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| |    Starting Solid Foods by Mary Silva, M.S., R.D. reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. Most babies are ready to start eating solids foods when they are four to six months old. Many parents, however, are anxious to start before this, believing that a full tummy will help a baby sleep through the night. Unfortunately for sleep-deprived parents, there is no research to support this contention. There also are many developmental reasons to put off serving solids until babies are at least four months old, including the fact that their gastrointestinal systems are not yet mature enough to digest foods other than breast milk or formula. Four to six months After four months of age or so, the first step to introducing solids is to determine the readiness of your baby. Most babies are ready when they can hold their heads up without support; it's all right if they still need some support to sit up. They also must have outgrown the extrusion reflex (the reflex that causes a baby to automatically push any object such as solid food out of her mouth with her tongue). If your baby pushes food out of her mouth after you try to spoon-feed her several times, just wait a week until trying again. Some infants also indicate a readiness to eat solids by showing a great deal of interest in the food of the adults and older children around them. When your child's ready, it doesn't really matter what food you give her first. What is important is that you choose a simple, single-component food. Traditionally, an iron-fortified infant rice cereal is given first, probably because it has a mild flavor and is mixed with breast milk or formula, giving it a familiar flavor. Initially, a tablespoon of cereal should be mixed with two to three tablespoons of breast milk or formula, which will create a fairly thin mixture. The amount and thickness can be increased as time goes by. After your baby is consistently eating cereal twice a day, you probably will want to introduce strained or pureed vegetables and fruits to her diet. It really doesn't matter which one you give first, and you can serve commercial "first stage" baby foods or make your own. What does matter is that new foods are given as single foods, not mixtures (e.g., no apple-and-pear or carrots-and-peas combos). Your baby will need a trial period of a couple of days when no other new foods are given so that if there is a reaction such as a rash or vomiting, the offending food can be identified. Seven to eight months Once your baby is eating solid food two to three times a day and has had an opportunity to sample a variety of infant cereals, vegetables, and fruits, you can give meat a try. Meat can be very beneficial to a baby's diet because it's a good source of the protein, zinc, and iron she used to get in breast milk and formula. Like other foods, meats should be introduced one at a time just in case there's an adverse reaction. You can use the jarred commercial meats formulated for babies this age or make your own by putting meat in a blender or chopping it very finely. Moisten the meat with a little breast milk or formula to make it easier to swallow. Eight to twelve months At this stage, most babies are ready to eat mashed or diced, soft table foods. Most of the foods that the rest of the family eats (before adding salt and seasonings) are suitable for your baby. For convenience, you also can serve her commercially prepared baby food appropriate for her age (often labeled as "junior" foods). Once your baby can pick up small objects between her thumb and index finger, you also can give her finger foods such as soft, chopped vegetables, well-cooked pasta, crackers, certain dry cereals (see restrictions below), and diced ripe fruit. Babies usually like these foods and delight in their newfound dexterity. It's important at this time to remember that any small, hard object--including food--can pose a choking hazard to a young child. It's best to avoid foods like peanuts, hard candies, crisp carrots (stewed ones are fine!), and others that can break off into small pieces and block off a baby's airway. Foods to avoid Some foods should not be given to babies foods should not be given to babies in the first year of life. Products containing peanut butter, egg whites, cow's milk, or wheat may cause allergies if given too early. Special caution should be used with children who already have allergies or if there's a family history of allergies. Foods containing honey or corn syrup also should not be given to babies younger than twelve months old because of the risk of botulism.
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