When the time is right, start with a single-grain, iron-fortified baby cereal. Rice cereal has traditionally been the first food for babies, but you can start with any you prefer.
Start with 1 or 2 tablespoons of cereal mixed with breast milk, formula, or water. Feed your baby with a small baby spoon, and never add cereal to a baby's bottle unless your doctor recommends it. At this stage, solids should be fed after a nursing session, not before. That way, your baby fills up on breast milk, which should be your baby's main source of nutrition until age 1. Wait a few days between introducing new foods to make sure your baby doesn't have an allergic reaction. Experts recommend introducing common food allergens to babies when they're 4—6 months old.
This includes babies with a family history of food allergies. The most common type is a dry powdered cereal, to which liquid is added to form an oatmeal-like consistency, but it can also be purchased premixed. It's one of the single grain cereals that have been recommended for infants when they start on solid foods.
As rice is grown, the plant absorbs more inorganic arsenic from its environment compared to other crops. Arsenic is a naturally occurring element that can enter the food supply through water, soil, or air. Eating too much rice cereal as an infant can cause long-term health problems. Instead of rice cereal, you can offer another single grain infant cereal such as oat or barley cereal. You can find many of these infant cereals in premixed or dry versions to which you would add breast milk, formula, or water to create a consistency that your baby will like.
Look for cereals that are specifically made for babies because they will be fortified with nutrients like iron and zinc that your baby needs. Just remember that when introducing new foods — including different types of infant cereals — do so gradually, offering one new food at a time, and then waiting a couple of days before adding another food, to watch for any possible allergic reactions. Get it free when you sign up for our newsletter.
American Academy of Pediatrics. Baby's first month: feeding and nutrition. Updated July 10, Breastfeeding: frequently asked questions. Updated September 2, How often and how much should your baby eat?
Updated October 29, Amount and schedule of formula feedings. Updated July 24, Starting solid foods. Updated March 17, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Choking hazards. Updated March 30, Vitamin D and iron supplements for babies: AAP recommendations. Updated May 27, Your Baby's First Year, 4th edition. New York: Bantam Books, American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellFamily.
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I Accept Show Purposes. It's recommended that you give your baby potentially allergenic foods when you introduce other complementary foods. Potentially allergenic foods include:. There is no evidence that delaying the introduction of these foods can help prevent food allergies. In fact, early introduction of foods containing peanuts might decrease the risk that your baby will develop a food allergy to peanuts.
Still, especially if any close relatives have a food allergy, give your child his or her first taste of a highly allergenic food at home — rather than at a restaurant — with an oral antihistamine available. If there's no reaction, the food can be introduced in gradually increasing amounts.
Don't give juice to your baby until after age 1. Juice isn't a necessary part of a baby's diet, and it's not as valuable as whole fruit. Too much juice might contribute to weight problems and diarrhea. Sipping juice throughout the day can lead to tooth decay. Another reason to avoid giving your baby solid food before age 4 months is the risk associated with certain home-prepared foods. A baby younger than age 4 months shouldn't be given home-prepared spinach, beets, carrots, green beans or squash.
These foods might contain enough nitrates to cause the blood disorder methemoglobinemia. During feedings, talk to your baby and help him or her through the process. To make mealtime enjoyable:. Enjoy your baby's sloppy tray, gooey hands and sticky face. You're building the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating. There is a problem with information submitted for this request.
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