• Careers
  • Education
  • Research
  • Giving
Ochsner Health Ochsner Health
  • About
  • Find A Doctor (current)
  • Find A Location
  • Specialties & Treatments
MyOchsner Logo
Login | Signup
Submit Search
Close Search
  •   Home
  • In To Your Health...
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
  • I need to...
  • Find A Doctor
  • Find A Location
  • Find A Specialty
  • Schedule An Appointment
  • Pay A Bill
  • Explore
  • About Ochsner
  • Careers
  • Patients & Visitors
  • "To Your Health" Blog
  • Health Resources
  • Medical Professionals
  • Education
  • Philanthropy
  • Community Outreach
  • Research
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Schedule an Appointment
  • Call: 1-866-624-7637
  • Online: Login to MyOchsner
  • Personalize your content
  • patient Edit Persona Persona Chooser
To Your Health

View Newsletter Editions
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
496686167 Baby Boy Eating Solid Food

When to Introduce Solid Foods to Your Baby

Updated: Sep 4, 2020 | Originally Published: Feb 9, 2015 |
By Erika Smith
Share Facebook Logo Twitter Logo Pinterest Logo Email Logo

Feeding your infant their first bite of food is exciting. The first two years of feeding sets up lifetime dietary behaviors.

Here are some tips and recommendations to help your child develop healthy eating habits right from the start.

  1. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends introducing solid foods to infants when they are about 6 months old. This should be balanced with your baby’s developmental stage. Your infant should be able to sit with support and have good neck and head control. Ask your pediatrician when is the right time for your child.
  2. Start with single ingredient solids first. Wait 2-3 days between each new food to ensure there is no allergic reaction. If your baby develops a rash, vomiting or diarrhea, seek guidance from your pediatrician. When it comes to order of which foods to start first, it is important to note that exclusively breastfed babies need to have iron fortified foods twice a day. This can be accomplished with iron fortified cereals or pureed meats. To help establish a well balanced diet, all infants should be offered fruits and veggies at least once a day.
  3. Offer solids on a spoon. This will help develop good oral motor skills. You can start with a teaspoon at the end of breastfeeding or bottle feeding and slowly increase from there. Make sure to avoid any foods with added salt or sugar in them. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has great guidelines for making your own baby food safely.
  4. Infants have a built in way to tell when they are full. They usually lean back or turn away when they are full. Infants should be allowed to stop feeding when they show these signs to help establish healthy eating habits and avoid overeating. Remember your infant may not like a particular food the first time; it may take up to 15 times before your baby will accept it.
  5. There are some foods that should be completely avoided. Be sure not to give any foods that are round and hard as these are a choking hazard. Examples include hotdogs, nuts, grapes and round candies. Honey shouldn’t be introduced until 12 months of age.
  6. Once a baby turns six months old, sips of water can be offered safely. Healthy babies do not usually need water in addition to their formula or breastmilk unless they are living in hot climates. The AAP advises no juice until children are 1-year-old unless otherwise recommended by your pediatrician. When juice is introduced, use 100% juice and dilute it. Juice is a risk factor for childhood obesity and dental cavities.
Tags
pediatrics
development

You may also be interested in:

Picky   Thinkstockphotos 623294714
Food & Fitness
Sep 4, 2020

Parenting a Picky Eater

Young children can become picky eaters for a number of reasons. Here are five ways to help your little one get back on track.
By Patricia Granier, MD
Breastfeeding mom baby breastfeed 2020 2 21 720x480 540bacec c26a 44d3 af38 836b4fe0933b
Women's Health
Sep 4, 2020

Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

Establishing a good breastmilk supply in the beginning can make a difference in how long you are able to produce, and how much.
By Shari Lepine, RNC, IBCLC

Comments about the blog? Send us an email!

Ochsner Health Ochsner Health

Schedule An Appointment: 1-866-624-7637

Follow us: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Pinterest

Healthy living tips, delivered weekly to your inbox.

Patients & Visitors

  • Billing & Financial Services
  • Insurance Information
  • International Patients
  • Request Medical Records
  • Share Your Story
  • Read Patient Stories

Medical Professionals

  • Transfer a Patient
  • Refer a Patient

Health Resources

  • To Your Health Blog
  • Golden Opportunity
  • Hello Health Seminars
  • Ochsner Magazine

Job Seekers

  • Career Paths
  • Benefits
  • Open Positions

Employees

  • Webmail
  • OHSLink
  • Workday

Employers

  • Corporate Wellness
  • Medicare Advantage Plans

Community Outreach

  • Classes & Events
  • Programs
  • Community Health Needs Assessment
  • Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy

Education

  • Graduate Medical Education
  • Clinical Medical Education
  • Continuing Medical Education
  • Medical Library
  • Publishing Services
  • Medical Illustrations

Research

  • Clinical Trials
  • Applied Health Services Research
  • Clinical Research & Trials
  • Nursing Research
  • Translational Research

Giving

  • Donate
  • Volunteer

About Ochsner

  • Mission & Vision
  • History
  • Annual Report
  • Outcomes & Honors
  • News & Media
  • Alumni
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Contact Us

Shop

  • O Bar
  • Optical Shop
  • Ochsner Fitness Center
  • Brent House Hotel

© Ochsner Health  | Notice of Privacy Practices | Terms of Use | Vendor Information

Ochsner accepts all major insurances.

Ochsner is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, founded on providing the best patient care, research, and education.

We are one of the country’s largest non-university based academic medical centers.

Ochsner is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Community Needs Health Assessment

EpicMobile Tablet | EpicMobile Phone

Healthy Living Tips, Delivered Right To Your Inbox

* indicates required


Must Reads
Food and Fitness
Men’s Health
Parenting
Women’s Health

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:


Get Weekly Health Tips

Select the weekly newsletters you'd like to receive.

Please select at least one category to continue.

Curious about our newsletters?

View details for each edition

Let us know where to send your weekly newsletters.

To Your Health- Food and Fitness:
To Your Health- General:
To Your Health- Men’s Health:
To Your Health- Parenting:
To Your Health- Women’s Health:

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:

You're all set!

We’ll send newsletters full of healthy living tips right to your inbox every week.

Ochsner Health System
ESC to Close

Begin Typing to Search

Select the drop-down to filter Search by Blog Articles or Sitewide