Baby Food Tips

Baby Food Tips

When to incorporate solid foods stage by stage: from birth to 12 months

 Baby eating
In this article
From birth to 4 months
From 4 to 6 months
From 6 to 8 months
From 8 to 10 months
From 10 to 12 months
Check this guide to find out the type of food as well as the appropriate amount you can give your baby, from birth to one year (if you have a child over one year read this guide to feed your child more than 12 months). Do not worry if your baby does not eat the exact amounts listed below. Remember that these are approximate. And do not forget that before you start giving your baby the first paps, it is important to talk with your pediatrician about your decision.

Keep in mind that it is not necessary to introduce solid foods to your baby in a certain order. If you want to give pasteurized soft cheese at 6 months, you can do it, even if the food appears in the 8-month-old baby food section (just remember that if your baby still can not chew well, you have to crush the food or give them in papillas).

In most cases, you will not have to delay the introduction of foods that can cause allergies (such as eggs, fish and wheat). Read our section on food allergies and talk to your baby's doctor to be sure.

Read also our suggestions of some more daring foods for your baby.
From birth to 4 months
How it feeds
The baby has an instinctive reflex that makes him turn his head in search of the nipple when something touches his cheek.

Foods that you can give
ONLY breast milk or formula

How much milk should you drink per day
How to know if your baby gets enough breast milk
How to know how much formula your baby needs

Other tips
Your baby's digestive system is developing, so you should not give him solid food for now.
From 4 to 6 months
Signs that you are ready to eat solid foods

Whether you breastfeed or formulate your baby, you should not rush to offer solid foods. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP for its acronym in English) recommends that babies receive only breast milk until 6 months. If you want to start giving some porridge before that age, keep in mind that your baby will probably not show all these signs that he is ready to start eating solid foods. Here we offer you a list of the signs to which you must be attentive:

He can keep his head upright on his own.
You can sit well in your high chair to eat.
He is able to make chewing movements.
It shows a significant increase in weight (it has doubled the weight it had at birth) and weighs almost 6 kilos (13 pounds).
Shows interest in food.
You can close your mouth when you put a spoon in your mouth.
You can carry food from front to back in your mouth.
You can move your tongue from one side to the other.
You are losing the reflex of taking food out of your mouth with your tongue (extrusion reflex).

Note: Keep in mind that one of the causes of childhood obesity, which is common among Latino children, is to interrupt breastfeeding too soon and introduce solid foods before 6 months. Therefore, before adding them to your baby's diet, check with the pediatrician and make sure that your baby shows several of the signs mentioned above.

Foods that you can give
Breast milk or formula, in addition to:
Mashed vegetables or porridges (sweet potato or sweet potato, pumpkin)
Mashed fruits (apple, banana, peach or peach)
Pureed meats (chicken, pork, beef)
Semiliquid cereal fortified with iron.

How much you should eat per day
To start, give about 1 teaspoon of puree (fruit, vegetable or meat) or cereal. Mix 4 to 5 teaspoons of breast milk or formula with the puree or cereal (the consistency will be very liquid).
Increase little by little until you get to give 1 large spoonful of puree or cereal mixed with breast milk or formula, twice a day. If you give cereal, you can gradually thicken its consistency (what you can achieve if you add less liquid).

Other tips
If your baby does not accept the porridge the first time you give it, wait a few days before offering it again.
Introduce the new foods one by one, with two or three days of separation between them. (Wait three days if there is a history of food allergies in your family.) It is also important to write down the new foods you give your baby. Thus, if you have an allergic reaction, you will easily find the culprit food.
The order in which you present new foods to your baby usually does not matter, but many parents prefer to start with vegetables, cereals and fruits, and then meats. Get advice with your pediatrician.