Feeding Time: What to Eat and When

With all of the varying advice on feeding your baby, you may just want to breastfeed forever. Though you should always consult your doctor for the latest information on baby food, there are a few things you should expect in the first year.

When to introduce solids
Most doctors agree that solids should be introduced somewhere between four and six months. However, if you had an especially large baby at birth or a little boy with a big boy appetite, your doctor might recommend starting your baby on solid food as early as 3 months. Signs that your baby is ready for solid foods may include: doubling of her birth weight, an increased interest in food, and drinking more than 32 oz of milk in a day. Usually your baby will give you unmistakable signs that they are ready for food but always check with your doctor before introducing any solid food.

What is "solid" food?
The term "solid" food is a bit misleading. Typically, one of the first "solid" foods you will introduce is rice cereal diluted with formula or breast milk. This food is extremely runny doesn't appear to have any solid properties about it. As your baby adjusts to eating from a spoon, dilute her food with milk or formula. This will also help your baby adjust to the new flavors in solid food.

How to introduce solid foods
The most important thing about introducing solid foods is that you introduce them one at a time and wait at least 3 days between new foods. This way you can monitor for any allergic reactions because it can take up to three days for signs of allergy to show up. Always check with your doctor, some doctors recommend waiting as long as 7 days between new foods.

First Foods
Although your baby's first food with probably be cereal, you can start introducing fruits and vegetables around 6 to 7 months. Some good first vegetables are: sweet potatoes, peas, or carrots. Try to stay away from fruits that are to acidic like orange or other citrus fruits. But your baby probably would like banana, peach or applesauce at this stage.

Foods to stay away from
There are few key foods that you should never introduce until after the baby is 1 year old. These include honey, fish, peanuts and strawberries. All of these foods can cause severe allergic reactions and if given to your baby too early, she could develop an allergic reaction she wouldn't otherwise have had. There are a few other foods that won't necessarily hurt your child but it is really unnecessary to introduce at this stage while they are still developing their tastes. These foods include sugar, soda or anything not naturally sweet.

Protein foods
You will want to begin introducing protein foods to your baby around 7 to 8 months. These foods might include meats, cottage cheese or beans. Remember that your baby probably still doesn't have any teeth, or at least not enough to chew anything so your baby's food should still be mushy at this stage.

Eating for the first year
The most important thing to remember about eating during the first year is to introduce new foods one at a time. Your baby's first year is a year of discovery. As your child tries new foods feeding time will be an enjoyable experience for baby and parents alike.

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