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Find out when and how to make the transition from breast milk or formula to solid foods. Giving your baby his or her first taste of solid food is a major milestone. Here’s what you need to know before your baby takes that first bite. Is your baby ready for solid foods? Breast milk or formula is the only food your newborn needs. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months after birth. But by ages 4 months to 6 months, most babies are ready to begin eating solid foods as a complement to breast-feeding or formula-feeding.
During this time babies typically stop using their tongues to push food out of their mouths and begin to develop the coordination to move solid food from the front of the mouth to the back for swallowing. In addition to age, look for other signs that your baby is ready for solid foods. Can your baby hold his or her head in a steady, upright position? Can your baby sit with support? Is your baby mouthing his or her hands or toys? Is your baby showing a desire for food by leaning forward and opening his or her mouth?
If you answer yes to these questions and your baby’s health care provider agrees, you can begin supplementing your baby’s liquid diet. Continue feeding your baby breast milk or formula — up to 32 ounces a day. Offer single-ingredient foods that contain no sugar or salt. Wait three to five days between each new food to see if your baby has a reaction, such as diarrhea, a rash or vomiting. After introducing single-ingredient foods, you can offer them in combination.
Iron and zinc are important nutrients in the second half of your baby’s first year. These nutrients are found in pureed meats and single-grain, iron-fortified cereal. Don’t serve it from a bottle. Instead, help your baby sit upright and offer the cereal with a small spoon once or twice a day after a bottle- or breast-feeding. Start by serving one or two teaspoons.