Starting Your Baby on Solid Food

If you are like me, you are tired of listening to your mother's outdated advice about introducing solid foods to your infant. My mother was born in the 50's and believes that rice cereal is appropriate for newborns. Newborns! I must say that this is also the same woman I caught giving my first son - at four months old - a baby bottle filled with Coke. Yes, that's right.

With all of the conflicting information and recommendations out there, you must talk with your doctor about when is appropriate to start solids. It is currently recommended to wait until your baby is at least six months old. This is largely because we want to wait until their digestive system is mature enough to handle new substances. It also is best because your baby could have an allergic reaction and those can be very dangerous in really young babies.

My 6-month-old has strongly demonstrated interest in food. Whenever he sees me eat, he grabs at my food and attempts to shove it into his own mouth. Since he has been crying a lot lately, I asked his pediatrician what she thought of him starting solids.

His doctor, and many others, recommend starting off with cereal. There are several varieties to choose from. The two most common are rice and oatmeal varieties. I prefer oatmeal since I personally believe it to be more nutritious. It also has a better texture and taste (again, my opinion). They also have cereals with fruits mixed in. My oldest son really enjoyed the Gerber Rice with Bananas variety.

Make sure that when you mix the cereal with water (or formula/expressed breastmilk) you don't make it too thick or thin. The cereal should not be so thick that you can turn the spoon over and nothing falls off. It also shouldn't be so thin that it's nearly like water.

Introduce your baby to a tablespoon or two of cereal three times per day. He or she may thrust their tongue forward, but keep trying. This doesn't necessarily mean that they don't like the food. They simply don't know how to eat from a spoon. Your baby may also make faces or gag because they are not used to the texture of the food. Eventually, that will pass and they will enjoy it. If several days go by and they do not show more interest, try mixing in 1/4 jar of sweet potatoes or peas. Both are not fruits - which can cause your baby to discriminate against vegetables if introduced first - and will provide your baby with added nutrition while making the flavor better.

After your baby has eaten cereal for one week, you can begin with vegetables. There are quite a few to choose from. I prefer using Beechnut jarred food because it is usually cheaper (by .10 or more) and it's the same thing. I also enoy their variety of fruits better.

It is important to only introduce one food at a time due to possible food allergies your baby could have. So, for example, the first day you will try peas. Feed your baby peas for three days. If you don't notice anything strange within that time, then you know that the peas are safe to continue feeding. That way, if you begin carrots on the fourth day and your child suddenly develops a rash, you will know that carrots are the culprit.

Every doctor will say different things, but my doctor recommends feeding vegetables (introducing one every three days, remember?) for at least two weeks before moving on to fruits. Follow the same instructions for feeding fuits. You can, and should, still feed your baby vegetables while feeding fruits so that they will not become accustomed to the sweetness and refuse to eat the vegetables.

Ultimately, you want your baby to eat at least one fruit meal and one vegetable meal per day. You can do whatever you like with the third meal, such as giving a little cereal, a little vegetables, and a little fruit as "dessert."

Starting solids can be an adventure, but the most important thing is to introduce one food at a time. If you notice an allergic reaction or your baby can suddenly not be consoled, contact your doctor immediately.