Don't panic!  The key is to just take it slow.  Recommendations on amounts, order of introductions, etc. are different from one doctor/organization to the next.  The best thing is to work with your pediatrician on a solids schedule that will work best for your infant. The following information is very generic and only highlights some tips about introducing solids.

The first solid food you will probably introduce to your  baby is cereal.  Most doctors recommend starting out with rice cereal.  Most babies tolerate rice cereal just fine.  But if you notice a sudden increase in gas, fussiness or any gastrointestinal related symptoms, you may want to ask your doctor about other cereals such as oatmeal or barley.  Some babies who cannot tolerate rice cereal do quite well with oatmeal.

If you're lucky, you're baby will just love this new treat called cereal.  But for some parents, they might as well be feeding their babies dirt because they spit it right back out as if it were!  Some children will NOT eat plain cereal.  If yours is one of those children, ask your doctor if you can mix in a little fruit to "hide" the taste of the cereal.  Some doctors caution against this because it can create a sweet tooth.  Hopefully your infant will do just fine on the plain cereal.

Most doctors recommend starting out with 1 TSP of cereal, twice a day, gradually increasing to 2-3 TBS, twice a day.  However, recommendations vary, so consult with your doctor on how much your child should be getting.

Once they've mastered cereal, it's time for some veggies and fruits.  One specialist recommended the following schedule:

• Introduce 1 new food every 5 days
• Start with veggies - Alternate Green/Yellow/Green/Yellow
• Introduce fruits next
• Meats can be introduced around 8 months of age

Again, recommendations vary.  Some doctors recommend starting out with Yellow vegetables and then alternating with Green vegetables.  ( Yellow vegetables include carrots, sweet potatoes and squash.  Green vegetables include peas and green beans. ) 

Click here for a great chart on when to introduce the various types of solid foods.

What's Next?

Breastfeeding
Formula

References

Nestle Infant Nutrition Feeding Guide. http://www.verybestbaby.com/content/article.asp?section=fb&id=
20011011210271575717469

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This site was last updated January 21, 2012.  All contents copyright © 2004 InfantReflux.Org.  All rights reserved.