How Old Should a Baby Be Before You Feed Them Cereal

For more than data about how to know if your infant is ready to starting eating foods, what first foods to offering, and what to expect, scout these videos from 1,000 Days.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American University of Pediatrics recommend children be introduced to foods other than breast milk or baby formula when they are about 6 months old.  Introducing foods before 4 months erstwhile is not recommended. Every child is unlike. How practice you know if your child is gear up for foods other than breast milk or infant formula? Y'all can look for these signs that your kid is developmentally ready.

Your kid:

• Sits up alone or with support.
• Is able to command head and neck.
• Opens the oral fissure when nutrient is offered.
• Swallows food rather than pushes information technology back out onto the chin.
• Brings objects to the oral cavity.
• Tries to grasp small objects, such as toys or food.
• Transfers nutrient from the front to the back of the tongue to swallow.

What Foods Should I Introduce to My Child First?

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that for nigh children, y'all do not need to requite foods in a certain order. Your child tin can begin eating solid foods at about 6 months old. Past the time he or she is seven or 8 months old, your child can eat a variety of foods from different food groups. These foods include infant cereals, meat or other proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurts and cheeses, and more.

If your child is eating infant cereals, it is important to offer a diversity of fortifiedalert icon babe cereals such equally oat, barley, and multi-grain instead of only rice cereal. Merely providing babe rice cereal is not recommended by the Food and Drug Assistants because at that place is a hazard for children to exist exposed to arsenic. Visit the U.S. Food & Drug Administrationexternal icon to larn more.

How Should I Introduce My Kid to Foods?

Your child needs certain vitamins and minerals to grow healthy and strong.

Now that your kid is starting to eat nutrient, be sure to choose foods that give your kid all the vitamins and minerals they demand.

Click hither to acquire more than nigh some of these vitamins & minerals.

Let your child endeavor 1 single-ingredient nutrient at a time at starting time. This helps you run across if your child has any problems with that food, such as nutrient allergies. Wait 3 to five days between each new nutrient. Earlier yous know it, your child will exist on his or her style to eating and enjoying lots of new foods.

Introduce potentially allergenic foods when other foods are introduced.

Potentially allergenic foods include cow'due south milk products, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame. Drinking cow'southward milk or fortified soy beverages is not recommended until your kid is older than 12 months, merely other cow'south milk products, such equally yogurt, can exist introduced before 12 months. If your child has severe eczema and/or egg allergy, talk with your child's doctor or nurse most when and how to safely introduce foods with peanuts.

How Should I Prepare Food for My Child to Eat?

At commencement, it's easier for your kid to eat foods that are mashed, pureed, or strained and very smoothen in texture. It can take time for your child to arrange to new nutrient textures. Your child might cough, gag, or spit up. Equally your baby's oral skills develop, thicker and lumpier foods tin can be introduced.

Some foods are potential choking hazards, and then information technology is important to feed your child foods that are the right texture for his or her development. To aid prevent choking, prepare foods that tin can be easily dissolved with saliva and do not require chewing. Feed small portions and encourage your baby to eat slowly. Always watch your child while he or she is eating.

Here are some tips for preparing foods:

• Mix cereals and mashed cooked grains with breast milk, formula, or h2o to arrive smooth and like shooting fish in a barrel for your baby to swallow.
• Mash or puree vegetables, fruits and other foods until they are smooth.
• Hard fruits and vegetables, similar apples and carrots, ordinarily need to be cooked and so they can be easily mashed or pureed.
• Cook food until information technology is soft plenty to hands mash with a fork.
• Remove all fatty, skin, and basic from poultry, meat, and fish, before cooking.
• Remove seeds and hard pits from fruit, and and so cut the fruit into small pieces.
• Cutting soft food into minor pieces or sparse slices.
• Cut cylindrical foods similar hot dogs, sausage and string cheese into brusk thin strips instead of circular pieces that could go stuck in the airway.
• Cut small spherical foods like grapes, cherries, berries and tomatoes into pocket-size pieces.
• Cook and finely grind or mash whole-grain kernels of wheat, barley, rice, and other grains.

Learn more about potential choking hazards and how to prevent your child from choking.

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Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/infantandtoddlernutrition/foods-and-drinks/when-to-introduce-solid-foods.html

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