Most babies are fed solid foods for the first time between the ages of four and seven months, the Kids Health website reports. Your infant will benefit from the nutrients that solid foods offer and will learn to become an independent eater by feeding herself. Infants' feeding needs vary by their size and ability to chew and swallow. Consider safety and nutritional needs when deciding when, where and how much to give your baby to eat. Discuss your plan for solid foods with your child's pediatrician before proceeding.
Keep Offering Breast Milk or Formula
Breast milk or formula will be an important part of your infant's diet until he turns 1. When you first start offering solid foods, your baby may only eat one or two spoonfuls before turning away, the Healthy Children website explains. Providing plenty of breast milk or formula will help ensure that your baby is getting the nutrients she needs while she makes the transition to eating some solid foods. Mix breast milk or formula into your infant's foods to help encourage him to eat them.
Feed Your Infant One New Food at a Time
Offer your baby one new food at a time, recommends Healthy Children, because he may have a reaction to a specific food. If you are only feeding him one new food at a time, you will be able to determine what food could be causing a negative reaction more easily. Healthy Children suggests offering one new food at a time to help your baby adjust to the new tastes and textures more gradually so he does not become overwhelmed.
Avoid Certain Foods
You should not offer certain foods to your baby until she turns 1, and hold off giving her others until she is 2 or 3. Honey, eggs, cow's milk and citrus fruits and juices are not recommended for infants under age 1. Eggs can cause an allergic reaction; citrus fruits can cause your baby to get a diaper rash. Honey can cause botulism in babies; cow's milk does not offer your baby the nutrition that breast milk or formula does. Withhold peanut butter, tree nuts and seafood until your baby is 2 or 3, KidsHealth instructs, because they are considered allergenic foods.
Consider Texture and Size
When you first start offering solid foods to your infant, choose commercially or homemade baby-food purees that are smooth. Around the time your baby turns nine months old, you may be offering her table foods. Make sure you cut them up into very small pieces so your baby is unlikely to choke on them. Any table foods you offer your baby should be soft and easily gummed. Consider the texture of any foods you serve as well so you are only serving your baby things she can easily suck, gum or chew so she does not choke.
