If you choose cereal as your baby's first food, it's a good idea to include grains other than rice so that your baby isn't only ingesting rice cereal at every meal. The recommendation from the AAP is for parents to use rice cereal as only one source of solid food and one piece of a healthy diet. The goal with solid foods is not only to provide key nutrients, but to offer a variety of flavors and an introduction to social eating experiences. Not only is this important for overall health, but it can also help diversify your baby's palate for a lifetime of enjoying nutritious foods.
Fruits and vegetables, beans and lentils, meats, eggs, nut and seed butters, and other foods the whole family eats can be integrated safely as first foods.
Some parents choose to use purees, including jarred baby food, to introduce these foods. Others opt to include safe, appropriate versions of foods babies can feed themselves, via a technique called baby-led weaning.
The good news is that it only takes a small amount of each food at any meal to introduce these healthy eating habits. These foods don't have to be complex. Some foods, such as bananas and steamed sweet potatoes, can even be mashed with a fork, so you don't have to pull out the food processor for every meal. Or, if you're using baby-led weaning, offer your baby soft banana or steamed sweet potato in small pieces they can hold and feed themselves.
Also, you can prepare small amounts of a variety of baby-friendly foods ahead of time so they're ready for any meal. As you're starting solid foods, keep in mind that variety not only increases the range of nutrients a baby gets, but also the variety of flavors. Adding these fruits, veggies, and meats can expand the nutrients that babies get beginning at six months of age:. Fruits and vegetables only have to be pureed until your baby is ready to eat soft foods by hand. Babies can eat dairy products not including whole milk when the texture is developmentally appropriate: first yogurt, then small pieces of cheese, and so on.
If you use the baby-led weaning technique, skip purees and give baby soft foods to eat by hand from the start. It's important to talk to your pediatrician before starting solids , especially if your family has a history of food allergies. This conversation can offer direct guidance on what types and varieties of food your baby can be introduced to and when to do that.
Choosing a first food for your baby doesn't mean that you're left feeding that single food for the first few weeks or months. An allergic reaction may be more severe or possibly life-threatening called anaphylaxis if multiple areas of the body are affected. In the rare event that your child shows signs of a life-threatening allergic reaction like trouble breathing or swallowing, call right away. Cereal is not considered a common choking hazard for babies, but you should still make sure to prepare it safely for your little one by thinning infant cereal with breast milk or formula for the earliest eaters , then gradually increasing the thickness as your child gets more comfortable with the texture.
Make sure, too, to always supervise your young child when she's eating, sit her upright during mealtimes and never offer food while she's reclining, walking, sitting in a car seat or playing.
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This educational content is not medical or diagnostic advice. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy. Registry Builder New. When Can Babies Eat Cereal? Medically Reviewed by Marvin Resmovits, M. Medical Review Policy All What to Expect content that addresses health or safety is medically reviewed by a team of vetted health professionals. When can babies eat cereal, and how should you safely prepare it? Here's everything parents need to know. In This Article.
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Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. Related Links. Body and Mind Resources for Teachers. Wash with warm, soapy water, and rinse well. Use cold tap water or baby bottled water to make formula, then heat later in warm water, not the microwave. Warm tap water has more minerals in it, so is not ideal to drink. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all primarily breast fed infants begin iron and vitamin D supplement.
Vitamins for infants are available in your pharmacy in the vitamin section. Vitamin D is not in breast milk. Every 8. It is recommended for infants under 1 year to have IU per day. If your infant has less than 33 ounces of formula per day a supplement is recommended.
Skin can make it if exposed to sunlight, but no one knows how much is ideal and the risk of too much sun is great.
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