Feeding Your Baby Solids

Often pediatricians will tell you you can start feeding the baby solids at 4 months of age.  Forget it.  Don’t worry about feeding your baby until six months.  They really aren’t that interested before that and it’s a whole lot easier to just put them on the breast for feeding time than it is to try and feed him/her.  To give an idea of what first-time feeding is like one mother instructed:

“Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend it from the ceiling with a cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal into the mouth of the jug, while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.”

Unless you really hate breastfeeding I’d stick with breast milk until six months.

Once you do begin, you may want to get a small hand grinder (they sell them at Whole Foods) as opposed to buying baby food off the shelf.  Jarred baby food is a blessing, but just because they’re prepackaged doesn’t mean Gerber has a superior product.  Don’t rule out the idea of pulling a fresh banana from your stash if you have one and mashing it up.

Here’s a list Imodified from a highly rated (but long-winded) book called Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron that gives an idea of what foods to start with and what months are good to introduce new foods to avoid allergies.  I’d recommend you pick up the book, but this gives you an idea what you’ll find when you read it.

If you have a question about a certain food and can’t find it on the list, either ask your doctor or wait until the year mark to introduce it.  Note:  One “*” means (if preparing the food yourself) make sure it is cooked first, two “**” indicates check out the note at the end of the list.

Best First Foods

Avocado, Banana, Rice Cereal, Sweet Potatoes

Six Months

Oatmeal Cereal (also Barley & Millet), Whole-milk Yogurt,
Peaches*, Pears, Mango, Apricots*, Plums*, Papaya*, Nectarines*, Prunes*
Winter Squash

Seven Months

Tofu, Cottage Cheese, Egg Yolk*
Peaches
Asparagus*, Carrots*, Green Beans*, Peas*, Summer Squash*, White Potatoes*
Mild Fruit Juices

Eight Months

Tahini**, Ground Nuts and Seeds**, Natural Cheeses (not processed)
Apple, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Kiwi, Grapes, Apricot, Honeydew, Plums
Broccoli

Nine Months

Beans
Pineapple
Onion*, Cauliflower, Spinach, Brussels Sprouts

Ten Months

Creamy Peanut Butter**, Whole Grain Pasta
Carrots, Greens, Sweet Peppers, Summer Squash

Twelve Months

Cow’s Milk, Egg White, Honey**
Citrus Fruits, Strawberries, Blueberries, Other Berries
Tomatoes
Citrus Fruit Juices

Note: I got lucky in that my girls don’t have any interest in peanut butter until they are about 3 years old.  That really ensures that an allergy to peanuts doesn’t form.  If my kids did like it I’m sure I would stress about it because my girlfriend’s son is allergic to peanuts and it creates a lot of stressful situations (more than one would think) all this to say, you may want to put off introducing these starred items for as long as possible.

Honey has a spore in it that can cause botulism in children under one.