Introducing Solid Foods into Baby's Diet

The addition of solid foods into your baby's diet is an important milestone in his development. When an infant reaches six months in age his need for iron, zinc and other nutrients will begin to exceed what a mother's breast milk or formula can provide. Also, he will require more calories in his diet. New mother's often wonder how they will know when their baby is ready for solid foods and how solid foods should be introduced.

It is advisable to try introducing solid foods sometime after your child turns four months old. Each child's development rate will be different and some babies will be ready for solid foods at four months while others will wait until the six month mark or bit beyond. There are several signs you can watch for in your baby's behavior to help determine if it is time to try offering him solid foods.

A baby who shows an interest in the food that you eat may be ready for solid foods. Pay attention to your child while you are eating. Does your baby watch intently as you eat? Does he reach for your finger foods or utensils? These are good signs that he is ready for his first solid food.

Another sign that a baby is ready for solid foods is an increase in appetite. If you believe you recognize an increase in your baby's appetite try to monitor him for a few days to rule out the possibility that he is just going through a growth spurt. Also, make sure you are confident he is eating well at each feeding. If you are breastfeeding, don't confuse a decrease in your milk supply with an increase in your baby's appetite. A baby who wants to eat every two hours is trying to get the extra calories he needs. If this goes on for a few days then chances are your baby is ready for solid foods.

Contact your child's doctor and discuss any signs you may notice if you still have a question about your child's readiness.

Rice cereal is most likely going to be the first solid food that your baby will eat. For the first feeding you will mix one tablespoon of cereal with four tablespoons of breast milk, formula or water. This will provide a very liquid mix that will help your baby adjust to eating from a spoon. Over the next few feedings you may thicken the mixture to your desired consistency.

It is recommended that you feed your baby one solid food for at least five days before introducing the next so that if an allergic reaction occurs you will be able to readily identify the culprit. Also, after you have gone through the grains (Rice cereal, oatmeal and barley) you will want to introduce vegetables and fruits. I recommend alternating with green vegetables, yellow vegetables and fruits. Offering fruits and yellow vegetables only will encourage a baby to develop a taste for sweet foods which may lead to him rejecting green vegetables later on.

Once you make the decision to start feeding your baby solid foods you will start with one serving a day. I advise introducing solid foods as a dinnertime event. You may wish to make it part of your nighttime routine. Having a dinnertime meal followed by bath time and then nursing or bottle feeding before bedtime might help your baby establish better sleep habits.