Feeding Your Baby Solid Foods

Cereal

Introduce rice cereal when your child’s intake of formula reaches 36 ounces in 24 hours. This is usually around 3-4 months of age. At this time, start with 2 tablespoons mixed with formula or juice (apple, pear, or white grape) two times a day. This amount may be increased gradually not to exceed 8 tablespoons a day. When mixing your cereal, start off with a thin consistency and gradually progress to thick as your baby learns how to swallow properly.

Vegetables and Fruits

At four months of age, or after your child has been eating cereal for 2-3 weeks, you may start single vegetables and fruits. Begin by giving your baby about ½ jar twice a day. We suggest starting fruits only after you have introduced the yellow and green vegetables. Begin with the yellow/orange vegetables (squash, carrots, sweet potatoes) and then progress to the greens (peas, spinach, green beans, and broccoli). Try each one separately for four days before starting a new selection. This will help you to determine whether or not your child has a food allergy. Symptoms of a food allergy can include: a rash, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, vomiting.

Juices

At four months, you may also start juices such as apple, pear, white grape, and prune. You may purchase the “baby” juices or dilute regular concentrate juices by ½ with water. Juices are excellent in preventing and treating constipation. In cases of newborns, we suggest giving 1 ounce of juice (apple, pear, or white grape) mixed with 1 ounce of water two times a day, not to exceed 4 ounces per day. At four months, you may increase the daily amount to 6 ounces per day (3 ounces per feeding). The juice should be given between regular formula feedings, not in place of regular formula feedings.

Meats

Meats may be started at 6 months of age. These include: poultry, beef, and lamb. There are many new baby foods that mix meats and vegetables or meats and fruits in order to improve their flavor and acceptance.

Table Foods

You may introduce table foods between 6 and 9 months of age. They should be mashed to a smooth consistency. Introduce each new food for 4 days at a time. This will help you to identify any food allergies you child may have.

Foods To Avoid

• Oat or barley cereal should be avoided until 6 months old
• Corn should be avoided until 6 months old
• Honey should be avoided until 1 year old
• Citrus Fruits should be avoided until 1 year old
• Egg whites should be avoided until 1 year old
• Peanut butter should be avoided until 1 year old
• Fish and Shellfish should be avoided until 1 year old

Safety

The most important feature of first foods is their safety. They should be in the form that will not cause choking. Foods for infants should be ground-up or pureed into very small bits. Toddlers may be given very soft foods. However, hard and round items like nuts, grapes, popcorn, large pieces of raw vegetables or cooked foods, and hot-dogs should all be withheld until the child can chew and swallow effectively.

Vitamins

• Vitamins are not necessary for formula fed babies. The formula will meet their daily nutritional requirement
• Vitamins are necessary for breastfed babies. Breastmilk lacks certain vitamins which must be supplemented. These vitamins will be prescribed to you by your doctor beginning at 2 months of age.

Fluoride

All children require supplemental fluoride. If you are breastfeeding, use ready-to-feed formula, or are mixing your formula with non-fluoridated water, then a fluoride supplement is necessary. This can be given by itself or in combination with multi-vitamin. Please ask your doctor for his recommendation.

Tylenol (acetaminophen) / Motrin/Advil (ibuprofen)

Cough/Cold

• 0-6mth- bulb syringe using Nasal Saline
• 6mth- 5yr – call for OTC dose
• 6yr and older- follow OTC recommendations

Vomiting/Diarrhea

• Nothing to eat/drink for 2 hours then 1 oz. clear liquids(pedialyte) NO MILK products
• BRAT diet- bananas, rice, apple and toast- no butter/oil
• No caffeine
• At least one wet diaper/urination once within 8 hours
• Child should produce tears when crying and have a wet mouth

Constipation

• 0-3mth-call the office
• 4mth and up- 1oz white grape juice with water twice a day
• Fever or blood/mucus in more than one diaper schedule appointment