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Feeding Your Infant: Ages 5-8 Months En Español (Spanish Version)
Babies often hit one of their growth spurts at six months. Around this time, it may seem that your little one just can't eat enough, and you may be wondering if now is the time to add some solid food. Here are some guidelines for knowing when your baby is ready for solid foods and how to introduce them.
A baby's growth from 5-8 months will allow for many changes in food intake.
Breast milk
or iron-fortified formula still needs to be the main part of a baby's diet. Solids may be started at this time.
Not Too Soon...
Solids do not help young infants sleep through the night. Starting solids too soon can:
-
Cause
choking
- Be hard for your baby to digest
-
Cause
food allergies
- Prevent your baby from getting enough breast milk or formula (which will continue to be your child’s most important source of nutrients until they are 12 months)
Just the Right Time
Your baby is ready for solids when she can:
- Hold her neck steady
- Sit without support
- Open her mouth when food is offered
- Draw in her lower lip when spoon is removed from her mouth
- Keep food in her mouth and swallow it
- Show an interest in the food you are eating
- Reach for food showing she wants some
To help your child learn to eat solid foods, remember the following:
- Choose a time when your baby is rested and happy.
- Have your baby sit up.
- Make sure the food is not too hot.
- Feed all food from a spoon.
- Add only one new food at a time every 3-5 days.
- Homemade or purchased baby foods can be used.
- When opening jar food, listen for the pop. Don't use jars with lids that don't pop.
- Maintain regular snack and meal times.
- Use small portions of food (start with 1-2 teaspoons). Throw away leftovers, and do not put food back in the jar. Saliva mixed with food will make it spoil.
- Your baby does not need salt, grease, fat, sugar, or honey added to foods. Your baby's tastes are not the same as yours. Taste some formula—you will get the idea!
Other key points:
- To protect teeth and begin weaning, always offer juice from a cup.
- To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding from a bottle.
AgeFood and Daily Amount5-6 months
Breast milk: on demand—Your baby may need an iron supplement (given as drops) until he starts getting enough iron from food sources. A vitamin D supplement may be needed, as well.
OR
Iron-fortified formula: 4-5 feedings of 6-8 ounces each—If your baby is not eating enough vitamin D fortified formula, he may need a supplement.
4-6 months
Infant cereal: 4-8 tablespoons, mixed
6 months
Fruits/vegetables: 2-4 tablespoons, twice daily
Infant juice: 2-4 ounces (from cup only)
7-8 months
Breast milk: 3-5 feedings, or on demand
OR
Iron-fortified formula: 3-5 feedings of 6-8 ounces each
Infant cereal: 4-6 tablespoons
Infant juice: 2-4 ounces (from cup only)
Fruits: 1-2 tablespoons
Vegetables: 5-7 tablespoons
Meats: 1-2 tablespoons
Finger foods: One small serving (toast, crackers, teething biscuits, plain dry cereal). Watch child very carefully for choking. If he is having trouble swallowing these foods, stop and reintroduce after nine months of age.
Be extremely careful or avoid foods that may increase the chances of choking such as hot dogs, hard candy, grapes, seeds, popcorn, and nuts (especially peanuts).Cereal - Start with single-grain cereals: rice first, then oats and barley.
- Wait until your baby is six months old to try other kinds of cereal.
- Start by making the cereal thin—mix one teaspoon of dry cereal with 2-3 tablespoons of breast milk or iron-fortified formula.
- As baby gets older, make it thicker—mix one tablespoon dry cereal with 2-3 tablespoons of breast milk or iron-fortified formula.
Meat - Use plain, strained meats when starting. If meat is too thick, thin with breast milk, iron-fortified formula, or meat juices.
- Avoid meat and vegetable combinations or high-protein meat dinners.
- You can use cooked egg yolk, but don't give egg white until your baby is one year old.
Fruits and vegetables - Start with pureed fruits and vegetables.
- Start with single, plain choices without tapioca added.
- Don't serve fruit "desserts."
- Some experts suggest starting with vegetables first before introducing fruits.
Juice - Offer juice from a cup, not a bottle.
- Start with infant juice. Mix one ounce of water with one ounce of juice. Gradually cut back the water until giving straight juice.
- Start with single-flavored juices. Wait until your baby is older to give mixed juices.
- Use only 100% juice, not flavored fruit drink such as Kool-aid, punch, or soda (pop).
- Limit juice to 4-6 ounces per day.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in a many products, including plastic containers or bottles (with recycling number 7), as well as canned goods. While BPA's effects in humans are still being studied, some experts recommend that you limit your baby's exposure to this chemical. To learn more, read the article " BPA Raising Concerns."
American Academy of Pediatrics South Dakota Department of Health Canadian Paediatric Society
American Academy of Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics website. Available at:
http://www.aap.org. Accessed July 6, 2008.
Duyff RL.
The American Dietetic Association's Complete Food & Nutrition Guide. 3rd ed. John Wiley and Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, NJ; 2006.
Swinney B.
Baby Bites. Meadowbrook Press: Minnetonka, MN; 2007.
Wagner CL, Greer FR, American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Breastfeeding, American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition. Prevention of rickets and vitamin D deficiency in infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2008;122:1142-1152. 4/2/2010 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance
DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance: Saki N, Nikakhlagh S, Rahim F, Abshirini H. Foreign body aspirations in infancy: a 20-year experience. Int J Med Sci. 2009;6(6):322-328.
Last Reviewed July 2010
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