Feeding 4-6 Months FAQs

• My son is 2 months old, i have started him on solids because he is a hungry baby. I have heard that this could give him stomach problems later in life, is this true? NEW!
  
• What if my baby doesn't like cereal but does like vegetables? Is it ok to skip the cereal and go to fruits and veggies? If so, should I supplement some sort of infant vitamins? Iron? NEW!
  
• I have been trying to give him cereal without much success. Do I just need to wait until he gets used to taking it by the spoon or is there something else I can do to encourage him?
• I started feeding my daughter solids at 6 months old and continue breastfeeding. I'm a vegetarian and I plan on raising her as one. Will she receive all the vitamins and iron I intake? NEW!
  
• My son is 5 1/2 months old. Is he old enough to start trying the blended foods? If so, how do I introduce them?
• Some of the 2nd combination foods contain multiple ingredients. Do I need to introduce each ingredient separately first before giving my daughter these combinations?
• How do I get her to eat the green veggies too?
• My son's skin recently turned slightly orange due to too much beta-carotene (or too many carrots), how do I determine what is too much for him?
• I have been giving my 4 month old rice cereal. Should I try giving her other cereals (Oatmeal/barley) before introducing fruits and vegetables?
• My daughter is 6 months old and has diluted juice every day. I read that diluted juice adds little nutrition, so should I continue giving her juice?
• There has been an ongoing fuss in our family about which to start first, the fruits or veggies? Can you help?
• My baby started on rice cereal when he was about 1 month old and he became constipated. I switched him to oatmeal, but now he is congested. Any suggestions?
• How many jars of fruit/vegetables should a 6 month old be eating a day-usually?
• What about feeding fish to infants over 6 months old?
• Do I have to start my 6 month old infant on iron-fortified rice cereal?
• I'm worried my sister is giving my 3 month old granddaughter juice and food to early. Isn't formula enough?
• Is it too soon to start feeding my 2 month old baby fruit?
• How do I know when to start adding more solid foods and less breast milk?
• What age is appropriate to start feeding the multigrain cereal?
• Is it true that you shouldnt give bananas to young children because of the gases that are used to ripen them?
• Is there a specific time table or feeding schedule for premature babies?
• What is a good meal plan to follow for a 20 week-old?
• My baby is refusing to eat solids. What do I do?
• How do I make cereal for my baby
• How much should I feed my baby?
• When can I start solid foods and which are the best solid foods to start with?

My son is 2 months old, i have started him on solids because he is a hungry baby. I have heard that this could give him stomach problems later in life, is this true?

The answer is "no". Starting solids early does not lead to stomach problems later in life. The two main reasons for waiting to begin solids (experts suggest 4-6 months; many say 6 months of age) are: 1. they believe that nutritionally, breast milk or its close imitator, formula, is best for rapidly growing infants. Solid foods are mostly carbohydrate (cereal, fruits and vegetables) with a few other nutrients. However the breast milk or formula has many more vitamins, minerals, nutrients. 2. Many allergists believe that starting solids early may increase a child's chance of allergy to foods.
 

What if my baby doesn't like cereal but does like vegetables? Is it ok to skip the cereal and go to fruits and veggies? If so, should I supplement some sort of infant vitamins? Iron?

Some kids just don't like cereal. Skip it for a week and then try again. If you haven't tried each variety of infant cereal, try using a new one. Often, children who don't like cereal by itself will like cereal if it is mixed in with vegetables or fruits. The other main source of iron for infants is milk (breast milk and formula with iron). If your child gets one of these, there probably will be enough iron in his/her diet so that a supplement is not needed. Many pediatricians test the hemoglobin of a child at certain ages when iron deficiency is most common. Ask your child's doctor about this.
 

My son is 4 and half months old. I have been trying to give him cereal without much success. He just sticks his tongue out and spits it. I give him cereal in his night bottle before bed. Do I just need to wait until he gets used to taking it by the spoon or is there something else I can do to encourage him? Thank you

When a child is first introduced to solid foods, it is quite common for him to spit out (extrude) the food as soon as it reaches his tongue. This is commonly interpreted as meaning that he doesn't like that taste or flavor; however, this is usually not the case. Some children have a strong extrusion reflex -- they just automatically spit out solids put in their mouth. Other kids may be telling us that they don't like the texture of solids. In any case, don't worry. Hold off for another week or two and then retry cereal. If still not successful, wait another 1-2 weeks. Eventually all kids like solids.
 

I started feeding my daughter solids at 6 months old and continue breastfeeding. I'm a vegetarian and I plan on raising her as one. I haven't given her any vitamins, but I religiously take my multivitamins. Will she receive all the vitamins and iron I intake? I started her solids on a few feedings of Earths Cest Cereal, but now jumped to fruits exclusively. How often should I feed her cereal a day and should I stop feeding her cereal after starting her on fruits and veggies?

What type of vegetarian are you? If you are vegan, the diet is very restrictive and we usually give children a multiple vitamin with iron (once they are off of breast milk or formula). However, if your child will be eating eggs, dairy products, or fish the vitamin supplement is not necessary. If you are breast feeding, whether or not you are a vegetarian, vitamins A, C, and D are given to the baby as a supplement.

Cereals are an important source of iron for infants. I recommend giving cereal at most (say 2 out of 3) meals. You can also give a fruit or vegetable along with the cereal. At some point your child may no longer like cereals; at that point you can stop giving it.
 

I'm confused. My son is 5 1/2 months old and has been eating stage 1 organic foods by Earths Best and some by Gerber. Sweet potatoes, apples, bananas and carrots. I'd like to try some new kinds. Is he old enough to start trying the blended foods? And, I would always wait a few days between foods to see if there was a reaction of some sort. Do you do the same with the blends and then how do you know which food (in the blends) caused the reaction if there is one? Thank you!!

The reason to introduce only one food at a time is to observe for reactions. If you start several at once and a major reaction occurs, it may be difficult to tell which is the offending food. Once you have tried foods individually and see that there is no reaction, you can offer these foods as mixtures or "blends".
 

Some of the 2nd combination foods contain multiple ingredients. Do I need to introduce each ingredient separately first before giving my daughter these combinations? Also, some foods contain milk. What kind of milk is it? I know babies aren't supposed to have milk until one year old?

If it is possible to introduce foods one at a time, I think it's a good practice. When you give more than one new food at the same time, it is more difficult to decide which one causes an allergic reaction. (On the other hand, if you do introduce more than one food at once and there is no reaction, you can assume there is no reaction to any of the new items.)

When labeled as "milk" on food labels, it is assumed to be cow's milk. Tiny amounts of cow's milk are not harmful to infants, unless they have a milk allergy. The reason many experts recommend holding off on cow's milk until a year of age is that, when given milk in large amounts, for some infants it may cause intestinal irritation which may result in iron deficiency (intestinal irritation leads to losing red blood cells via the intestine).
 

My 6 month old loves her fruits and veggies, but the only veggies she likes are any thing that is not green. How do I get her to eat the green veggies too? I know they have calcium in them. I have tried giving it to her a few days in a row, then stopping and reintroducing them later. No matter what green veggie it is she won't eat it no matter what do I do.

The calcium in green vegetables is quite small compared to what is in breast milk or formula. If a child does not eat green vegetables, very little is lost nutritionally. Stop these foods for a few weeks and then try again.
 

My son's skin recently turned slightly orange due to too much beta-carotene (or too many carrots.) I've check the jars of food and quite a few of them have carrots blended with other things. Why are carrots mixed with so many "dinner" options for babies and how do I determine what is too much for him?

I'm not sure why the makers of jarred baby foods like to use carrots in so many foods. Maybe it's because of carrot's consistency or because they taste good to infants. Anyway, yellow-orange coloring of the skin in infants is common, and is called carotenemia. (If the whites of the eyes are also yellow, this is jaundice, not carotenemia.) Carotenemia is harmless and will go away when less carrots, squash, and yams are given. There is no level of dietary carotene, as far as I know, that is harmful to children.
 

I have been giving my 4 month old rice cereal. She has done fine on it. Should I try giving her other cereals (Oatmeal/barley) before introducing fruits and vegetables? Also, I had read that mashed avocado is a good first food for baby, but a friend pointed out to me that she believes avocados are in the nut family and thought I should wait. Do you have any opinion?

Traditionally, pediatricians have recommended introducing the infant cereals before fruits and vegetables. Although I want all infants to get plenty†of iron (which is added to baby cereals), I don't feel that we have to be so rigid. As long as a child is getting lots of rice cereal, it's o.k. with me if the next food is a fruit or vegetable. Also, avocado is not in the nut family.
 

My daughter is 6 months old. She has diluted juice (2oz) every day. She started this even before 4 months, since she has unusually infrequent bowl movements when she was exclusively breastfeeding (once every 7-10 days). But I read that you don't recommend this since diluted juice adds little nutrition. So I am wondering whether I should continue giving her juice? If so, how much, diluted or not?

A little bit of juice, even if it is diluted, is fine. (There really isn't any good reason to dilute it.) It's only when children drink lots of juice that they may eat less and end up with less calories.
 

My 4 1/2 month old has been on cereal since 2 weeks old because of acid reflux. There has been an ongoing fuss in our family about which to start first, the fruits or veggies? Can you help?

It really doesn't matter whether fruits or vegetables come first. Start with the single item fruits or vegetables (some brands label them as #1 or 1st foods). As long as you introduce the foods one at a time, you can start with any fruit or vegetable in this group. After 5 days, pick another one.

It's currently a popular belief that if you start fruits first, the child won't like vegetables (since the fruits are sweet). This is silly. The majority of kids like nearly all fruits and vegetables. When they are older 12-18 months, they will often start to refuse vegetables (and some fruits). This occurs even if you introduce vegetables before fruits.
 

My baby started on rice cereal when he was about 1 month old. He became constipated so I switched him to oatmeal. It is my opinion that the oatmeal makes him congested. He is 4 months old now. I thought I would try an experiment so I tried the rice again. By the nighttime he was stiffening and crying with cramping. So, I thought, let me give him 1/2 rice and 1/2 oatmeal. It works great for his digestive system but he is congested. Any suggestions?

Congestion may be a sign of GE Reflux and may be a sign of a food allergy. (It can also have nothing to do with the food at all.) Rice is binding. I would stay away from rice as it seems to make him uncomfortable. The easiest thing to do would be to avoid all cereal and observe his congestion. If it resolves, I would re-introduce cereal (other than rice) at 6 months of age.
 

How many jars of fruit/vegetables should a 6 month old be eating a day-usually! Is 3 feedings of breast milk/formula a day enough at this stage? Thank you

Your son or daughter should eat as much or as little as he/she wants. Offer the jarred fruits and vegetables, along with cereal, 2 or 3 times a day. Let the child eat until she/he turns away and signals he/she has had enough. Then offer breast milk or formula. For other feedings during the day, breast milk or formula is all that is needed. Three feeding of milk plus the 2 or 3 solid food meals is enough for most babies.
 

I have a question about feeding baby solid foods. Are fish or shrimps recommended for a baby above 6 months old? Which kinds of fish can I give my 6 months old daughter? What are the pros and cons for feeding baby fish?

Fish and especially seafood such as shrimp are considered foods that are more likely to evoke allergy in children than average. While practice varies from doctor to doctor, I usually recommend the following:
1. If your child comes from a family with either severe allergies in a few people or typical allergies in many people, I introduce the more allergic foods later, at 12-18 months.
2. If you do not have a very allergic family, a fish fillet or breaded fish sticks or tuna can be introduced at 9-10 months.
3. Fish are a good source of protein and favorable fats. Some fish, tuna for instance, may contain mercury. It is generally recommended that you restrict your child's fish intake to 2 or 3 portions a week to limit mercury ingestion.
 

Do I have to start my 6 month old infant on iron-fortified rice cereal?

Yes. At 4-6 months of age, all of the iron stores that you gave your baby during pregnancy are gone. It is therefore at this age that infants develop iron deficiency anemia (physiologic anemia). To correct this problem, we introduce baby cereal which is fortified with iron. If a child has severe gastrointestinal problems or if a child is allergic we do not recommend cereal. The first cereal is traditionally rice, but if constipation occurs the infant is switched to oatmeal.
 

Is it inappropriate to give apple juice, too much formula (2 bottles) and peaches at 3 months. I'm worried my sister is giving granddaughter juice/food to early. She cries when she’s fed.

It is recommended that infants receive only formula or breast milk for the first 4-6 months of life. The exact time solids are started varies between pediatricians - some say 4 months, some 5 months and some say 6 months. Regardless of the month, an infant should be started on cereal first followed by fruits and veggies. When starting new foods, only one new food should be started every 3 days. This is done so that if the infant should demonstrate a reaction to the food, it will be clear as to which food it is.

As far as juice is concerned, there is no set time for when juice should be given. In general, it is better for an infant to have formula or breast milk rather than juice. The juice does not have the calories, protein and fat that formula or breast milk has. We try to avoid juice as it can fill them up leading to less formula or breast milk intake.
 

My daughter is 4 1/2 months old and she weighs 17 lbs. She was breast fed for the first 2 months of her life. I was wondering when it was too soon to start feeding her baby fruit... She eats the baby cereal now and she really loves it and doesn't have difficulties of any kind with it.

In general, we start babies on rice cereal as it is the easiest for them to digest. If a baby is constipated, we quickly take them off rice and start oatmeal (as rice is binding). We usually wait about a week on rice before we switch to oatmeal. As far as fruits and veggies are concerned, it does not matter the order in which you start. We do not recommend starting a new food within 3 days of another new food so that you can easily observe for reactions to the food (i.e. allergy).
 

My 6 & 1/2 month old girl is just starting solids (cereals and single pureed food) and has been breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months. I feed her maybe 1/4 cup of cereal and 1/4 cup of pureed food each day. How do I know when to start adding more solids and less breast milk? Is there some sort of ratio table out there to follow?

I suggest starting the meals that include solids with the solids. Offer her all she wants of the cereal and pureed food she wants. Keep giving more until she indicates she is done (turns head away or spits out food, etc.). Now offer the breast milk. This leaves the "how much" up to the child, not to us -- which is better!
 

What age is appropriate to start feeding the multigrain cereal? My daughter just turned 7 mos old. Thank you.

We usually suggest first starting cereals that are single-grain. This is done to identify the occasional child with a major reaction to that grain. (If many grains are started at once and there is a reaction, it isn't easy to tell which one caused the reaction.) Once the single grain cereals have been introduced, you can combine them.
 

I have heard that you shouldn't feed bananas to young children because of the gases that are used to ripen them. Is this true?

I haven't heard this before. I still recommend giving infants bananas.
 

Is there any time table or feeding schedule for premature babies? My baby was born 2 months premature (she is now 7 1/2 months — 5 1/2 months adjusted, and healthy). Am I supposed to follow regular infant feeding schedule or try to adjust it on my own (treat my baby as 5 1/2 months old)? I still feed my baby beginner's food.

I would suggest using your baby's chronological age (7.5 months) in deciding the feeding routine. (I am assuming that your infant is developing nicely and has good head control when sitting up. If so, he/she should be able to eat solids.) Use the "regular feeding schedule."
 

My son is 20 weeks old and started with cereal at about 2 and 1/2 mos. I have since weaned him onto the recommended starter fruits and veggies, as well as giving him 2nd foods with those blends. He drinks about 25-30 oz of formula each day, if that. (He doesn't have a tremendous appetite). In addition, he has cereal with fruit in the mid-morning and a 4oz serving of cereal, fruit or veggie at night. Is this ok for his age or should he be having more formula or solid foods at this age? What is a good
meal plan to follow for his age? Thank You.

If your son is growing and gaining weight well, then he is getting all the nutrition he needs. The exact proportion of formula versus solids is not that important. I suggest offering two or three meals a day of cereal and fruits/vegetables. After meals, offer him the bottle and let him take all he wants. Between meals and at bedtime, give a bottle.
 

My baby started eating rice cereal at five months old and loved it. He ate a small bowl twice a day for about 10 days. All of a sudden he has started rejecting the cereal - he clamps his mouth shut and turns his head. I have noticed that he seems to have more gas than when he was breastfeeding exclusively. I don't know if this is why he suddenly doesn't want to eat solids. I don't know what's caused this change or how I should proceed? Do you have any suggestions?

It is not uncommon for children who begin solids to suddenly lose interest. I would wait a week or two and try again.

You raise the possibility that a food allergy may be present. Gassiness could be a sign, but I wouldn't jump to any conclusion so far. If the gassiness goes away and comes back as soon as you introduce the cereal again, that would make me more suspicious of allergy.

Also, try to introduce another cereal to see if your child likes that one.
 

My 3 1/2 month baby girl is ready for cereal, I bought the Earth's Best organic rice cereal an it says to put one teaspoon of cereal into her formula, how much formula and do I do it with a bottle or spoon and bowl? I've heard both ways and have not yet asked my doctor about it. Thank you!

I recommend putting the powdered cereal in a bowl, add enough formula (or expressed milk) to give the cereal the consistency of our own oatmeal, and let your infant eat as much or as little as is desired. Using a spoon is my choice.
 

How much should I feed my baby?

There is no standard amount of milk (breast milk or formula) or of solid foods that an infant should have. We are all different. And there are many factors that affect how much food a baby needs. Each child has his or her own activity level and his or her own metabolic rate (how much energy is needed for routine body activities). Some children are destined to be taller or shorter, thinner or chunkier; some are growing at a faster rate than others. Luckily babies are born with a keen sense of how much energy they need to take in each day. If we provide him/her with adequate sources of nutrition, he/she will take just enough to grow the correct amount, and will stop when enough has been ingested. (It's not until an infant is quite a bit older that he will voluntarily overeat his favorite foods.) Before cereals and solids are introduced, babies use mother's milk or formula for their nutritional needs. Breast fed infants regulate the amount they take in by stopping a feeding when full and by varying the interval between feedings (depending upon their hunger). Formula fed infants do the same thing. Sometimes she will take less than usual, other times more. Feed your child as much or as little as he wants.

When a child starts solid foods, the same philosophy applies. Let her take as much (or as little) cereal as she wants to. Then offer her the bottle or the breast (as much or little as she wants). Some children decrease the amount of milk they drink once solids are begun; others do not. Leave how much solids and how much milk up to your infant and you will both do fine. There is also no one way to arrange meals. There is no rule that a child must have three meals a day corresponding to our breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While you may find that this schedule works best for you and your child, other families may do best with two solid food meals a day. It really doesn't matter when the meals are or how many there are, so long as there is a fairly consistent routine from day to day. It is not easy to overfeed an infant. You really have to try hard to do it, and you still may not succeed. If you simply let your child be the judge of how much he needs, you will do quite well during infancy.
 

When can I start solid foods and which are the best solid foods to start with?

Much has changed in feeding infants since our parents were told to begin feeding us solids at two months of age. Experts now recommend beginning "baby foods" once a child has reached the age of six months. Although many grandparents find it hard to believe, their grandchildren will grow and develop quite nicely during the first six months of life on a diet consisting only of breast milk or formula. There are a number of reasons for waiting so long to begin solids. The major reason is that it is felt that breast milk or formula is the optimal food for the rapid growth of the first months of life. There is abundant calcium and other minerals; there is the optimal balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Solid foods are more calorically dense and consist largely of carbohydrates. In addition, there is evidence that more obesity occurs in children who started early on with solids than in children who did not. Also, by waiting we may be decreasing the chances our children will develop food allergies.

Cereals are usually the first solid food introduced. The reason for this has to do with the fact that infants require huge amounts of iron in the first year of life. Breast milk and formulas with added iron are both good sources of iron. But many kids need even more. Infant cereals are also iron fortified and help infants meet their iron needs.

After cereals, the least allergic fruits and vegetables (such as carrots, applesauce, sweet potatoes, pears, and peaches) are added to the menu next.

For more information about starting your child on solid foods, read Dr. William Sears's article "Starting Solid Foods: A Common-Sense Approach".