Feeding Your Baby - 6 Months • Back to Feeding Your Baby   • Starting Solid Foods • Sample Menu - 6 Months   Starting Solid Foods Most babies are ready to begin eating solid food some time around 6 months of age. Before 6 months of age, your baby’s digestive system is not mature enough for solid food. Starting solid foods before baby is ready may increase the risk of infections and choking. Signs that baby is ready for solid foods, including pablum: baby can sit up by his/herself baby can hold head up straight with no support baby can turn his/her head away if he/she does not want the food baby can close lips over the spoon baby can move tongue side to side, and front to back baby must show all of these signs before he/she is ready for any food other than breastmilk or formula. Note: Premature babies start solid foods at their corrected age, not at their chronological age. Talk to your healthcare provider if your baby is premature. Tips for Starting Your Baby on Solid Foods Solid foods should not replace breast milk or formula. Breast milk and formula have more nutrients and calories than solid foods. Always offer solid foods after nursing or formula feeding. Offer new foods one at a time, a few days apart. This way, if baby has a problem, it will be easy to know which food is causing the problem. Offer very small amounts (1-3 teaspoons) of food at first. Begin with pureed foods at 6 months and move to mashed foods when baby is ready (around 7 months). Do not force your baby to eat a new food. If a food is refused, try it again in a week or two. Offer new foods when your baby is happy. Sometimes, offering the new food with your baby’s favourite foods will help him/her to accept it. A baby does not need added butter, margarine, salt or sweetener (sugar, honey, and molasses)These seasonings make the food fit adult’s tastes, not baby’s. (See caution on Honey) What Food First? At 6 months of age, your baby needs to start eating foods that have iron in addition to breastmilk (or formula). Iron-rich foods include pablum (baby cereal) or meat and meat alternatives. If your baby does not like pablum, then try some meat or meat alternatives instead. If there is a family history of food allergies, asthma or environmental allergies, the guidelines for introducing solid foods may change. Talk to your doctor or call the Health Unit.   To the top Sample Menu - 6 Months Feeding Kind of Food Early Morning • Breastmilk or Iron-fortified formula 5-6 oz Breakfast • Breastmilk or Iron fortified formula 5-6 oz. • Iron rich food 1-2 tbsp. Lunch • Breastmilk or Iron-fortified formula 5-6 oz. Late Afternoon • Breastmilk or Iron-fortified formula 5-6 oz. Supper • Breastmilk or Iron-fortified formula 5-6 oz. At around 6 months: • Iron rich food 1-2 tbsp. Evening • Breastmilk or Iron-fortified formula 5-6 oz. Through the Night • As needed Adapted from “Sample Menu Ideas for Babies on Solid Foods”, A Guide to Infant Feeding from Birth to 24 months, KFL&A Health Unit, 1995. oz.=ounces  tbsp.=tablespoon  infant cereal=pablum Start with small amounts. Mix 1 teaspoon (5ml) of dry cereal with breast milk or formula. At first, start by mixing the cereal with breast milk or formula so that it is fairly runny. Add less liquid as your baby learns to handle a thicker mixture. Spoon-feeding is an important part of learning and growing. Do not add cereal to your baby’s bottle. Adding cereal to bottles can cause choking. It can also fill the baby up too much so they may not drink as much breastmilk or formula. Rice cereal is easy for your baby to digest and is not likely to cause an allergic reaction. Some types of pablum have formula added. Read the label carefully! After 4 to 5 days of offering the same cereal, introduce a different single-grain cereal (barley or oatmeal). Offer the mixed-grain cereals last. Use iron-fortified infant cereals until your baby is at least 18 months old to make sure that he/she is getting enough iron. To the top