Only providing infant rice cereal is not recommended by the Food and Drug Administration because there is a risk for children to be exposed to arsenic. Visit the U. Now that your child is starting to eat food, be sure to choose foods that give your child all the vitamins and minerals they need. Let your child try one single-ingredient food at a time at first. This helps you see if your child has any problems with that food, such as food allergies.
Wait 3 to 5 days between each new food. Before you know it, your child will be on his or her way to eating and enjoying lots of new foods. It can take time for your child to adjust to new food textures. Your child might cough, gag, or spit up. Some foods are potential choking hazards , so it is important to feed your child foods that are the right texture for his or her development. To eat, babies need good head and neck control and should be able to sit up in a high chair.
This usually doesn't happen until they're 4 to 6 months old. Also, if you try to feed your son solids before this age, you may notice that he pushes food out of his mouth as quickly as you put it in. Babies start to lose this natural tongue-thrusting reflex at the 4- to 6-month mark, which makes it easier for them to start eating solid foods. Wait until your baby is at least 4 months old and shows these signs of readiness before starting solids.
Babies who start solid foods before 4 months are at a higher risk for obesity and other problems later on. They also aren't coordinated enough to safely swallow solid foods and may choke on the food or inhale it into their lungs. When the time is right, start with a single-grain, iron-fortified baby cereal.
Rice cereal has traditionally been the first food for babies, but you can start with any you prefer. Too much juice might contribute to weight problems and diarrhea.
Sipping juice throughout the day can lead to tooth decay. Another reason to avoid giving your baby solid food before age 4 months is the risk associated with certain home-prepared foods. A baby younger than age 4 months shouldn't be given home-prepared spinach, beets, carrots, green beans or squash. These foods might contain enough nitrates to cause the blood disorder methemoglobinemia. During feedings, talk to your baby and help him or her through the process.
To make mealtime enjoyable:. Enjoy your baby's sloppy tray, gooey hands and sticky face. You're building the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating. There is a problem with information submitted for this request.
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This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. The month recommendation has been around for a long time, I know my parents started us on pablum infant cereal at months with the hopes we would sleep through the night…. It is actually a myth that solids lead to sleeping through the night, BUT it does help your little one ingest more calories during the day, which can lead to less hunger at night. One of the main reasons pediatricians recommended introducing solids or purees rather at 4 months is to prevent the development of allergies.
Below I am going to answer some frequently asked questions when it comes to early introductions based on a recent literature review. Frequently Asked Questions:. Will introducing complementary foods aka solids early i. They found that moderate evidence suggests no relationship between the age of introduction and the risk of developing a food allergy, eczema or asthma during childhood.
Click here to read more. What about the types of allergens introduced? Is there stronger evidence for introducing some early versus others? The 10 common allergens include:. General recommendation: introduce allergens as soon as you start introducing solids. However, make sure you introduce one allergen at a time and wait days before introducing another. Note: your baby might not have a reaction at first, so be sure to continue exposing at least another times and monitor for any reactions.
If they do NOT have a reaction then continue offering that food as part of their regular diet at least once each week. An allergic reaction typically occurs within 20 minutes of ingesting that foods, this could include swelling around the mouth and tongue, red dots around the mouth or other body parts, diarrhea, vomiting etc.
If your baby has an allergic reaction, seek medical help immediately. When it comes to peanuts, tree nuts, and seeds there is strong evidence to suggest that exposure before the age of 1 and after 4 months of age may reduce allergies to nuts. You can read more by clicking here. Is there any relationship between introducing solids and weight gain or growth?
The latest evidence review found moderate evidence that suggests the first introduction of any complementary food or beverage between months compared to 6 months of age is NOT associated with weight, length, body composition, or general health in healthy full term infants.
In addition, there was some evidence although limited to suggest that introducing complementary foods solids before 4 months was associated with higher odds of being overweight in childhood.
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