{"id":2264,"date":"2019-06-06T06:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-06-06T13:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/?p=2264"},"modified":"2024-04-25T03:02:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T10:02:09","slug":"starting-your-baby-on-solid-foods-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/starting-your-baby-on-solid-foods-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting Your Baby on Solid Foods"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>He sat upright and watched my every move, turning his head as I took each spoonful of the ice\u00a0cream from the bowl to my mouth.\u00a0He leaned\u00a0forward with an open mouth\u00a0as if threatening\u00a0to take the ice cream off my spoon. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>My meal was being stalked and the stalker was my 4-month-old\u00a0son! He was telling me he was\u00a0ready for some solid food \u2013 &#8220;Maybe not ice cream but surely some pureed carrots, Mom?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Babies are ready for some solid foods \u2013 and by &#8220;solid\u201d I mean pureed \u2013 when they\u2019re at least 4 months old and:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Show interest in your food.<\/li>\n<li>Sit in a high chair or infant seat with their head held up and steady.<\/li>\n<li>Open their mouth if a spoon is offered to them, and can take food off the spoon and swallow it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Tips for a smooth start: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t try to feed solid food when your baby is too hungry \u2013 they may get frustrated.<\/li>\n<li>Be ready for a mess \u2013 most of the new food may end up on your baby\u2019s face!<\/li>\n<li>Expect a funny face \u2013 it just means the tastes are new, not that they dislike them.<\/li>\n<li>Follow your baby\u2019s cues. Leaning in with an open mouth means your baby wants more. Closing their lips and turning away means they&#8217;re done.<\/li>\n<li>Encourage your baby by smiling and talking. \u201cYum!\u201d \u201cWant more?\u201d \u201cAll done?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Be prepared for a slow start. Your baby may not be quite ready the first time you try, but will eventually get there.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are few rules about what food to start with. Babies often do well when offered a single-grain infant\u00a0cereal (like oat or rice), mixed with breast milk or formula. This tastes familiar to them! Be sure to choose an iron-fortified cereal to help prevent anemia. You can also offer pureed veggies or fruits. (There\u2019s no research to support the notion that feeding fruit first will make a baby reject veggies.) After your baby gets used to one food, start adding in new foods slowly \u2013 a different one every few days. I suggest you have fun, mix up what you offer, and enjoy learning what your baby likes.<\/p>\n<p>Research now supports offering potentially\u00a0allergenic foods early \u2013 like wheat, eggs, dairy, fish, and <a href=\"https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/mdo\/presentation\/conditions\/conditionpage.jsp?condition=Health_Topic_Safely_Introduce_Peanut_Foods_to_Your_Baby_4_Months_and_Older.xml\">peanuts<\/a>. Doing so may actually help make food allergies less likely. Just be sure what you offer is in the form of a thin gruel, mixed with breastmilk or formula,\u00a0or pureed. (No PB&amp;J sandwiches yet!)<\/p>\n<p>Talk with your pediatrician first if your baby has severe eczema or an\u00a0allergy to eggs. Let your doctor know if you\u2019re concerned that your baby has had an allergic reaction to foods \u2013 you might notice a rash, vomiting, diarrhea, or blood in the stool.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A few other points parents often ask about: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>During a meal, offer a sippy cup of water. At the end of these early meals you can\u00a0offer breast milk or a bottle, to be sure your baby is full.<\/li>\n<li>At first there are no rules about how many feedings a day you should offer. It\u2019s a slow process that ends up at around age 1, with your baby sitting with you to have 3 meals a day, and snacks in between.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Most importantly, have fun and follow your baby\u2019s cues. Babies know when they\u2019re hungry and how much food they need each day. Feeding children \u2013 from 4 months to 14 \u2013 should be an enjoyable, relaxed experience of family meals!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Find more resources for parents<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My Doctor Online:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/article\/index.html?article_id=1207511&amp;co=regions\/ncal#\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Weaning Your Baby<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/mdo\/presentation\/conditions\/conditionpage.jsp?condition=Health_Topic_Infants_-_Healthy_Eating_for_Babies.xml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Healthy Eating for Babies<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/mdo\/presentation\/conditions\/conditionpage.jsp?condition=Condition_Food_Allergies_in_Children_-_Pedi_Allergy.xml#sectionUrl%7C\/ncal\/mdo\/presentation\/conditions\/conditionpage.jsp%7COverview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Food Allergies in Children<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/mdo\/presentation\/conditions\/conditionpage.jsp?condition=Health_Topic_Safely_Introduce_Peanut_Foods_to_Your_Baby_4_Months_and_Older.xml\">Safely Introduce Peanut Foods to Your Baby (4 Months and Older)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>This article was originally published August 3, 2017<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My meal was being stalked and the stalker was my 4-month-old\u00a0son! He was telling me he was\u00a0ready for some solid food \u2013 &#8220;Maybe not ice cream but surely some pureed carrots, Mom?&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":306,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,667],"tags":[443,66,442,251,394,395],"class_list":["post-2264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-eating","category-newborn-care","tag-baby-feeding","tag-feeding-baby-solids","tag-infant-feeding","tag-solids","tag-starting-baby-on-solid-food","tag-when-to-feed-baby-solids","ages-baby"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1691580063:8"],"_edit_last":["11"],"slide_template":[""],"video_format_choose":["youtube"],"_custom_body_class":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"qode_animate-page-title":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-text":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-image":["no"],"qode_show-sidebar":["default"],"qode_hide-featured-image":["no"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["58"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_ages":["288"],"_thumbnail_id":["306"],"wpfp_favorites":["13"],"qode_seo_title":["Starting Your Baby on Solid Foods"],"qode_seo_keywords":["solid, solids, solids for babies, starting babies on solid food, 4 months old"],"qode_seo_description":["Babies give cues when they're ready to start on solid foods. 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