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Feeding FundamentalsA Solid StartThe AAP recommends starting solids at 4 to 6 months of age, but it depends primarily on your baby’s development. Ask your healthcare provider to help you make this decision. Your baby is probably ready for solids if: She has doubled her birth weight and weighs at least 13 pounds; she is formula-fed and drinks more than a quart of formula per day; or, if she is breastfed, wants to be eat more than 8 to 10 times a day and often seems hungry. Your baby’s head and neck control should also be developed enough that she can turn toward food when she’s hungry and away from it when she’s not. The first solid food for babies should be rice cereal mixed with breast milk, formula or water: It’s easy to digest and unlikely to cause an allergic reaction. The first time you try it, choose a time of the day when both of you are relaxed and there are minimal distractions, like in the late afternoon between feedings. (It’s okay to vary this time from day to day at first.) Make sure that your baby is sitting up and you feed the cereal with a spoon to minimize the risk of choking. You might feed your baby a small amount of either breast milk or formula before trying the cereal: She’ll likely be more eager to learn to eat off a spoon if she’s not extremely hungry. At first, she’ll only take one or two small spoonfuls and most of the cereal will end up everywhere but in her mouth, but be patient. If the first time really doesn’t go well, then try again in a week or two; it may take a few weeks for solids to really stick. Once rice cereal is a go, try other single grain cereals like barley and oats. Save wheat and mixed cereals for last as these are more likely to trigger allergies. After cereals, you may introduce either single strained fruits or vegetables, and lastly, meat. Eggs are a common cause of allergies, so wait on these until your baby is close to a year old. When you start a new food, a few teaspoons are all that’s needed. Introduce the same food in increasing amounts for 3 or 4 days before trying something new so that you can watch for allergy symptoms like rash or diarrhea. Consider starting with vegetables before fruits: If your baby develops a taste for sweet foods, she may not want to bother with those that are less palatable. Either way, keep trying with vegetables—it may take 5 to 10 introductions before she accepts them. Variety is crucial. Babies and young children who are offered lots of different foods are usually less picky later on. By 9 months, most babies can use their thumb and forefinger to pick up a piece of food and place it in their mouth. To help her learn to feed herself, give your baby finger foods that are soft and don’t require chewing, like tiny pieces of crackers; cereal; or well-cooked, cut-up pasta or vegetables. Talk to your healthcare provider before starting finger foods, and remember to cut everything into very small pieces to avoid choking. Next page: To Drink
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