How to Introduce New Foods to Baby  

When baby is ready for solid foods, don’t reach for that glass jar of baby food just yet.  Starting off slow is better for baby.  Don’t stop the milk most importantly.  Instead of giving baby three different meals, start off with one meal a day. 

Even when baby is ready for solid food he or she still needs breast milk or formula.  You can’t get off the hook that easy.  The best way to introduce baby to solid food is to begin with cereal. 

Start baby off with rice cereal.  It has less of a chance of causing food allergies than other cereals.  Giving baby the wrong foods will do nothing but set him back in the feeding process.   

To feed baby, use a rubber-tipped spoon.  This spoon is gentler to baby’s gums and small enough for baby’s mouth.  Use a small bowl and a high chair or sit baby on your lap.  This encourages baby to learn the difference in positioning when drinking a bottle and eating solid food.   

Mix a teaspoon of rice cereal with a small amount of formula or breast milk.  Baby may stick up his nose at your cereal offering, but he is not being hoity-toity.  He has to smell it and check out this new thing they’re getting.   When he gets used to the taste and the feel of the spoon, he will eat.  Be patient, it may take a few tries before baby is willing to actually take a bite. 

If baby doesn’t warm up to the idea of the spoon, simply give them a bottle and try again at the next feeding.  If baby is teething at the same time you introduce solid foods, things could get a little tricky.  He may want to chew on the spoon instead of eat.  Give him a cold teething ring or a frozen waffle to gnaw on to ease the pain.  When the gums are feeling better, try feeding him or her again. 

Baby will eat cereal for several months.  After a month or so of rice cereal, you can begin to add other baby cereals to the menu.  Be careful not to stuff baby too full of cereal.  If he is gaining too much weight, cut back on cereal to once or twice a day. 

Next, the moment you’ve been waiting for - baby food.  If baby is grabbing food off your plate when you turn your back, it’s time to try strained fruits and vegetables.  Introduce single foods first before combinations.  Baby gets a chance to taste each food and decide which he likes.  This will also give moms a chance to see if any allergies will develop.   

Let baby get used to a food for a few days before introducing another one.  You can introduce veggies and fruits alternately so that baby doesn’t get all sweet fruits or all tart vegetables.  A good mix will help to keep baby interested. 

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