Stage 1 Feeding: Baby's first bite

When to introduce solid foods

This is a photo of my first baby Luna.  She's 5 months in this photo and this is her first feeding of solid food.  It was oatmeal mixed with breast milk.  In an effort to help her digestive system she was put on a high fiber diet at this age.  I also stopped nursing at this point and switched to formula.  Luna's tummy troubles have always been an issue.  Knowing what's in her food and keeping a food diary for her was important.  That is another perfect reason to make your own food.  

Always talk to your pediatrician first before beginning solid foods.  Here are some helpful tips to see if your baby is ready.

In general 4 to 6 months is a good age.  Until then breast milk or formula contains all the nutrition your child needs.  Also, their systems aren't ready to digest solid food.

 

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

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

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

6. Curiosity about what you're eating. Your baby may begin eying your bowl of rice or reaching for a forkful of fettuccine as it travels from your plate to your mouth.

First Bite

For most infants, you can start with any pureed solid food. While it's traditional to start your baby on solids with a single-grain cereal, there's no medical evidence to show that introducing solid foods in a particular order will benefit your baby. Good foods to start with are applesauce, parsnips, sweet potatoes and pears.

First, nurse or bottle-feed your baby. Then give him one or two teaspoons of pureed solid food. If you decide to start with cereal, mix it with enough formula or breast milk to make a semi-liquid. Use a soft-tipped plastic spoon when you feed your baby, to avoid injuring his gums. Start with just a small amount of food on the tip of the spoon.

If your baby doesn't seem very interested in eating off the spoon, let him smell and taste the food or wait until he warms up to the idea of eating something solid. Don't add cereal to your baby's bottle or he may not make the connection that food is to be eaten sitting up and from a spoon.

Begin with a once-a-day feeding, whenever it's convenient for you and your baby, but not at a time when your baby seems tired or cranky. Your baby may not eat much in the beginning, but give him time to get used to the experience. Some babies need practice keeping food in their mouths and swallowing.

Once he gets used to his new diet, he'll be ready for a few tablespoons of food a day. If he's eating cereal, gradually thicken the consistency by adding less liquid. As the amount your baby eats increases, add another feeding.

What's on the menu tonight?

This first important rule is to introduce other solids gradually, one at a time, waiting at least three days after each new food. This way you'll get a heads-up if your baby has an allergic reaction.  Talk to your pediatrician about signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction.  Aeris got a bad rash when I switched her formula to a rice based formula.  If you have a family history of food allergies wait up to a week in between new foods.

Solid foods are not a substitution for breast milk or formula. Your baby will still need breast milk or formula until he's a year old. Both provide important vitamins, iron, and protein in an easy-to-digest form. Solid food can't replace all the nutrients that breast milk or formula provides during that first year.

If your baby is transitioning from cereal, offer a few tablespoons of vegetables or fruit in the same meal as a cereal feeding. All food should be very mushy – at this stage your baby will press the food against the top of his mouth and then swallow. Some parents may tell you to start with vegetables instead of fruits so your infant won't develop a taste for sweets. But babies are born with a preference for sweets, so you don't have to worry about introducing food in any particular order. Also, don't leave any food off his menu simply because you don't like it.  If your baby turns away from a particular food, try again in a week or so. He may never like sweet potatoes, or he may change his mind several times and end up loving them.

At first he'll eat solid food just once a day. By around 6 to 7 months, two meals a day is the norm. By around 8 months he should be eating solid food three times a day. A typical day's diet at 8 months might include a combination of:

• Breast milk or iron-fortified formula
• Iron-fortified cereal
• Yellow, orange, and green vegetables
• Fruit
• Small amounts of protein such as poultry, lentils, tofu, and meat

That was a long introduction into when, what and how to begin solid foods.  I prefer the fun stuff like recipes! :)