Babies often hit one of their growth spurts at 6 months. Around this time, it may seem that your little one just can't eat enough, and you may be wondering if now is the time to add some solid food. Here are some guidelines for knowing when your baby is ready for solid foods and how to introduce them.
A baby's growth from 5-8 months will allow for many changes in food intake. Breast milk or iron-fortified formula still needs to be the main part of a baby's diet. Solids may be started at this time.
Starting Solids
Solids do not help young infants sleep through the night. Starting solids too soon can:
- Cause choking
- Be hard for your baby to digest
- Increase the risk of developing allergies
- Prevent your baby from getting enough breast milk or formula—Breast milk or iron-fortified formula should continue to be your child’s most important source of nutrients until age 12 months.
To find out if your baby is ready for solid foods, look for these signs:
- Holds their neck up in a steady position
- Sits up on their own without support
- Opens their mouth to eat food when you offer it
- Moves lower lip in when you take the spoon away
- Is able to hold the food in their mouth and swallow it
- Is interested in the food that people are eating around them and reaches for food
Tips for Feeding Your Baby Solids
To help your baby learn to eat solid foods, remember the following:
- Choose a time when your baby is rested and happy.
- Have your baby sit up.
- Feed all food from a spoon.
- Add only one new food at a time. For example, do not mix fruits and vegetables.
- Give your baby plain, strained foods. Do this for fruits and vegetables that you are going to serve.
- Your baby does not need salt, grease, fat, or sugar added to foods.
- Do not give your baby honey. It can contain botulism spores.
- Homemade or purchased baby foods can be used.
- Your doctor will let you know when you can begin offering finger foods like crackers, dry cereal, and teething biscuits. This may not be until your baby is 7-9 months old.
- Make sure the food is not too hot or cold.
- When opening jar food, listen for the pop. Avoid using jars with lids that don't pop.
- Give small portions of food. Throw away leftovers, and do not put food back in the jar as this may make your child ill.
Other key points:
- To protect teeth and begin weaning, always offer juice from a cup.
- To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding from a bottle.
Feeding Schedule: 5-8 Months
| Age | Food and Daily Amount |
|---|---|
| 5-6 months |
Breast milk: on demand—Your baby may need an iron supplement (given as drops) until they start getting enough iron from food sources. A vitamin D supplement may be needed, as well. OR Iron-fortified formula: 4-5 feedings of 6-8 ounces each—If your baby is not eating enough vitamin D fortified formula, they may need a supplement. Infant cereal: 2-4 tablespoons |
| starting at 6 months |
Fruits/vegetables: 2-4 tablespoons, twice daily
|
| 7-8 months |
Breast milk: 3-5 feedings, or on demand
OR Iron-fortified formula: 3-5 feedings of 6-8 ounces each Infant cereal: 4-6 tablespoons Infant juice: 2-4 ounces (from cup only) Fruits: 1-2 tablespoons Vegetables: 5-7 tablespoons Meats: 1-2 tablespoons Finger foods: One small serving of toast, crackers, teething biscuits, or plain dry cereal |
When giving your baby finger foods, watch your baby carefully for choking. Be extremely careful or avoid foods that may increase the chances of choking, like hot dogs, hard candy, grapes, seeds, popcorn, and nuts.
Suggestions When Using Solid Foods
| Cereal |
|
|---|---|
| Meat |
|
| Fruits and vegetables |
|
| Drinks |
|
RESOURCES
Healthy Children—American Academy of Pediatrics http://www.healthychildren.org
Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians http://familydoctor.org
CANADIAN RESOURCES
Caring for Kids—Canadian Paediatric Society http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca
Dietitians of Canada http://www.dietitians.ca
References
Baby food and infant formula. Department of Health & Human Services Food Safety website. Available at: http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/types/babyfood/index.html. Accessed March 25, 2016.
Feeding guide for the first year. Stanford Children's Health website. Available at: http://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=feeding-guide-for-the-first-year-90-P02209. Accessed March 25, 2016.
Fruit juice and your child's diet. American Academy of Pediatrics Healthy Children website. Available at: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Fruit-Juice-and-Your-Childs-Diet.aspx. Updated November 21, 2015. Accessed March 25, 2016.
Guidelines for feeding healthy infants. USDA WIC Works website. Available at: https://wicworks.fns.usda.gov/wicworks//WIC%5FLearning%5FOnline/support/job%5Faids/guide.pdf. Accessed March 25, 2016.
NHLBI integrated guidelines for pediatric cardiovascular risk reduction. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed. Updated February 12, 2013. Accessed March 25, 2016.
Starting solid foods. American Academy of Pediatrics Healthy Children website. Available at: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Switching-To-Solid-Foods.aspx. Updated February 1, 2012. Accessed March 25, 2016.
4/2/2010 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed: Saki N, Nikakhlagh S, Rahim F, Abshirini H. Foreign body aspirations in infancy: a 20-year experience. Int J Med Sci. 2009;6(6):322-328.
10/12/2010 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed: Baker R, Greer F, the Committee on Nutrition American Academy of Pediatrics. Diagnosis and prevention of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia in infants and young children (0-3 years of age). Pediatrics. 2010;125(5):1040-1050.