During the first 6 months, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends healthy babies only eat breast milk or iron-fortified formula. These liquid foods provide all the nutrients your baby needs for healthy growth and development. Generally, water, juice and solid foods aren’t needed until 4-6 months.
Your baby’s doctor will likely recommend solid foods when your baby shows he is ready. Signs your baby is ready for solid food includes:
- Drinking more than 36-48 ounces of formula per day
- Seems hungry after milk feedings
- Getting hungry more often
- Waking up during the night for feedings
- Having doubled his birth weight
- Showing interesting in the food you’re eating
- Can sit with your help and hold head steady
What should baby’s first foods be?
First foods should be limited to low-allergy foods, vegetables, and fruits. Offering solid foods too early can lead to allergies. Also, keep in mind that solids foods should not be used to help your baby sleep through the night.
First foods and feeding:
- iron-fortified single-grain rice cereal
- thin cereal with breast milk or formula
- warm the milk before to room temperature before adding to the cereal
- don’t heat bottles or baby food with the microwave—it heats foods unevenly
- hold your baby more upright than you would for a bottle or breast feeding
- feeding your baby after he has already has some milk so she will be more like to try the new food
- if your baby is too hungry, they may get too frustrated with the new experience
Your baby may reject the new food at first, but be patient. Soon they will be an expert and act like a hungry little bird when they see that spoon!
Buy our e-book - Growing A Healthy Baby: a guide to your baby’s nutrition and get these important questions answered:
- Is your baby getting enough to eat
- What foods often cause allergies
- Is it OK to make your own baby food
- Which foods are safe foods
- Which foods are choking foods
- What to do if your baby swallows poison
You’ll also get lots of helpful feeding tips for ages 6-12 months.
This booklet was used in by one of the nations largest HMOs for their “First Bites” program.
