When to start semi solid food for babies

Introducing Solid Foods to Infants - 9.358

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by L. Bellows, A. Clark, and R. Moore^* (10/13)

Quick Facts…

During the first year of life, breast milk or an iron-fortified formula provides all the nutrients an infant needs for healthy growth and development.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends introducing solid foods along with breast milk or formula, preferably at 6 months of age. Single-ingredient foods should be introduced one at a time at weekly intervals.
Ultimately, an infant’s developmental readiness should determine when to feed solid foods.
Avoid offering your infant sweetened foods since they can promote tooth decay, excess calories, and weight gain.
Never force-feed bottles or food as this may cause a baby to ignore what his or her body says, which can ultimately lead to poor eating habits later in life.

The introduction of semi-solid and solid foods to an infant’s diet can be confusing and complicated for many parents. There is even some disagreement among the leading health authorities regarding when to incorporate new foods and which foods to include. Essentially, the exact order of food introduction does not matter for many babies. The most important factor is which foods to introduce at each age, and the child’s relationship with these foods. During the first 6 months of life, breast milk is capable of supplying all of the nutrition an infant needs and also provides protection against illness. Most experts agree that solid foods should be incorporated around the first 6 months of life, beginning with single-grain cereals followed by fruits, vegetables, and proteins in later months. Ultimately, an infant’s developmental readiness should determine when to introduce semi-solid foods to the diet.

Starting Solid Foods Too Early

There are many misconceptions that come along with the decision to feed an infant solid foods before 6 months of age- a common belief being that feeding solid foods such as cereal will make an infant sleep through the night. In reality however, sleeping through the night is actually associated with mental development, not the fullness of an infant. Feeding an infant solid foods before 6 months may increase the risk of choking, food allergies, gastric discomfort, and becoming overweight or obese later in life.

Waiting Too Long to Start Solid Foods

Introducing solid foods after 9 months may result in an infant who is resistant to trying solid foods, and may have difficulty chewing. Beyond 9 months of age, it is important to incorporate an external source of iron, since an infant’s iron stores will gradually become depleted.

When to Start

The child’s age, appetite, and growth rate are all factors that help determine when to feed solid foods. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), semi-solid foods are a significant change and should not be introduced until 6 months of age. This age usually coincides with the neuromuscular development necessary to eat solid foods. Fruit juice is not recommended until 7 months of age, and should be limited to 4-6 ounces per day. It is important to note that although only 100% fruit juice is acceptable at this age, it is not recommended.

Before feeding solid foods, the baby should be able to:

Swallow and digest semi-solid foods.
Sit up well, an important step in order to be able to stay seated in a high chair to feed.
Maintain neck and head control while seated, a necessity in order to turn his or her head to signal when he is finished eating.
Be able to open his or her mouth and move the tongue and lips well, allowing the movement of food around the mouth.
Demonstrate an interest in food and eating solid foods.

Starting Solid Foods

During the first feeding, many parents find it beneficial to offer semi-solid foods after breast or formula feeding, when the infant may be more likely to experiment with new foods. The sequence of new foods is not critical, but iron-fortified rice cereal mixed with breast milk or formula is a good first choice. In the beginning, it may be best to introduce single-ingredient foods one at a time at weekly intervals. This process helps identify any food sensitivities the child might have. Gradually add vegetables, fruits, and meats to the infant’s diet one at a time. Serving mixed foods is not recommended in the beginning.

Important Tips:

Prepare for feeding with a baby spoon (plastic is best), bib, and an infant seat or high chair. Using the baby spoon, place a small amount of food, about 1/2 teaspoon, on the baby’s tongue. Never use a bottle or other feeding device for feeding semi-solid food.
Begin with single-ingredient foods, such as iron-fortified rice cereal. Wait five days between introducing new foods so that any allergies or intolerances to these new foods can be identified.
Feed the baby when he or she is hungry, but do not overfeed. Look for signals that the feeding is finished such as shaking the head.
Make meal time a happy time, usually morning or midday is the best time for offering feeding new foods.
Never force your child to finish bottles or food. This can cause the baby to ignore what his or her body says and may lead to poor eating habits later. Watch for body language cues.
Never leave your child alone while eating.

Foods for the First Year

Breast milk or infant formula—In addition to incorporating new foods, it is also best to supplement a child’s diet with breast milk or infant formula to ensure adequate nutrition. This can be accomplished through the addition of breast milk or formula to solid foods.

During the first year of life infants are not ready for milk products from animals (such as cow or goat milk).

Grain Products—Simple grains such as rice cereal are a good first choice for introducing solid foods to an infant. Grains offer additional iron needed for proper growth and development. Introduce wheat products last, since they are more allergenic.

Fruit—Choose plain, ripe, or pureed fruit such as applesauce, peaches or mashed bananas. Combine the fruit with breast milk or infant formula, and puree. Steer clear of citrus fruits during the first year of life due to their high acidity, and avoid fruit desserts that contain unnecessary sugar. Desserts provide unneeded, excess calories and may lead to overweight and obesity. Fruit juices that are 100% may be introduced at 7 months when the baby learns to drink from a cup. It is important to dilute 100% fruit juice half and half with water or strain the pulp before giving to a baby. Avoid sweet drinks, such as soda, tea, and sports drinks as they can promote tooth decay and lead to unnecessary calories.

Vegetables—Puree vegetables with breast milk or infant formula in a manner similar to fruits. Do not add salt to vegetables as this may cause strain on an infant’s kidneys.

Protein—Puree proteins such as chicken, beef, pork, tofu, or beans with breast milk or infant formula, similar to fruit and vegetable preparation.

See Tables 1 and 2 for more information on introducing foods during the first year.

Foods to Avoid During the First Year

Risk for allergic reaction—nuts and nut products, egg whites, and shellfish.

Choking Risk—celery, grapes, candy, carrots (raw), corn, raisins, cherry tomatoes, nuts, olives, popcorn, peanut butter, sausage, hotdogs, and gum.

Additional foods to avoid—Honey (due to hazardous botulism spores), cow’s milk (harmful to an infant’s kidneys), rare meat, cheese (due to contamination with harmful bacteria), unpasteurized juice, bean sprouts, and alfalfa sprouts.

Table 1. Calendar for feeding your baby for the first year of life.^*

Foods

Birth

12 months

Breast milk or iron-fortified formula

Breast milk or formula

Continue breast milk or iron-fortified formula

Start whole cow’s milk from cup.

Cereals and grain products

Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, oats.) Iron-fortified plain infant cereal (no fruit flavor or mixed grains). Start with rice.

Mixed-grain, iron-fortified cereals. Spiral pasta, teething crackers, rice. Bread and toast strips.

Vegetables

Pureed, single vegetables such as sweet potatoes, or squash.

Cooked vegetables mashed or chopped.

Bite-size, soft, cooked vegetables for finger-feeding.

Fruit & fruit juices

Pureed, single fruits such as bananas, peaches, pears, or apples.

Cooked, canned, or soft fresh fruits, mashed or chopped.

Sliced soft fruit for finger feeding.

Meat, dairy, and other protein foods

Pureed single meats such as chicken, pork, or beef.

Pureed tofu, and beans.

Same foods, pureed or mashed beans. Cottage cheese, soft pasteurized cheese, and yogurt may also be introduced.

Same foods, bite-sized pieces for finger feeding.

Egg and fish

Egg, and boneless fish.

^*SPECIAL NOTE: Some foods may cause choking. Because of this, avoid raw carrots, nuts, seeds, raisins, grapes, popcorn and pieces of hot dogs during baby’s first year.

Table 2. Infant serving sizes based on age.^*

Age

6 months

6-8 months

8-10 months

10-12 months

Serving Size

Mix with 1 teaspoon of pureed cereal, fruit, or vegetable and 4-5 teaspoons of breast milk or formula to begin with.

Increase to 1 tablespoon of pureed cereal, fruit, or vegetable mixed with breast milk or formula, two times a day. Gradually thicken the consistency of the pureed foods.

Feed 3-9 tablespoons of cereal, in 2-3 feedings.

When feeding fruits and vegetables, start with 1 teaspoon, and gradually increase to ¼ to ½ cup in 2-3 feedings.

Dairy: 1/4-1/3 cup, 1/2 ounces of cheese.

Iron-fortified cereal: 1/4-1/2 cup.

Fruit: 1/4-1/2 cup.

Vegetables: 1/4-1/2 cup.

Protein: 1/8-1/4 cup.

Dairy: 1/3 cup, 1/2 ounces of cheese.

Iron-fortified cereal: 1/4-1/2 cup.

Fruit: 1/4-1/2 cup.

Vegetables: 1/4-1/2 cup.

Combo foods (such as macaroni and cheese, or casseroles): 1/8-1/4 cup.

Protein foods: 1/8-1/4 cup.

^*It is important to not feel bound to these serving size guidelines, as they are only estimates. Infants may naturally consume more or less than these amounts.

Summary

Offer new foods when your baby is in a good mood- not too tired and not too hungry.
Serve solids after your baby has had a little breast milk or formula.
Give your baby time to learn to swallow these foods and get used to the new tastes and textures. Be flexible with how your child experiences new foods (touching the food, exploring its texture, etc.).
Do not feed your baby directly from the jar; use a clean dish. Heat only the amount baby will eat, starting with half of a teaspoon, and throw any leftovers away.
Make meal time fun for your infant.
Infants have a natural sense of fullness, it is important never to overfeed or force-feed your infant. Doing so will lead an infant to disregard its sense of fullness, which can lead to eating disorders or obesity later in life.
Never add salt or sugar to foods to make them more appealing for your infant.

Additional Resources

American Academy of Pediatrics: www.healthychildren.org

References

American Academy of Pediatrics: Switching to Solid Foods. 2012. www.healthychildren.org.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Introducing solid foods to toddlers. 2012. www.eatright.org.

Douglas, Ann. Mealtime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler: The Ultimate No-Worry Approach for Each Age and Stage. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2008.

^*L. Bellows, Colorado State University Extension food and nutrition specialist and assistant professor; A. Clark, University of Northern Colorado associate professor; and R.Moore, graduate student. 12/98. Revised 10/13.

Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. No endorsement of products mentioned is intended nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned.

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When Can My Baby Start Eating Solid Foods? (for Parents)

A friend just started giving her 3-month-old applesauce and rice cereal. My son is just 2 weeks younger than hers, and I am wondering if I should be introducing solids soon too. When should I start?
– Taylor

Doctors recommend waiting until a baby is about 6 months old to start solid foods. Starting before 4 months is not recommended.

At about 6 months, babies need the added nutrition — such as iron and zinc — that solid foods provide. It’s also the right time to introduce your infant to new tastes and textures.

Some babies may be ready for solids sooner than 6 months, but don't start until your baby is at least 4 months old.

How do you know it’s the right time to start solid foods? Here are some signs that babies are ready:

They have good head and neck control and sit up in a high chair.
They're interested in foods. For example, they may watch others eat, reach for food, and open their mouths when food approaches.
They don’t push food out of their mouths, which is a natural tongue reflex that disappears when they’re between 4–6 months old.
They weigh twice their birth weight, or close to it.

Talk to your doctor about the right time to start solid foods.

How Should I Start Solids?

When the time is right, you can start with a single-grain, iron-fortified baby cereal. Start with 1 or 2 tablespoons of cereal mixed with breast milk, formula, or water. Feed your baby with a small baby spoon. Don’t add cereal or other food to a baby's bottle because it can lead to too much weight gain. Let your baby practice eating from a spoon and learn to stop when full.

When your baby gets the hang of eating the first food, introduce others, such as puréed meat, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, or yogurt. Try one food at a time and wait a few days before trying something else new to make sure your baby doesn't have an allergic reaction.

Foods that are more likely to cause allergies can be among the foods you introduce to your baby. These include peanuts, eggs, cow’s milk, seafood, nuts, wheat, and soy. Waiting to start these foods does not prevent food allergies. Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about food allergies, especially if any close family members have allergies, food allergies, or allergy-related conditions, like eczema or asthma.

Infants with severe eczema or egg allergies are more likely to have allergies to peanuts. Talk to your doctor about how and when to introduce these foods to your child.

When starting your baby on solids, avoid:

foods with added sugars and no-calorie sweeteners
high-sodium foods
honey, until after the first birthday. It can cause botulism in babies.
unpasteurized juice, milk, yogurt, or cheese
regular cow's milk or soy drinks before 12 months instead of breast milk or formula. It’s OK to offer pasteurized yogurt and cheese.
foods that may cause choking, such as hot dogs, raw carrots, grapes, popcorn, and nuts

Also, do not give fruit juices to infants younger than 12 months old.

Over the next few months, introduce a variety of foods from all the food groups. If your baby doesn't seem to like something, don’t give up. It can take 8 to 10 tries or more before babies learn to like new foods.

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD

Date reviewed: February 2021

Teaching a child to solid food

The introduction of adult food is carried out gradually. It is necessary to accustom the child first to one product, then to others. Also, do not immediately take solid food - puree will be enough. If you are not in a hurry, if you are attentive enough to your child, there will be no problems. In this article, we will not talk about the introduction of complementary foods as such, but about the beginning of the use of solid foods. Chewing, swallowing are completely new skills for yesterday's baby. Someone masters them once or twice, other children need more time. nine0003

Highlights

The structure of the maxillofacial system of the child is the main problem of all causes with chewing. The baby needs to make unusual efforts for him, carefully chew food.

The correct procedure for parents when introducing complementary foods:
• 4 months - liquid puree is introduced;
• 6 months - you can start to use puree with fibers or thick;
• 9 months - soft foods with chunks are fine.

After a year, you can give solid food - an apple, a pear, a cucumber, a piece of boiled chicken, etc. If 6-8 teeth grow earlier, these dates can be shifted. Some parents are guided by complementary feeding calendars, others are waiting for the child to ask for a certain product (usually from the parent's table). nine0003

Different types of purees

There are qualitatively different types of products among the presented range of canned food. Manufacturers take into account the child's ability to digest a particular product and the adaptation of the gastrointestinal tract for a particular type of food. The liquid puree is similar in consistency to pancake dough. If you dip a spoon into it, and then take it out, the puree will slowly drain. There is a thick puree - it retains its shape in a spoon, since there is not much liquid in the product. We are talking about the consistency of thick sour cream, but without dietary fiber. Fibrous purees have a similar consistency to thick purees, plus they often contain lumps and fibers. nine0003

Very thick puree may be diluted. For these purposes, breast milk, vegetable broth, or a mixture are usually used.

Solid food

When the child is familiar with different types of purees, it will be possible to introduce solid food. They do this strictly according to the schedule - ordinary liquid purees are introduced after six months for naturalists, sometimes a little earlier for artificialists. Solid food will come in handy closer to a year old and later. Watch the baby's reaction - not only in terms of well-being, lack of allergies, but also in relation to personal tastes and preferences. Some children refuse certain foods completely - no need to force them. nine0003

To grind or not - see for yourself, but whole pieces are usually not given to children under one year old. There are babies who are ready to chew a piece of chicken breast for a long time, but there are not so many of them. If the food is smeared, use a nibbler - it will not have a banana on all the walls and furniture. Shredded food includes a product grated on a medium grater, but not turned into a thick or liquid puree. These include an apple from a blender, meat from a meat grinder, etc.

Soft foods like boiled vermicelli, boiled eggs, steamed rice porridge require chewing, but without much effort. Many parents begin after a year to give their child food from an adult table, this is a good option, the main thing is to cook diet meals. But the transition from formula and breast milk to adult food should be smooth. nine0003

Chewing difficulties: how not to choke

There is no universal recipe - you need to chew carefully, calmly, swallow one piece at a time. But this is all in theory - in practice, the parent sees how the child chewed and chewed a piece of food, began to swallow, and he got stuck. Insert your index finger into the mouth and, like a hook, take out food. You need to put your finger in from the side, from the corner of the mouth.

At 2 years of age, the child should be able to chew, swallow and use a spoon normally. Therefore, let your son or daughter eat on their own, despite the potential dirt that they will inevitably breed. Give up the idea of spoon-feeding a child before school and forcing them to eat food, rhymes and other traditional pastimes of our grandmothers. nine0003

Dad blog. We teach the child to solid food.

When to introduce pieces in complementary foods?

The article was written with the help of nutritionist Victoria Vishnyakova.

You need to take the transition from puree to chunks seriously, as this step is very important.

Such food is called in English-speaking countries “finger foods” translated into Russian as “finger food”. Toddlers take pieces with their fingers, bring them to their mouths, knead them with their gums and swallow. nine0003

At the same time, several systems are included in the work at once:

The brain needs to coordinate the actions of the hands, mouth and jaw
Mouth, tongue, jaw muscles are being trained
Gastrointestinal tract adapts to digest food other than solids, not just purees and liquids.

You should know that, as in other stages of the development of the baby, the pieces also need to be introduced into the “window of opportunity” - this is the period during which skills are mastered easily and naturally. In cases where such a moment was missed, much more effort has to be applied. nine0003

Based on modern recommendations, lumpy food should be offered from about six months, that is, almost immediately with the start of complementary foods. The deadline is about 9-10 months. – later the “window” will be closed.

You can start complementary foods not with mashed potatoes, but knead boiled vegetables with a fork, after a while you will not need to do this too carefully. Thus, the consistent addition of lumpy food to the child's diet will begin.

When you start complementary foods with mashed potatoes, then after a while offer pieces first of all, and if suddenly the baby gets tired, give mashed potatoes. nine0003

You can not mix puree with pieces! Toddlers do not expect that a solid object may be caught in their usual food - they will begin to "suck" it and may choke. As a result, there is a possibility that there will be a fear of food and even a temporary refusal of complementary foods.

Lumpy food should be soft so that children can knead it with their fingers. If the piece is hard, then it can be dangerous, since the child will not be able to chew it, but it is easy to choke on it.

There is no need to be afraid to give food in the form of pieces with the start of complementary foods. Offer your food by simply kneading it with a fork - this is normal, but only if your diet does not contain foods that are undesirable or dangerous for the baby (we wrote about this in another article).