Solid Foods-A General Guideline

Research has shown that all of an infant’s nutritional needs for the first 6 to 9 months of age are met by breast milk or formula. There is a higher incidence of food allergies, obesity, and other problems when starting solids prior to 4 months old, therefore we recommend not starting solid foods before 4 months of age. When you are ready to start solid foods, the following order is what we recommend.

1st - cereals – around 4 months – begin with rice, then oat, barley, mixed cereal

2nd - green vegetables-between 4 & 6 months

3rd - yellow vegetables-between 4 & 6 months

4th - fruits-between 4 & 6 months

5th - meats-NO earlier than 6 months

6th - citrus, eggs, and corn-NO earlier than 9 months

7th - nuts, popcorn, and raw honey-NO earlier than 2 years

Solid foods should be introduced one at a time with a 2 to 3 day interval between new foods. Once introduced and tolerated, new foods can be added to those already being tolerated. Begin once per day with solids at a convenient time for you. There is no right or wrong time to feed a child solid foods. Studies have shown that solid foods at night do not make a child sleep through the night at an earlier age. You can increase the number of meals when it is convenient for you. As your child increases the amount of solids they take, they may either taper off or decrease the amount of breast milk or formula that they require. Do not expect that your child will always eat the same amount at every feeding. Just like you and I, their appetites will vary from day to day and meal to meal.