When Can Babies Eat Cereal in Their Milk

Babies are typically ready to start solids between 4 and 6 months, as long as they're showing signs of readiness, such as being able to sit upright with good head control. Talk to your baby's doctor about which foods to introduce first, particularly if you're concerned about an allergy. In general, infant cereal and pureed, one-ingredient veggies, fruits, and meats are great first foods. Try spoon-feeding or baby-led weaning, and keep up the breast milk or formula until your baby's first birthday. At first your little one will eat just 1 or 2 teaspoons of food once a day, but by 8 months your baby will probably enjoy three larger meals a day.

When can babies eat solid food?

As long as your baby shows signs of readiness, you can start solids any time between 4 and 6 months. Until then, breast milk or formula provides all the calories and nourishment your baby needs – and can handle. Infants don't yet have the physical skills to swallow solid foods safely, and their digestive system isn't ready for solids until they're at least 4 months old.

If you're exclusively breastfeeding, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends waiting until 6 months old to start solids. That's because exclusive breastfeeding is so beneficial for your baby.

Even after your baby starts solids, breast milk or formula will still provide the majority of your baby's calories and nutrition until they're a year old. Both provide important vitamins, iron, and protein in a form that's easy to digest. See how much breast milk or formula babies need after starting solids.

How can I tell when my baby's ready for solid food?

Your baby will give you clear signs when they're ready. Look for:

• Head control . Your baby needs to be able to keep their head in a steady, upright position.
• Sitting well when supported. Your baby needs to be able to sit upright in an infant feeding seat or highchair to swallow well.
• Losing the "extrusion reflex." Your baby's mouth and tongue develop in sync with the digestive system. To start solids, they should be able to move food to the back of their mouth and swallow it, instead of using their tongue to push food out of their mouth.

• Significant weight gain. Your baby may be ready to eat solids if they've doubled their birth weight, weigh at least 13 pounds, and is at least 4 months old.
• Curiosity about food. Your baby may begin eyeing or reaching for your food or may open their mouth if you offer them a spoonful.

Keep in mind that just because your baby is 6 months old, it doesn't mean that you have to introduce solids. Some babies may be ready for solids by 6 months, while others may need a little bit more time.

What are the best first baby foods?

Start your baby with any pureed single-ingredient food. Although it used to be standard for parents to give baby cereal as a first food, that's not necessary. Good first baby foods include

• pureed squash
• applesauce
• mashed bananas
• mashed avocado
• pureed peaches
• pureed pears
• pureed meats
• whole-grain, iron-enriched baby cereal

If your baby is breastfed, the AAP suggests meat as a first food because the iron in beef, chicken, and turkey helps to replace iron stores, which start to diminish at about 6 months of age.

What to know about food allergies when starting solid food

Experts recommend that you introduce one food at a time to your baby, and wait 3 to 5 days before introducing another food, so you can watch for any allergic reactions. It's also a good idea to write down the foods your baby samples. If they have an adverse reaction, a food log will make it easier to pinpoint the cause.

You don't have to put off giving allergenic foods such as eggs or soy. There's no evidence that waiting to introduce certain foods will help your baby avoid allergies. In fact, there's evidence that the opposite is true.

According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), incorporating commonly allergenic foods into your baby's diet starting at around 4 to 6 months (and continuing through childhood) may actually help prevent the development of food allergies.

Start with traditional first foods, such as iron-fortified infant cereal, pureed veggies, fruits, and meats. Once you've tried a few of these foods and your baby seems to be tolerating them well, you can introduce more commonly allergenic foods, such as soy, eggs, wheat, fish, and peanut products.

Food manufacturers have products on the market designed to help you incorporate commonly allergenic foods into your child's diet. These stir-in powders and finger foods may contain one commonly allergenic protein or a blend of several.

Special precautions need to be taken with certain babies. If your child falls into any of the following categories, consult with your baby's doctor or an allergist to create a customized feeding plan before adding solids to your baby's diet:

• Your baby has a sibling with a peanut allergy.
• Your baby has moderate to severe eczema despite following a doctor's treatment plan.
• Your baby previously had an immediate allergic reaction to a new food or has been diagnosed with a food allergy.
• Your baby's blood test was positive for an allergy to a specific food.

If your baby is allergic to a new food, you'll see signs of a reaction within a few minutes or hours. Most children with food allergies have mild reactions. If you notice hives, vomiting, or diarrhea, call your baby's doctor for advice.

If you notice wheezing, difficulty breathing, or facial swelling (including the tongue and lips), your baby may be having a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis.Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.

How to introduce solid food to your baby

The traditional way to start solids is by spoon-feeding your baby infant cereal or purees, but some parents use a different method called baby-led weaning. Using this method, you put large chunks of soft food on the highchair tray or table and let your baby grab the food and feed themself.

See our article on baby-led weaning to find out how it works. To learn how to start spoon-feeding, read on.

For your first few feedings, give your baby just 1 or 2 teaspoons of pureed solid food or infant cereal after nursing or bottle-feeding (so your baby doesn't get hungry and frustrated).

Use a soft-tipped plastic spoon to feed your baby to avoid injuring their gums. Put a small amount of food on the tip of the spoon and offer it to them. If your baby doesn't seem very interested, just let them smell the food for now and try again another time.

If you're feeding your baby ready-to-eat jars or pouches of baby food, put some into a small dish and feed them from that. (If you dip the feeding spoon into the jar, it's not a good idea to save the leftovers because bacteria from your baby's mouth will now be in the jar.) Throw away any open baby food jars within a day or two of opening them.

If you decide to start with cereal, give your baby 1 to 2 teaspoons of diluted infant cereal. Add breast milk or formula to a tiny pinch of cereal. It will be very runny at first, but as your baby starts to eat more solid foods, you can gradually thicken the consistency by using less liquid.

Begin with one daily feeding whenever your baby isn't too tired, hungry, or cranky. Your baby may not eat much at first, but give them time to get used to the experience. Don't be surprised if your baby is confused or rejects solid food at first. Some babies need practice keeping food in their mouths and swallowing.

Eventually you can start giving your baby more solid food until they're having a few tablespoons a day, over two feedings. In general, your baby could start with pureed or semi-liquid food, then move on to strained or mashed food, and finally graduate to small pieces of finger foods.

See our age-by-age baby feeding guide to find out what you can expect next.

How can I tell when my baby is full?

Your baby's appetite will vary from one feeding to the next, so a strict accounting of how much they've eaten isn't a reliable way to tell when they've had enough. Look for these signs that your baby is probably done:

• Leans back in the chair
• Turns head away from food
• Starts playing with the spoon
• Refuses to open up for the next bite (Sometimes a baby will keep their mouth closed because they haven't finished the first mouthful, so give them time to swallow.)

Baby food feeding tips

• Offer fruits or vegetables in any order. Some parents may tell you to start with vegetables instead of fruits so your infant won't develop a taste for sweets. But babies are born with a preference for sweets, so you don't have to worry about introducing sweet or savory foods in any particular order.
• Feed cereal with a spoon only. Unless your baby's doctor asks you to, don't add cereal to a bottle – your baby could choke or end up gaining too much weight.
• Encourage adventurous eating. You don't have to stick with bland and boring. See how to use spices and seasonings to make your baby's food delicious.
• Give new foods time. If your baby turns away from a particular food, don't push. Try again in a few days.
• Check for added sugars and too much salt. Check the Nutrition Facts label on canned, frozen, or packaged foods for "Added Sugars." If there's 1 gram or more listed, consider giving your baby something else, since these sugars and syrups added during the processing of the food aren't recommended for children under 24 months. Also look at sodium amounts. Babies should have no more than 1,200 mg of sodium per day.
• Know the choking hazards. Don't give your baby foods that might make them choke.
• Watch for constipation. A baby's stool sometimes changes when their diet does. Although it's usually temporary, your baby may have constipation after introducing solids. If you notice that your baby is having less frequent bowel movements, or that their stools have become hard or dry and seem difficult to pass, let their doctor know. Some doctors recommend adding high-fiber fruits such as pears, prunes, and peaches to a baby's diet, or giving a few ounces of prune, apple, or pear juice each day until bowel movements are back to normal.

Also, don't be surprised if your baby's stools change color and odor when you add solids to their diet. If your baby has been exclusively breastfed up to this point, you'll probably notice a strong odor to their formerly mild-smelling stools as soon as they start eating even tiny amounts of solids. This is normal.

How many times a day should my baby eat solid food?

At first your baby will eat solid food just once a day. By around 6 to 7 months, two meals a day is the norm. Starting around 8 to 9 months, they may be eating solid food three times a day. A typical day's diet at 8 months might include a combination of:

• Breast milk or iron-fortified formula
• Iron-fortified cereal
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Small amounts of protein, such as eggs, cheese, yogurt, poultry, lentils, tofu, and meat

There are some unsafe foods  for babies to watch out for. Honey, for example, can cause botulism in babies less than a year old. And babies should wait until after their first birthday to try cow's milk or soy milk.

What equipment do I need to feed solids to my baby?

It's helpful to have:

• A highchair
• Baby bowls and plates
• Baby spoons
• Bibs
• A splat mat on the floor

You may also want to introduce your baby to a sippy cup soon after you start solids.

If you're making your own baby food, you'll need:

• A tool to puree the food, like a blender, food processor, or baby food maker
• Storage containers for refrigerating and freezing extra portions (Some parents use ice cube trays – or similar devices made just for baby food – to store and freeze individual portions.)

When Can Babies Eat Cereal in Their Milk

Source: https://www.babycenter.com/baby/solids-finger-foods/introducing-solids_113

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