At around six months of age your child is ready to start solid foods. Your child should have good head control, sit up in a high chair, turn their face away if they don’t want the food and keep food in their mouth and swallow instead of pushing it out.
Introducing solid foods |
Baby's first food should be a source of iron such as:
After iron-rich foods, choose foods like:
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Finger foods |
After introducing iron rich foods, introduce all other foods, except for honey and milk. Start your baby with a variety of textures, such as pureed, mashed, finely chopped and lumpy foods. You can also give your baby soft finger foods starting at six months to help her learn how to feed herself. Some finger foods you can feed your baby include:
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Safety during feedings |
Gagging is a normal and natural reflex that helps older infants avoid choking. As long as an older infant is free from distractions, sitting upright, and attentive, the risk of choking is the same as for an adult. Follow these tips to keep your baby safe:
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Allergies |
To decrease the chance of your baby developing an allergy, introduce foods containing the most common allergens early and serve them often. This includes:
Avoid offering more than one of these foods per day and wait two days before you introduce another common food allergen. When introducing foods not found in the list above, you do not need to wait before introducing another new food. Signs of an allergy might be:
Stop feeding the food if you think it caused any of these symptoms. Talk to your doctor. Call 9-1-1 if your baby is having trouble breathing. For more information on allergies, visit Anaphylaxis Canada. |
Make your own baby food |
It is easy to make your own baby food. You can use the same healthy foods that you feed your family. It also:
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Starting cow's milk |
In addition to breast milk, you can give your baby cow's milk at nine months of age. Offer your baby homogenized cow's milk (3.25% milk fat) as they need fat to grow. Do not give soy, almond, rice or other vegetarian beverages until your child is 2 years of age. These products do not have enough fat and may be low in protein and important vitamins and minerals. At two years of age you can give your child the milk that your family drinks (skim, 1%, 2% milk, or low-fat milk products). |
To speak with a Public Health Nurse please call the Family Health Information Line 1-800-536-2808 ext. 5351 or email healthy.families@healthunit.ca.
Dial 811 to call Health Connect Ontario and to speak directly to a registered dietitian about nutrition and healthy eating. This service is available 24/7 (previously Telehealth).