Starting Solid Foods

Your infant will eventually be ready to start eating solid foods to complement milk or formula consumption.

Don’t start solids until baby is at least four months old. Breastfed babies should start solids around six months. Every baby is different. A good sign is that your child can sit in a high chair and stares down your plate at dinner.

First foods can be instant oatmeal, avocados or bananas. Use some breast milk or formula to thin the foods and introduce them to baby. Wait three days between new foods and see how your baby does with each food.

Introduce your baby to lots of tastes and textures in that first year. Just be sure food is smashed up so baby won’t choke.

If you notice what could be an allergic reaction, see your pediatrician.

Listen as Dr. Natalie Muth joins Melanie Cole, MS to discuss how to introduce your baby to solid foods.
Starting Solid Foods
Featuring:
Natalie Muth, MD
Dr. Natalie MuthNatalie Digate Muth, MD, MPH, RDN, FAAP, is a dual board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine physician and registered dietitian. She practices general pediatrics and obesity medicine in San Diego County.

She also serves as the Senior Advisor for Healthcare Solutions for the American Council on Exercise and is on the executive committee of the AAP Section on Obesity.


She is co-author of The Picky Eater Project: 6 Weeks to Happier, Healthier Family Mealtimes, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.