Safe Foods to Feed a Baby
- Newborns need only breast milk or formula.Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
Because of baby's still-developing digestive system, keep solid foods off the table for now. Feed baby only breast milk or formula until she is 4 months old. - An iron-fortified rice cereal is a common first solid food.Rayes/Lifesize/Getty Images
As baby gets stronger, he'll signal that he's ready for solid foods -- holding his head up, sitting in a high chair, gaining weight and making chewing motions. Plus, he'll still seem hungry after eight to 10 feedings of formula or breast milk. This is when you can safely start introducing an iron-fortified rice cereal mixed with breast milk or formula. Rice cereal does not often cause allergic reactions, making it the safest first cereal to introduce. Those initial cereal feedings will be very soupy. Mix about 1 tbsp. cereal with 4 tbsp. liquid. After practicing feeding from a spoon and getting the hang of this style of eating, thicken the cereal mixture and add in other grains, like oats and barley. - Introucing pureed fruits and vegetables into a baby's diet can be fun -- and messy.Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
Peas, pears and peaches -- oh, my! Once baby has the hang of eating cereal, you can safely introduce pureed or strained fruits and vegetables. First fruits could include bananas, pears, applesauce and peaches. For vegetables, try avocado, carrots, squash, peas and sweet potatoes. Only bring new foods into baby's diet one at a time, and be sure to wait at least three days after the introduction of something new. This way, if baby has an allergic reaction to a particular food, you'll know which food was the cause. - Be sure to keep bite-size pieces small enough to avoid choking.James Woodson/Digital Vision/Getty Images
Once teeth arrive and baby can swallow more easily, usually between 9 and 12 months, his diet will seem much more adult. Separated into three feedings per day, which also include the pureed foods and formula or breast milk, at this stage, most babies are ready for finger foods. Think soft cheeses, soft cubed fruit pieces, bite-size soft vegetables, spiral-shaped pasta, teething crackers, O-shaped low-sugar cereal and toasted bread or bagels. Don't give baby pieces large enough to cause choking and stay clear of foods that can't be gummed, like raisins, nuts and popcorn. Fruit juice, other than citrus-based, can be introduced now, too. - If you are concerned about a food allergy, talk to your pediatrician.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
If your baby has an allergic reaction to one of these early foods, rest assured, up to 90 percent of babies outgrow allergies to eggs, milk, wheat and soy by the time they're 5 years old, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. You'll still need to watch for potential effects, though, like skin and stomach reactions, when introducing new foods. Most food allergies are caused by cow's milk, eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. If you think your baby is allergic to these or other foods -- like meats, vegetables, fruits or other grains and seeds -- contact your pediatrician, who can test and track the reaction.
