How and When to Transition to Solids for Babies

For more than data about how to know if your infant is ready to starting eating foods, what commencement foods to offer, and what to wait, picket these videos from 1,000 Days.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend children exist introduced to foods other than breast milk or babe formula when they are about 6 months old.  Introducing foods before iv months old is not recommended. Every child is different. How do you know if your child is ready for foods other than breast milk or babe formula? You can look for these signs that your child is developmentally set up.

Your child:

• Sits up lone or with support.
• Is able to command head and cervix.
• Opens the mouth when food is offered.
• Swallows nutrient rather than pushes information technology back out onto the chin.
• Brings objects to the oral cavity.
• Tries to grasp minor objects, such equally toys or food.
• Transfers food from the front end to the back of the tongue to swallow.

What Foods Should I Innovate to My Child Start?

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that for near children, you exercise non need to requite foods in a certain order. Your child can begin eating solid foods at about 6 months one-time. By the time he or she is 7 or 8 months old, your kid tin eat a diversity of foods from unlike food groups. These foods include infant cereals, meat or other proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurts and cheeses, and more.

If your kid is eating infant cereals, information technology is important to offer a multifariousness of fortifiedalert icon infant cereals such as oat, barley, and multi-grain instead of but rice cereal. Only providing babe rice cereal is not recommended past the Food and Drug Administration because there is a take chances for children to exist exposed to arsenic. Visit the U.S. Food & Drug Administrationexternal icon to learn more.

How Should I Introduce My Child to Foods?

Your child needs certain vitamins and minerals to abound healthy and strong.

Now that your kid is starting to eat food, exist sure to choose foods that give your child all the vitamins and minerals they demand.

Click here to acquire more than almost some of these vitamins & minerals.

Let your child try one unmarried-ingredient nutrient at a time at first. This helps you see if your kid has any bug with that food, such as food allergies. Await three to 5 days between each new nutrient. Before you know it, your child will be on his or her way to eating and enjoying lots of new foods.

Introduce potentially allergenic foods when other foods are introduced.

Potentially allergenic foods include moo-cow'south 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 moo-cow'southward milk products, such every bit yogurt, tin be introduced before 12 months. If your child has severe eczema and/or egg allergy, talk with your child's doctor or nurse most when and how to safely introduce foods with peanuts.

How Should I Prepare Food for My Child to Eat?

At first, it's easier for your child to eat foods that are mashed, pureed, or strained and very smoothen in texture. Information technology can accept time for your child to adjust to new nutrient textures. Your child might coughing, gag, or spit up. As your baby's oral skills develop, thicker and lumpier foods tin be introduced.

Some foods are potential choking hazards, so information technology is important to feed your child foods that are the correct texture for his or her evolution. To assistance forestall choking, gear up foods that can be easily dissolved with saliva and do not require chewing. Feed small portions and encourage your baby to eat slowly. Ever spotter your child while he or she is eating.

Here are some tips for preparing foods:

• Mix cereals and mashed cooked grains with breast milk, formula, or water to make it smooth and easy for your infant to swallow.
• Mash or puree vegetables, fruits and other foods until they are shine.
• Hard fruits and vegetables, like apples and carrots, usually need to be cooked so they tin can exist easily mashed or pureed.
• Cook nutrient until information technology is soft enough to easily brew with a fork.
• Remove all fat, skin, and bones from poultry, meat, and fish, earlier cooking.
• Remove seeds and hard pits from fruit, and and so cut the fruit into small pieces.
• Cutting soft food into small pieces or sparse slices.
• Cut cylindrical foods like hot dogs, sausage and cord cheese into brusk thin strips instead of round pieces that could get stuck in the airway.
• Cut small spherical foods similar grapes, cherries, berries and tomatoes into small-scale pieces.
• Cook and finely grind or mash whole-grain kernels of wheat, barley, rice, and other grains.

Learn more than well-nigh potential choking hazards and how to forbid your kid from choking.

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Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/infantandtoddlernutrition/foods-and-drinks/when-to-introduce-solid-foods.html