Giving your baby his first spoonful of solid foods is an exciting time! Many parents look forward to the day their little one takes their first bite of rice cereal, and in many cases, baby is just as eager! So how do you know if your baby is ready to transition to solids?
Here are a few tips for helping you introduce and successfully navigate feeding your baby solids.
As a general rule, most babies are ready to tackle solids between 4 and 6 months of age.
To start, give your baby half a spoonful or less of one type of solid food. Generally it doesn’t matter which food is introduced first, but many parents begin with an iron-fortified rice cereal. Once they master one type of food, then you can gradually give them new foods.
Other foods, such as small banana pieces, scrambled eggs and well-done pasta can also be given to the baby as finger foods. This is usually around the time the baby can sit up and bring their hands or other objects to their mouth.
As your baby learns to eat a few different foods, gradually expose them to a wide variety of flavors and textures from all food groups. In addition to continuing breast milk or formula, you can also introduce meats, cereals, fruits and vegetables. It’s important to watch for allergic reactions as new foods are incorporated into your baby’s diet. If you suspect an allergy, stop using that food and contact your pediatrician.
Talk to your pediatrician for recommendations about feeding your baby solid foods. Your pediatrician can answer any questions you have about nutrition, eating habits and changes to expect as your baby embarks on a solid food diet.
1625 Avenue Of The Cities,
Moline, IL 61265
The sick clinic is for acute problems like rashes, insect bites, poison ivy, sunburn and ear pain. We continue to take additional precautions to ensure the safety and health of our patients and staff through the use of our mobile registration and gathering information in advance of your appointment.
Thank you for your continued patience and support as we strive to meet the ongoing needs of our community in the safest possible manner.
Our Moline office is open from 8 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm Monday through Friday. We have limited Saturday availability for acute sick symptoms only through our Facebook self-scheduling link which will be posted each Friday evening by 7 pm CST. We do not have regular office hours on Sunday, however there is a provider on-call in case of emergencies.