You can introduce solids any time between 4 and 6 months if your baby is ready. Until then, breast milk or formula provides all the calories and nourishment your baby needs and can handle. Your baby's digestive system simply isn't ready for solids until nearly the half-birthday mark.
The American Academy of Pediatrics
recommends that babies be breastfed exclusively for at least six months – though parents will attest that some babies are eager and ready to eat solids earlier.
How will I know when my baby's ready?
Your baby will give you clear signs when it's time to move beyond liquid-only nourishment. Cues to look for include:
Head control. Your baby needs to be able to keep his or her head in a steady, upright position.
Losing the "extrusion reflex." To keep solid food in the mouth and then swallow it, your baby needs to stop using his or her tongue to push food out.
Sitting well when supported. Even if your baby's not quite ready for a highchair, he or she needs to be able to sit upright to swallow well.
Chewing motions. Your baby's mouth and tongue develop in sync with his or her digestive system. To start solids, your baby should be able to move food to the back of his or her mouth and swallow. As your baby learns to swallow efficiently, you may notice less drooling – though if your baby's teething, you might still see a lot of drool.
Significant weight gain. Most babies are ready to eat solids when they've doubled their birth weight (or weigh about 15 pounds) and are at least 4 months old.
Growing appetite. Your baby seems hungry – even with plenty of feedings of breast milk or formula a day.
Curiosity about what you're eating.
Your baby may begin eyeing your bowl of rice or reaching for a forkful of fettuccine as it travels from your plate to your mouth.
How should I introduce solid food?
For most infants, you can start with any pureed solid food. While it's traditional to start your baby on solids with a single-grain cereal (like rice cereal), there's no medical evidence to show that introducing solid foods in a particular order will benefit your baby. Good foods to begin with include pureed sweet potatoes, squash, applesauce, bananas, peaches, and pears.
First, nurse or bottle-feed your baby. Then give him or her one or two teaspoons of pureed solid food. If you decide to start with cereal, mix it with enough formula or breast milk to make a semi-liquid. Use a soft-tipped plastic spoon when you feed your baby, to avoid injuring his or her gums. Start with just a small amount of food on the tip of the spoon.
If your baby doesn't seem very interested in eating off the spoon, let him or her smell and taste the food. Some babies don't like solid foods at first, and need time to get used to the experience. Others need practice keeping food in their mouths and swallowing. So don't worry if your baby doesn't eat much in the beginning.
Begin with a once-a-day feeding, whenever it's convenient for you and your baby, but not at a time when your baby seems tired or cranky. Once your baby is used to this new routine, offer a few tablespoons of food a day. If your baby's eating cereal, gradually thicken the consistency by adding less liquid. As the amount your baby eats increases, add another feeding.
How will I know when my baby's full?
Your baby's appetite will vary from one feeding to the next, so a strict accounting of amounts eaten isn't a reliable way to tell when he or she has had enough. If your baby leans back in the highchair, turns away from food, starts playing with the spoon, or refuses to open up for the next bite, he or she is probably full. (Often a baby won't open up if he or she hasn't finished the first mouthful, so be sure to allow time to swallow.)
Do I still need to give my baby breast milk or formula?
Yes, your baby will need breast milk or formula until he or she is a year old. Both provide important vitamins, iron, and protein in an easy-to-digest form. Solid food can't replace all the nutrients that breast milk or formula provides during the first year.