Sitting up? Check. Doubled her birth weight? Check. Keeps food in her mouth? Check. She’s interested in what you are eating and may even grab at it? Check. Congratulations, your baby is ready for solid foods! Now what food do you start them on first? Snuggin is here to help you!
- Cereal: First of all, before getting into the colorful foods, you should start with a form of cereal, rice cereal or oatmeal. These are easy to digest and boost your little one’s iron intake. All you have to do is add formula or breastmilk to the cereal in a little bowl. If she doesn’t eat all of it, discard the rest.
** Before we continue on, this is an important message. When feeding your children actual baby food, you MUST do one at a time. This is to make sure your little one does not have any allergic reactions to it. So when starting out, feed your child a specific veggie, not the mixed veggies, for three to five days. You should see signs within that timeframe of an allergic reaction. If she has a reaction to the mixed veggies, you won’t know what one she is allergic to. **
- Veggies: In addition to cereal, you can start your child on pureed vegetables. These should be done before the fruits since some children reject veggies if they have been exposed to the sweet fruits! The vegetables include (but are not limited to); carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, peas, white potato, zucchini, broccoli, and yellow squash.
- Fruits: After you’ve tried all the veggies you want to give your child and you see if she is allergic to any, you can start on fruits! Most babies love the fruits since they are sweeter. These include (but are not limited to); apples, pears, bananas, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches, and apricots.
- Meats: Meats are usually the last to be eaten since babies don’t usually accept meat as a first choice. You could try giving your baby meat first, but don’t have high expectations! Meats include (but are not limited to); turkey, beef, ham, and chicken.
The foods listed are the store-bought ones that are available. You can alway puree your own baby food! More advice, don’t bother putting clothes on your little one, she will just destroy them!
Good luck!
Love,
