Feeding Solids to Your Baby

At first, babies only need breast milk or formula to grow and thrive. At around 4–6 months, most babies are ready to start eating solids too. Babies who are ready to start solids:

• can sit up

• can control their head and neck

• seem interested in food

• can lean back or turn the head when full

• no longer have the tongue-thrusting reflex where they push their tongue out when anything is placed between their lips

Here are some tips for starting your baby on solid foods. 

• Buckle your baby safely in an infant seat or high chair when feeding solid foods.

• To feed your baby:

  • Give your baby just one kind of food at a time. You can start with iron-fortified, single-grain infant cereals (mixed with water, breast milk, or formula until thin) or puréed meats. Cereals and puréed meats are good sources of iron and zinc, which your baby needs. 

  • Place the spoon near your baby's lips and let your baby smell and taste. If your baby won't eat the food, wait a minute and try again, or try at the next meal.

  • Don't force your baby to eat or finish a food.

  • When your baby seems comfortable with the first food, you can continue to add new foods such as puréed fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, or yogurt. Wait a few days between each new food in case your baby has an allergic reaction.

  • Continue adding thicker foods (such as mashed potatoes) as your baby is ready. You can try other foods, such as a small amount of peanut butter mixed into fruit purée or yogurt, or soft scrambled eggs.

• Tips for healthy feeding:

  • Continue giving your baby breast milk or iron-fortified formula after starting solid foods. Babies continue to get most of their nutrition from breast milk or formula through their first year.

  • Don't add salt or sugar to your baby's food.

  • Don't give fruit juice to your baby. It can lead to future tooth decay, too much weight gain, or diarrhea.

  • Don't add cereal to your baby's bottle unless your health care provider tells you to.

  • Ask your health care provider if your baby needs any vitamin supplements.

• Safety tips:

  • Don't give cow's milk to your baby in the first year. It doesn't give babies the nutrition they need and can cause health problems.

  • After you make baby food or open a jar of it, store it in the refrigerator and throw away any that's left after 2 days. Don't feed your baby from the container. Put the food in a bowl instead. This prevents germs from growing in the food container.

  • Don't give your baby hard or round foods such as grapes, nuts, raw carrots, raisins, popcorn, hot dogs, or round candy. These can cause choking.

• Your baby has a rash, diarrhea, vomiting, or fussiness.

• Your baby is more than 6 months old and still won't take any solid foods.

Or call 911 if your baby has signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as wheezing, trouble breathing, hives, or looking extremely pale.

Will feeding foods like fish, peanut butter, and scrambled eggs make my baby more likely to develop a food allergy? In the past, experts thought that babies should not get these foods until after the first birthday. But recent studies suggest that waiting that long could make a baby more likely to develop food allergies. Even babies with family members who have food allergies can try these foods when they start solids.

Can I make my own baby food? You can make your own baby food at home by puréeing foods with a food processor or blender. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Wash your hands well before handling food.

• Preserve the nutrients in your baby's food by steaming or baking instead of boiling.

• Freeze foods that you aren't going to use right away rather than canning them.