A Baby's Diet Progression

Becoming a new mother can be a stressful time, but your baby's diet does not have to be part of it.  Knowing what is appropriate for your new baby in terms of eating for the first year can be a huge stress reliever. Every child is different regarding how much he or she eats, drinks, or likes in general. The following is meant to be used as a guideline only rather than rules set in stone.

Initial Foods:

From the ages of 0-4 months, you only need to make one choice: breast milk or formula. Breast milk is considered the best for your baby because of the complete nutrition and also immune health it provides your baby. Breast milk is naturally low in Vitamin D so supplementation is often needed. Standard formulas try to mimic breast milk as closely as possible and are also available in specialty forms, such as milk-free or soy-based if needed. Formulas often get a bad reputation and breast milk is encouraged, but if it is not feasible, formula is perfectly fine in meeting your baby's nutrition needs. 

4-6 Months Foods:

Introduce foods comprised of a single ingredient for 4-6 months of life. These foods can be purchased ready-made in small jars or made at home. The foods should be very soft, mushy, and almost a liquid-consistency. These foods are meant less for meeting calorie needs, and more about getting used to the taste and texture of different foods. The order foods are introduced is not too important. However, most parents start with cereal, proceed to vegetables, and then try fruits when the baby is used to the first two foods. Waiting about 3 days between introducing new foods is a good idea to check for tolerance and also possible allergic reactions.

6-9 Months Foods:

These foods are thicker in consistency. More food groups are encouraged, but remember to dice or mash foods to avoid choking hazards. At this age, your baby will be able to eat a little grains, meat, vegetables, fruits, and dairy, like yogurt. Foods can contain more than one ingredient and be mixed. As your baby ages, he or she should be eating more foods than formula or breast milk.

Over 9 Months Foods:

Over 9 months old, your child can eat the same foods your family eats if you choose. Diced and mashed foods are still needed until he or she has enough teeth to chew foods well.

Some general guidelines are not to give your child regular milk, tuna, or honey under the age of one. Tuna and honey could exposed your child to botulism. Regular milk does not have iron in it so it is not recommended for children under 1 year. Juice should not be given under 6 months of age.

"The habits we form from childhood, make all the difference."- Aristotle