Feeding the 4 month old (1016)

Does baby sit well with support? Hold his head up without wobbling? Put things into his mouth and chew on them? These are some signs that a 4 to 6 month-old baby is ready to start eating solid foods. However, we recommend that you wait another month or two to start solid foods, until baby is a half-year old.

If you choose to begin solid foods now, many doctors recommend starting with rice cereal. It's fortified with iron and not likely to cause food allergies. Mix a tablespoon of cereal with breast milk or formula, until the mixture is smooth and about as thick as cream.

Pick a time when baby is hungry, but not starving. It may help to give her some breast milk or formula, then try cereal and finish with more breast milk or formula. Use a small, narrow spoon and put cereal, a little at a time, toward the middle of baby's tongue. Baby's tongue may push the food back out. Be patient#it takes time to learn how to chew and swallow. Using a bib will cut down on the mess. Start with small amounts.

Do not use an infant feeder, syringe, or bottle to feed solid foods. These can cause choking. They don't help baby learn to eat from a spoon, and they can cause overeating. Fruits and vegetables are probably the next things to try. Try each food for three or four days before adding a new food. This gives you a chance to see if the new food causes an allergy or tummy upset. Give single foods, like pears, before trying mixed foods, like peaches and pears together, for the same reason.

Don't feed your baby right from the jar of food. The food left inside can spoil quickly, from baby's saliva on the spoon. Even with solid foods, baby still needs breast milk or formula. Baby should drink either breast milk or iron-fortified formula#not cow's milk#until he is a year old. Cow's milk can cause allergies if it is given too early. Baby's doctor may have other suggestions.

Breast milk and formula have all the water a healthy baby needs. However, in very hot weather you might want to offer your baby sips of water. If she has a fever, vomits or has diarrhea, your doctor may advise a special drink with electrolytes.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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