Introducing Solid Foods?

This page was reviewed or revised on Friday, August 14, 2009.

Starting Solid Foods

Solid food is best started when your baby is about six months of age. Physically, the baby is ready for solids. Your baby can now swallow and digest the food properly.

Iron-fortified infant cereals should be the first solids introduced. They have the iron your baby needs at a time when a baby's iron stores are low. Start with single grain cereals such as rice and oatmeal, because they are less likely to bring on allergies.

Mix the cereal with breast milk or water so it is fairly liquid at first. Add less liquid as your baby learns to handle a more solid mixture. Avoid adding cereal to your baby's bottle. Spoon feeding is an important part of learning and growing.

Try to use iron-fortified infant cereals until your baby is eighteen months old to make sure he/she is getting enough iron.

Cereals with added formula, fruit or vegetables are still considered a cereal serving. They do not replace fruits, vegetables or milk in your baby's diet.

How to Introduce New Foods

• Introduce new foods one at a time, three to seven days apart. This way, if your baby has a problem, it will be easy to know which food is causing it.
• Very small amounts of food (a teaspoonful or less) should be offered at first.
• Don't try to force infants to eat new foods if they refuse. Try it again in a week or two.
• Introduce new foods when your baby is happy.
• A baby does not need added butter, margarine, salt or sweetener (sugar, honey, molasses). These seasonings make the food suit adult tastes, not baby's.

More Solid Foods

Start your baby on puréed vegetables, fruits and meat alternatives. Slowly replace some of the purées with mashed foods to let your baby try more texture.

Vegetables

Vegetables are usually offered 2-3 weeks after the cereals have been introduced. Vegetables are often introduced before fruit so your baby will not expect all foods to taste sweet. Choose mild tasting vegetables such as squash, peas, sweet potatoes, green or yellow beans and carrots. Try the stronger tasting, high fiber vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli and brussels sprouts when your baby is a little older.

Fruit and Fruit Juices

Mild flavoured fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, apricots, plums or bananas are good first choices.

You can give your baby juice when you introduce fruit. Apple juice is well tolerated as a first choice. Grape and pineapple juices can also be offered. Because of the strong taste of juice, your baby may prefer it diluted. Most will enjoy undiluted juice by one year of age. Remember that juice should not replace milk in baby's diet. To introduce your baby to a cup, try having him/her drink juice from it.

Don't be tempted to use fruit drinks instead of juices. They're higher in sugar and not as nutritious.

Meat and Alternatives

Begin with pure meat products. Chicken, turkey, veal, lamb, beef, liver, lean pork and fish are good to use. Limit meats such as bologna, ham, wieners or sausage because of their high fat and salt content. Make sure you remove all bones and chunks of meat. These could cause your baby to choke.

Meat alternatives like well-cooked beans, peas and lentils or egg yolk can also be introduced.

Delay giving your baby egg white until he/she is 12 months. It may cause an allergic reaction.

Milk Products

Cottage cheese, mild cheese and yogurt can be offered to your baby. These milk products add variety to your baby's diet.

Commercial Convenience

Choose plain fruits, vegetables and meats. Salt, artificial flavours and colours, monosodium glutamate and nitrates are not used in commercially prepared baby foods in Canada. Ingredients that may be found in these foods are: sugar, in some fruits and desserts for flavour; starches, for texture and consistency; and water, to obtain a certain level of thickness.

Keep these points in mind when buying and serving commercial baby foods:

• read the labels to avoid unnecessary ingredients;
• plain foods will help your baby learn about flavours;
• fresh and frozen unsweetened fruit juices, unsweetened applesauce or yoghurt that you buy for the rest of the family are fine for your baby;
• meat dinners, desserts and creamed vegetables are not wise choices. You get less nutrition for your dollar;
• the first ingredient listed is present in the largest amount, e.g. if ingredients for "Beef Stew" are listed as: potatoes, carrots, beef, wheat flour, etc, then serve it as a vegetable rather than as a meat;
• make sure the safety seal on a jar of baby food has not been broken. When you open the jar of baby food, listen for a popping sound. If it doesn't make this sound, throw the baby food out since it could mean germs or dirt have been allowed to get into the food.
• open jars of commercial baby food can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• do not feed directly from the jar - this can cause bacteria to grow in the remaining food when stored.