Starting Solids

Gradually switching your baby from just breast milk or formula to solids is an exciting time. Thankfully, the process can be done with ease—and your baby will welcome the new flavors.

From the moment babies are born, they are hungry! Drinking in breast milk or formula is the natural, easy way for your infant to get nutrition. You both have adjusted to this simple form of feeding and now, at around 6 months, it’s time for a change. Make it a joyful experience, and your child will welcome new tastes and textures. And get ready for adorable—the faces your child makes at the first taste of cereal are photo worthy!

It's around this time that 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. Also, this 6-month mark is when babies need complementary food to support growth, satisfy hunger and help meet energy and nutrient needs. For babies who are exclusively breast-fed, waiting until 6 months before introducing solid food can help ensure that they get the full health benefits of breastfeeding.

In addition to age, your baby can give you other clues he’s ready for solid foods. Can your baby hold his head in a steady, upright position? Can your baby sit with support? If you answer yes to these questions and your baby's doctor agrees, you can begin supplementing your baby's liquid diet.

Wondering about allergies as you look forward to adding more solid foods? Postponing the introduction of highly allergenic foods, such as peanuts, eggs and fish, beyond 4 to 6 months of age hasn't been shown to prevent eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis or food allergy. In fact, early introduction of peanuts might even help prevent peanut allergy.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that for most children, you do not need to give foods in a certain order. By the time babies are 7 or 8 months old, they can eat a variety of foods from different food groups. These foods include infant cereals, meat or other proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurt, cheeses and more.

If your child is eating infant cereals, it’s important to offer a variety, such as oat, barley and multigrain instead of only rice cereal. 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. 

Don’t overload your child. Try one single-ingredient food at a time at first. This helps you see whether your baby has any problems with that particular food, such as food allergies. Wait three to five days between each new food. Before you know it, your child will be on his way to eating and enjoying lots of new foods.

Introduce potentially allergenic foods once a few other foods have been introduced—and just one at a time. Potentially allergenic foods include cow’s milk products, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy and sesame. Drinking cow’s milk or fortified soy beverages is not recommended until your child is older than 12 months, but other cow’s milk products, such as yogurt, can be introduced before 12 months. If your child has severe eczema and/or egg allergy, talk with your child’s doctor or nurse about it.

At first, it’s easier for your child to eat foods that are mashed, pureed or strained and very smooth in texture. Adjusting to new food textures can take some time, and your child might cough, gag or spit up. As your baby’s oral skills develop, you can introduce thicker and lumpier foods.

Keep in mind that some foods are potential choking hazards, so select foods that are the right texture for your baby’s development. To help prevent choking, prepare foods that can be easily dissolved with saliva and do not require chewing. Feed small portions and encourage your baby to eat slowly. Always watch your child while she is eating.

Some good tips are to mix cereals and mashed cooked grains with breast milk, formula or water to make it smooth and easy for your baby to swallow. Also, mash or puree vegetables, fruits and other foods until they are smooth.

Hard fruits and vegetables, like apples and carrots, usually need to be cooked so they can be easily mashed or pureed. Cook food until it is soft enough to easily mash with a fork.

Be sure to remove all fat, skin and bones from poultry, meat and fish before cooking. Remove seeds and hard pits from fruit and then cut the fruit into small pieces.

Cut soft food into small pieces or thin slices. Cut cylindrical foods like hot dogs, sausage and string cheese into short thin strips instead of round pieces that could get stuck in the airway. Take time to cut small spherical foods like grapes, cherries, berries and tomatoes into small pieces, too. Cook and finely grind or mash whole-grain kernels of wheat, barley, rice and other grains.

As you go through this process, your little one will begin to get excited when he sees you coming over to his high chair with bright orange carrots, hot dog strips or that bowlful of cereal. Healthy eating habits truly begin early.

Judy Goppert lives in Lee’s Summit. She enjoys drawing on her personal experiences to write about the nuances of everything wonderful about life.

As always, please consult your health care provider with any questions or concerns.

Sources: MayoClinic.org, CKC.gov