Solid Advice on Introducing Your Baby to Solid Foods

Start With Cereal

The first solid foods given to infants are usually iron-fortified infant cereals. They are easier to digest and help meet your baby's iron requirements. Start with rice cereal because it is the least likely to cause an allergic reaction. Cereal should be thin at first—one part cereal to four parts breast milk or infant formula. Your baby will be ready for thicker cereal when he or she develops eating skills.

Don't use cow's milk to mix cereal because it is difficult for babies to digest until after one year of age. Give only about one teaspoon of cereal twice a day, at first, and then gradually increase to two or three tablespoons twice a day. Other grain products such as rice, soft breads, cooked pasta, and teething biscuits can be added a little later.

Try Smooth Foods First

When your baby is able to make chewing motions and teeth appear, he will be able to eat mashed or finely chopped foods. These textured foods will also help your baby's developing teeth. When your baby gets more teeth and wants to feed himself (usually between the ages of 9-12 months), you can introduce finger foods such as cooked vegetables and soft fruit without seeds or peel.

Try Vegetables and Fruits Next

After your baby is comfortable eating cereal, introduce strained vegetables and fruits—one at a time. Vegetables should be introduced before fruits because vegetables often have less taste after eating fruit. At the beginning, give mild flavored vegetables such as green beans, yellow squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Next, add applesauce, peaches, and pears. Once your baby has accepted several vegetables, give him two different vegetables a day.

After Vegetables and Fruits, Try Meats

After your baby eats vegetables on a regular basis, introduce strained lean meats—one at a time. Offer a variety of pureed or finely chopped meats, including chicken, beef, and turkey.

Start With Single Foods

Offer single cereals, vegetables (such as carrots, squash, green beans, peas, etc), fruits (applesauce, pears, peaches, bananas, prunes, etc), and meat (turkey, ham, beef) rather than combination foods. Also, wait 3-7 days before introducing new foods. This will allow you to see any signs of a food allergy and to know which food caused them.

Signs of food allergy may include:

• Diarrhea
• Stomach discomfort
• Vomiting
• Spitting up
• Wheezing
• Skin rash
• Hives
• Swelling of the lips, tongue, and mouth

Extreme and life-threatening allergic reactions include difficulty breathing, swelling in the throat, decreased blood pressure, and passing out.

Offer a Variety of Foods

Eating a variety of foods will help your baby have a well-balanced diet and develop good eating habits for the future. Also, be sure to offer your baby foods that vary in color and texture.

Avoid Foods That Could Cause Choking

Babies less than three or four years old should not eat small, hard foods such as chips, pretzels, raw carrots, celery, raisins, popcorn, snack puffs, nuts, or seeds. Slippery foods should also be avoided—candy, cough drops, chewing gum, whole grapes, frankfurters, sausages, and large or tough pieces of meat and poultry.

Don't Add Sugar, Salt, or Other Seasoning

Babies don't need added sugar, salt, or seasonings. They need to develop a taste for the natural flavor of foods. Avoid adding seasonings to your baby's food. If you buy commercially-prepared baby food, read the label to make sure sugar, salt, and seasonings are not added.

Don't Give Cow's Milk Until 12 Months

After 12 months of age, most babies don't have as much difficulty digesting cow's milk and can be given whole milk, yogurt, cheese, and cottage cheese. Children under two years of age are not advised to eat lower-fat diary products because they need the fat for brain development.

Be Patient

It may take a while for your baby to get used to solid foods. If if he refuses, just try again in a few days.

If Your Baby Is Conscious and Choking

• Call 911 immediately for emergency medical assistance.
• Turn the baby face down and place him over your knee or forearm. Give five blows between the shoulder blades, and five chest thrusts. Repeat until the food or object is dislodged.

If Your Baby Is Unconscious

• Check for unresponsiveness and breathing. If the baby is not breathing:
  • If someone is with you, have them call 911 immediately.
  • If you are alone, perform CPR for at least 1 to 2 minutes (5 cycles) before dialing 911.

The following are steps on how to perform infant CPR:

1. Open the airway by gently tilting the head backward.
2. Pinch the baby's nose and cover his mouth with yours.
3. Breathe twice into his mouth; until you see the chest rise. Breaths should be about one second each.
4. Administer chest compressions.
   1. Place two fingers on the center of the chest just below the nipple line.
   2. Compress 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the chest.
   3. Allow the chest to rise completely in between compressions.
   4. Minimize interruption between compressions.
5. After 30 compressions, give two rescue breaths.
6. Continue cycle of 30 compressions and 2 breaths until help arrives.

If you have not called 911, call after 1 to 2 minutes of CPR (about 5 cycles). If the baby has a restored heartbeat and is breathing, he should be taken to the hospital. Emergency personnel will take over care when they arrive.