When baby food
When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods | Nutrition
For more information about how to know if your baby is ready to starting eating foods, what first foods to offer, and what to expect, watch these videos from 1,000 Days.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend children be introduced to foods other than breast milk or infant formula when they are about 6 months old. Introducing foods before 4 months old is not recommended. Every child is different. How do you know if your child is ready for foods other than breast milk or infant formula? You can look for these signs that your child is developmentally ready.
Your child:
- Sits up alone or with support.
- Is able to control head and neck.
- Opens the mouth when food is offered.
- Swallows food rather than pushes it back out onto the chin.
- Brings objects to the mouth.
- Tries to grasp small objects, such as toys or food.
- Transfers food from the front to the back of the tongue to swallow.
What Foods Should I Introduce to My Child First?
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that for most children, you do not need to give foods in a certain order. Your child can begin eating solid foods at about 6 months old. By the time he or she is 7 or 8 months old, your child can eat a variety of foods from different food groups. These foods include infant cereals, meat or other proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurts and cheeses, and more.
If your child is eating infant cereals, it is important to offer a variety of fortifiedalert icon infant cereals such as oat, barley, and multi-grain instead of only rice cereal. Only providing infant rice cereal is not recommended by the Food and Drug Administration because there is a risk for children to be exposed to arsenic. Visit the U.S. Food & Drug Administrationexternal icon to learn more.
How Should I Introduce My Child to Foods?
Your child needs certain vitamins and minerals to grow healthy and strong.
Now that your child is starting to eat food, be sure to choose foods that give your child all the vitamins and minerals they need.
Click here to learn more about some of these vitamins & minerals.
Let your child try one single-ingredient food at a time at first. This helps you see if your child has any problems with that food, such as food allergies. Wait 3 to 5 days between each new food. Before you know it, your child will be on his or her way to eating and enjoying lots of new foods.
Introduce potentially allergenic foods when other foods are introduced.
Potentially allergenic foods include cow’s milk products, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame. Drinking cow’s milk or fortified soy beverages is not recommended until your child is older than 12 months, but other cow’s milk products, such as yogurt, can be introduced before 12 months. If your child has severe eczema and/or egg allergy, talk with your child’s doctor or nurse about when and how to safely introduce foods with peanuts.
How Should I Prepare Food for My Child to Eat?
At first, it’s easier for your child to eat foods that are mashed, pureed, or strained and very smooth in texture. It can take time for your child to adjust to new food textures. Your child might cough, gag, or spit up. As your baby’s oral skills develop, thicker and lumpier foods can be introduced.
Some foods are potential choking hazards, so it is important to feed your child foods that are the right texture for his or her development. To help prevent choking, prepare foods that can be easily dissolved with saliva and do not require chewing. Feed small portions and encourage your baby to eat slowly. Always watch your child while he or she is eating.
Here are some tips for preparing foods:
- Mix cereals and mashed cooked grains with breast milk, formula, or water to make it smooth and easy for your baby to swallow.
- Mash or puree vegetables, fruits and other foods until they are smooth.
- Hard fruits and vegetables, like apples and carrots, usually need to be cooked so they can be easily mashed or pureed.
- Cook food until it is soft enough to easily mash with a fork.
- Remove all fat, skin, and bones from poultry, meat, and fish, before cooking.
- Remove seeds and hard pits from fruit, and then cut the fruit into small pieces.
- Cut soft food into small pieces or thin slices.
- Cut cylindrical foods like hot dogs, sausage and string cheese into short thin strips instead of round pieces that could get stuck in the airway.
- Cut small spherical foods like grapes, cherries, berries and tomatoes into small pieces.
- Cook and finely grind or mash whole-grain kernels of wheat, barley, rice, and other grains.
Learn more about potential choking hazards and how to prevent your child from choking.
Top of Page
Helpful Resources | Nutrition | CDC
If you would like more information on topics related to feeding your baby or toddler, here are some resources:
General
CDC’s Infant and Toddler Nutrition microsite syndication
CDC offers a free Web Content Syndication service that gives public health partners the opportunity to syndicate CDC content directly to their sites without having to monitor or copy updates.
To search the CDC infant and toddler nutrition website available for syndication as well as other resources you can share, visit the CDC Public Health Media Library and browse or search for “infant and toddler nutrition”. Learn more about content syndication and how to add CDC syndicated content on your site.
CDC’s Child and Teen Resources
This collection of resources provides parents and caregivers, health care providers, and partners with tools and information to help children and teens maintain a healthy weight and prevent obesity.
CDC’s Child Development Positive Parenting Tips (Infants)
This CDC website provides information about infants’ development, as well as tips for positive parenting and promoting the safety and health of infants.
CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early.
This website includes tools to track children’s milestones and resources about children’s development.
CDC’s Parent Information
This CDC website provides resources and information on pregnancy, infants and toddlers, children, and teens.
Learn how to handle common parenting challenges through interactive activities, videos, and more. Healthcare professionals and researchers can also find information on children’s health and safety.
CDC’s Division of Oral Health
Tooth decay (cavities) is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood in the United States. Untreated tooth decay can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning. CDC’s Division of Oral Health provides information on what parents and caregivers can do to ensure good oral health for your child.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 pdf icon[PDF-30.6MB]external icon
These guidelines provide science-based advice for Americans on what to eat and drink to promote health, reduce chronic disease, and meet nutrient needs. The 2020–2025 edition provides recommendations for all life stages, including infants and toddlers.
Feeding Guidelines for Infants and Young Toddlers: A Responsive Parenting Approachexternal icon
This report presents recommendations for promoting healthy nutrition and feeding patterns for infants and toddlers from birth to 24 months, with an emphasis on dietary quality, portion sizes, and mealtime environment.
Healthy Childrenexternal icon
This website was developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics for parents. It features thousands of articles in English and Spanish on children’s health and safety, as well as interactive tools.
United States Department of Agriculture Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)external icon
The WIC Program provides support to low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, babies, and children up to age 5. WIC provides nutritious foods, information on healthy eating, breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to health care.
United States Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)external icon
SNAP provides benefits to low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities.
Feeding and Beverage Recommendationsexternal icon
Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, offers science-based recommendations for parents and caregivers.
Tips are available for feeding children from birth through 24 monthsexternal icon and beverages for children from birth through 5 yearsexternal icon. Tips for older children are also available.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Advice About Eating Fishexternal icon
The U.S. FDA and EPA provide advice regarding eating fish. This advice can help people make informed choices when it comes to the types of fish that are nutritious and safe to eat. It is especially important for those who might become pregnant, who are pregnant, or who are breastfeeding, as well as for parents and caregivers who are feeding children. This advice supports the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Top of Page
Breastfeeding
CDC’s Breastfeeding Information
CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) is committed to increasing breastfeeding rates throughout the United States.
CDC provides information for public health professionals and others to help support breastfeeding mothers, such as managing breastfeeding during various maternal and infant illnesses and conditions, any precautions for vaccines during breastfeeding, and recommendations for proper storage and handling of expressed human milk.
International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA)external icon
ILCA is the member association for professionals who care for breastfeeding families. ILCA’s “Find a Lactation Consultant Directory” can help you find a lactation consultant to get the breastfeeding support you need.
United States Lactation Consultant Association (USLCA)external icon
USLCA is a professional association for International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) and other health care professionals who care for breastfeeding families. USLCA’s “Find an IBCLC” can help you find a lactation consultant to get the breastfeeding support you need.
WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children—Breastfeeding Support external icon
The United States Department of Agriculture Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Support website includes resources for expectant and current mothers about breastfeeding, overcoming common challenges, and thriving to make breastfeeding work for their families.
La Leche League USAexternal icon
La Leche League USA helps mothers to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education and promotes a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
Office on Women’s Healthexternal icon
The Office on Women’s Health’s vision is for all women and girls to achieve the best possible health outcomes. They provide information on breastfeeding to help women make infant feeding decisions and to guide mothers through the breastfeeding process.
Top of Page
Infant Formula
Questions & Answers for Consumers Concerning Infant Formulaexternal icon
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration regulates infant formula and has a list of questions and answers about infant formula.
Infant Formula Do’s and Don’tsexternal icon
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides information on infant formula preparation and storage, as well as other tips on how to keep infant formula safe.
Top of Page
Food Safety
Food Safety Concerns for Children Under Fiveexternal icon
Food safety is particularly important for young children. Foodsafety.gov provides information on safely preparing food for your child.
Top of Page
Meal Time
Fruits & Veggies—Have a Plant Movementexternal icon
A resource designed to help spread the word about the health benefits of adding more fruits and veggies to your diet.
USDA MyPlate Kitchenexternal icon
This online tool features a large collection of recipes and resources to support building healthy and budget-friendly meals. Site features include:
- Extensive search filters on cuisine, cooking equipment, nutrition content, and more.
- Detailed nutrition information.
- Cookbooks to browse and download or build your own.
- Recipe star ratings, review comments, and sharing on social networks.
Video Series on How to Introduce Solid Foods
1,000 Days has developed helpful videos about introducing solid foods to your baby.
Topics include:
- Is your baby ready to start eating foods?
- What is a good first food for your baby?
- What to expect when introducing first foods
- How much should I feed my baby?
- How to win at mealtimeexternal icon
- What foods should my baby avoid?
- What should your baby eat in the first year?
Top of Page
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin and Mineral Fact Sheetsexternal icon
The National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements has fact sheets for consumers and health professionals about vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements.
Top of Page
Industrial baby food: can you trust?
Author of article Khavkin Anatoly Ilyich
2651 views
December 27, 2021
nine0005
Dear moms and dads! A new tenant has recently settled in your house: restless and requiring special attention.
He is demanding in everything, including food. After all, it depends on nutrition how it will grow and develop.
What should be in the baby's diet
It is important to remember that, starting from 4-6 months of life, the child begins to need additional nutritional components that can only be obtained with the help of complementary foods. These are new products and dishes based on fruits, vegetables, cereals, cottage cheese, yolk, meat and vegetable-meat puree, fermented milk products, fish and vegetable-fish puree, and so on. Once again I want to emphasize that the intake of essential nutrients only with human milk or milk formula becomes insufficient by a certain age. In addition to vegetable proteins, minerals, trace elements and vitamins, the introduction of complementary foods contributes to the formation of the chewing apparatus, stimulation of intestinal motility. nine0005
By the 4th month of life, the baby's gastrointestinal tract becomes more mature: the increased permeability of the intestinal wall decreases, digestive enzymes mature, and local immunity is formed.
By this time, the child acquires the ability to swallow semi-liquid and thicker food, associated with the extinction of the “spoon ejection reflex”.
When to introduce complementary foods?
Experts unanimously came to the conclusion that it is recommended to prescribe complementary foods for children who are exclusively breastfed from 6 months. In this case, the first type of complementary foods should be products with high energy density - cereals or vegetable purees of industrial production, enriched with micronutrients. Children with deviations in the state of health (hypotrophy, anemia, etc.), with malnutrition of nursing mothers, complementary foods are given at an earlier date. After the introduction of vegetable puree or porridge, cottage cheese into the diet, the yolk, meat and fish puree are sequentially introduced. nine0005
Home and ready?
In the nutrition of the baby, products prepared both at home and industrial products can be used.
The latter have a number of undeniable advantages: they are prepared from raw materials that meet all the hygienic requirements in force in the Russian Federation for raw materials and the production of baby food, they have a guaranteed chemical composition, including vitamins, regardless of the season. And gradually, complementary foods are completely replaced by feeding with breast milk or its substitutes. nine0005
If there is a problem
Ready-made dairy-free cereals (buckwheat, rice) are the first to be introduced into the nutrition of a child with frequent stools, insufficient body weight (hypotrophy), food allergies. With excess body weight and constipation, preference is given to vegetable puree.
First food
Kashi
Porridge should start with gluten-free cereals (rice, buckwheat, and later corn and millet). They can be dairy or dairy-free. In the future, gluten-containing cereals (wheat, barley) and cereals from a mixture of cereals can be used.
nine0005
Vegetable purees
Vegetable purees are given initially from one type of vegetable with delicate fiber (for example, zucchini), followed by expansion by introducing other vegetables (cauliflower and white cabbage, broccoli, carrots, pumpkins, potatoes, etc.), paying attention to their tolerance. It should be noted once again that industrial mashed potatoes guarantee its quality and safety.
Cottage cheese, egg yolk, meat and fish
Cottage cheese, egg yolk, meat and fish are valuable sources of animal protein, a number of minerals (iron, calcium, phosphorus, etc.) and vitamins A, E, B1, B2, B6, B12, which make it possible to most fully meet the high needs of children in the second half of the year life in these nutrients. nine0005
As already noted, at the age of not earlier than 8 months, it is possible to introduce specialized fermented milk products baby food into the child's diet, such as yogurts and biolacts .
Complementary feeding rules
When introducing complementary foods, the following rules should be followed.
- The introduction of each new product begins with a small amount, gradually, over 5-7 days, increasing it to the required volume; while carefully monitoring the tolerance of the product. nine0068
- Vegetable complementary foods begin with one type of vegetable, then gradually, every 3-5 days, other products of this group are introduced.
- Complementary foods are spoon fed before breastfeeding or formula.
- The introduction of new products is not started if the child is sick, as well as during preventive vaccinations.
Author of the article Khavkin Anatoly Ilyich nine0005
Chief Researcher of the Department of Gastroenterology, NIKI of Pediatrics.
Yu.E. Veltishcheva RNIMU
All expert articles
Baby food, hygiene and development with free home delivery from VkusVill
Hide categories Show categories
Filters
All filters
Reset filters
Reset all
Found
Filters
Default
- Default
- Price up
- Descending price
1
Supermarket
Quick view
New Year's advent calendar "TV"
1 piece0010 Quick view
Advent calendar_RP
1 piece
200 rub 200.00 200.00
3
Supermarket
Quick view
Magnetic alphabet with tasks
870 rub 870.00 870.00
4
Supermarket
Quick view
Magnetic alphabet, 33 letters_RP
1 pack0005
5
For children 1+
Quick view
Vkusvill sketchbook
200 g
98 rub 98.
00 98.00
6
Quick view
Aerosol against ticks and mosquitoes
100 ml0005
Endangered species
7
Quick view
Bytes "Cool" from meat of broiler chickens
300 g
218 rub 218.00 218.00
8
Quick view
Conditioner for baby clothes_RP
900 g0.00 190.00
9
Supermarket
Quick view
Vitagen-Iodine bar
40 g
48 rub 48.00 48.00
New
10
Supermarket
Quick View
Vitagen-Calcium Bar
40 g
48 rub 48.
00 48.00
New
11
Supermarket
Quick View
Vitagen-Prebiotic Bar
40 g
48 rub 48.00 48.00
New
12
Supermarket
Quick view.00 45.00
Valid until 31.01
with loyalty card
13
Supermarket
Quick view
FrutoNyanya fruit and cereal bar Fruit and cereal Apple peach and raspberry from 12 months 2
25 g
RUB 39 RUB 45 39.00 45.00
Valid until 31.01
with loyalty card
14
Supermarket
Quick View
Captain Silver Vitamin C Bar
50 g
36 rub 36.00 36.00
New
15
Supermarket
Quick View
Captain Silver magnesium bar
50 g
36 rub 36.
00 36.00
New
16
Quick view
Fruit and nut bar “Strawberry” for children
25 g
44 rub 55 rub 44.00 55.00
Valid until 16.01
with purchase of 2 or more
17
Quick view
Mandarin fruit and nut bar for children
25 g
55 rub 55.00
18
Quick view
Apple-banana fruit and nut bar for children
25 g
55 rub 55.00 55.00
19
Quick view0005
20
Quick view0005
21
Quick view
Bioyoghurt for children with cherries 2.
