaction if, by chance, your baby has an allergy or intolerance.

Some families try baby-led weaning, which generally skips purees and has parents offer finger foods instead. Families who opt for this method should take extra care to choose appropriate foods and monitor their babies closely when eating.

Other Infant Feeding Considerations

Unless directed by a health care provider, you don’t need to limit common food allergens. Offer foods that contain common allergens like peanuts, wheat, eggs, soy, and fish as you would any other food. Offer a wide range of foods and textures so your baby is introduced to many different foods.

Table foods that the rest of the family eats can be offered to babies as they progress past simple purees, but limit added salt and added sugars when babies first start eating.

To make sure your baby stays safe while eating foods:

• Make sure your baby is sitting up in a high chair or similar upright seating
• Stay with the baby while the baby is eating
• Watch your baby and limit distractions for yourself, like looking at your phone
• Avoid choking hazard foods, such as whole grapes, hot dogs, hard fruits, hard candies

Bottom Line

Offering your baby foods can be exciting and a bit nerve-wracking at first. Follow safety guidelines for offering foods, but try to enjoy the process. If you’re having trouble with some of these recommendations or aren’t sure where to start, check with your pediatrician or a pediatric dietitian for more personalized help.