Introducing Solid Foods

Many first-time parents wonder when to start feeding their baby solid foods and what to give them. Use these guidelines to gradually begin introducing your infant to solid foods. Teaching them to feed themselves table food is a process done with "baby steps" over the first year of a child's life.

Age: 4-6 Months
•Semi-liquid at first; gradually add less liquid for a semi-solid
   consistency
•1 or 2 teaspoons at first; gradually increase as baby gets older
•One to two times a day

Age: 6-9 Months
•Soft foods and some finger foods that dissolve easily
•3 to 4 tablespoons of semi-solid foods; bite-sized pieces of soft
   foods
•Two to three times a day
•Mashed bananas, Applesauce, Cottage cheese, Graham
   crackers, Mashed potatoes, Ground meat or poultry

Age: 9-12 Months

•Finger foods and most table foods
• Small, bite-sized portions
• Three times a day
• Examples: Apples, peeled and cut in eighths; Soft cheese, well-
   cooked noodles, spaghetti with meat sauce; tender meats,
   such as chicken or turkey