Food beta
Starting solids
Draft for testing. Awaiting dietitian review; not medical advice.
Start small
Offer a few spoonfuls once a day, when she's alert and not too hungry or tired. Let her touch and hold food too.
Iron from the start
Her iron stores run low around 6 months. Offer iron-rich foods every day: meat, fish, eggs, lentils, beans or iron-fortified cereal.
Vegetables, many times
Include vegetables with bitter tastes, like broccoli and cauliflower. A new taste can take 10 tries or more before she accepts it.
Textures move on
Go from smooth to mashed, then lumpy, then soft finger foods by about 8 to 9 months. Waiting too long with lumps can make them harder to accept later.
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1Smooth
Start with a few spoonfuls.
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2Mashed, then lumpy
Move on from smooth textures.
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3Soft finger foods
By about 8 to 9 months.
She decides how much
Turning her head away, closing her mouth or pushing food away means she's had enough. Never press her to finish.
Not before 12 months
No added salt or sugar, no honey, no whole nuts, no juice, and no cow's milk as a drink. Rice milk waits until 5 years.
A cup with meals
Offer sips of water from an open or free-flow cup with her meals.
Sources
Draft for testing. Awaiting dietitian review; not medical advice.