Rice cereal at four months or at six months?
Or, don’t start with cereal at all – instead, offer avocado or sweet potato to begin.
Don’t give egg whites, wheat or fish during first year, and only introduce one new food at a time. Offer pretty much anything, including traditional allergens, any time after 5 months.
Spoon feed purees. Don’t spoon feed purees, instead, let baby learn to feed herself. Don’t let baby feed herself, she’ll choke.
When it comes to the topic of introducing solid foods, there are so many conflicting recommendations and opinions, even among the experts and research.
For the past 50 years, the common advice has been along the lines of “sometime between 4 to 6 months, introduce rice cereal (oatmeal if baby becomes constipated), then orange and green vegetables and pureed fruits, one at a time.” It’s possible that all of that is wrong, but on the other hand, going that route may not hurt, either. Yes, it’s clear as mud…
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation is for exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, (iron-fortified infant formula if breastmilk is not available), with iron-fortified solid foods introduced gradually thereafter to complement the milk intake. This message has been the same for the past 15 years, and reaffirmed in a 2012 policy statement, yet, you will find many conflicting recommendations about when to begin solid foods, how to feed your baby, and what to foods to start with or avoid. Your pediatrician may give you suggestions that are very different from what your friend was told by her pediatrics practice. Some recent research questions the typical recommendations to introduce foods in specific orders and avoid common allergenic foods like egg whites and wheat. It’s possible that delaying the introduction of these foods could actually be causing more allergies, rather than fewer.
What introducing solid foods is all about: Socializing baby to the feeding experience, introducing new flavors, textures and oral motor skills.
What introducing solid foods isn’t really about: Packing in foods in hopes that he’ll sleep better.
Signs of readiness: Typically around 5-6 months, you’ll notice your baby watching, grabbing, and otherwise showing interest in your own meals and snacks, and she should be able to sit up with support. The best sign of readiness, however, is that once you do begin offering food, your baby gets the hang of it within a few “meals” or over the course of a week: quickly learning to open mouth for the spoon, seeming interested or eager, reaching for it, wanting more. If your baby seems to find it unpleasant and fusses, squirms away, gags or extrudes most of the food back out repeatedly, continue to offer, but don’t push or force your baby to put food in his mouth. If after three or four “meal” attempts, it is not going well and your baby is not enjoying the experience, shelve the food and try again several days or a week later. It’s okay to have a false start and then wait another week before “re-starting”.
Often a baby is happy just to have a bowl and spoon to play with, and to join you at the table in a highchair. Sometimes they want the “tools of the trade” but not necessarily the food just yet. There’s no rush: once your baby starts eating, he’ll be eating for the next 90 years. A few more weeks won’t make any difference.
How much should my baby eat? Some babies sample only a teaspoon or tablespoon of oatmeal or avocado at a meal, while others will eat an entire bowl of cereal and fruit and holler for more when it’s done. Follow their cues; don’t push them to eat more than they ask for. When she leans forward and continues to opens her mouth for the spoon, continue feeding. When her mouth is closed and she is turning away, she’s done. Try to avoid any tension or struggling over feedings and do not push to finish the portion or play the “just one more bite” game. You have way too many years of feeding your child ahead of you to create struggles over food already!
Give baby her own spoon to hold so she won’t grab at yours (she still will!). Let her suck the food off her hands or plastic spoon or teether. Learning to eat is a tactile, sensory (almost) play experience. Babies first learn to swallow by sucking, so it’s common for babies to put their fingers or a toy in their mouth along with the food, to help organize their swallowing and tongue movements as they employ the more familiar suck-swallow-breathe pattern.
Good first food options:
Whole grain cereals: Oatmeal, barley cereal, brown rice cereal, mixed with breastmilk, formula (if already introduced) or water. Avoid mixed grain cereals as a first food.
Vegetables: Carrots, sweet potatoes, orange squash, peas, green beans, beets.
Fruits: Applesauce, peaches, pears, apricots, plums/prunes, bananas, avocado.
Meats: Chicken, turkey, lamb, beef.
Iron rich foods can be served with Vitamin C (most yellow/orange fruits and vegetables) to enhance absorption. Meats, egg yolks, prunes, sweet potatoes, beans, peas, lentils, and iron-fortified rice, barley or oatmeal cereals are good sources of iron.
Note: Diaper rashes are commonly a reaction to change in pH balance of stool after introducing fruits and vegetables and don’t have to indicate an allergy. Treat with a generous layer of a thick zinc diaper cream, and switch to warm water and washcloths rather than diaper wipes if the skin is very sore or irritated. Facial rashes are commonly due to acidic fruits smeared on the face and frequent washing after meals – use a soft cloth to wash after meals, dry well with a soft cloth and apply a moisture barrier to treat red skin on cheeks and chin.
Interested in this topic? Watch my webinar on introducing and advancing solid foods.
Continue to Part Two of this “Feeding Your Baby” Series:
How and What to Feed Your Baby – Traditional methods and alternatives (jars, homemade purees, baby-led-weaning aka baby-self-feeding).