Feeding guide for your child's first 4 months

Don't give solid foods unless your baby's health care provider advises you to do so. Solid foods shouldn't be started for infants younger than 4 months of age for these reasons:

• Breast milk or formula gives your baby all the nutrients that are needed to grow.

• Your baby isn't physically developed enough to eat solid food from a spoon.

• Feeding your baby solid food too early may lead to overfeeding and being overweight.

• As a general rule, solid foods don't help babies sleep through the night.

All infants, children, and teens need to get 400 IU of vitamin D each day. This should start soon after birth to prevent complications from not getting enough of this vitamin. Vitamin D is found in supplements, formula, and cow's milk. Formula-fed babies taking less than 32 ounces per day should receive a vitamin D supplement. Your baby's provider can advise you on the right type and amount of vitamin D supplement for your baby.

Your baby may show signs that they are ready to start solid foods. These signs include good head control, showing interest in the foods you eat, being able to sit in a chair with little support, and trying to bring objects to their mouth.

Guide for formula feeding (0 to 5 months)

Breastfeeding parents often wonder how they know that their baby is getting enough. What goes in must come out, so counting wet diapers is a good way to know that your baby is getting plenty. In the first few days of life, your baby should have at least 5 wet diapers a day. If you notice your baby having fewer wet diapers, contact your baby's health care provider or lactation consultant for help right away.

Feeding tips for your child

These are some things to think about when feeding your baby:

• When starting solid foods, give your baby 1 new food at a time. Don’t use mixtures like cereal and fruit or meat dinners. Give the new food for 2 to 3 days before adding another new food. This way you can tell what foods your baby may be allergic to or can't handle.

• Start with small amounts of new solid foods. Try a teaspoon at first and slowly increase to a tablespoon.

• There are no strict rules about what order you should give different foods. Many people start with an infant cereal and slowly add fruits, vegetables, and proteins.

• Don't use salt or sugar when making homemade baby foods. Canned foods may contain large amounts of salt and sugar and shouldn't be used for baby food.

• Don’t feed homemade spinach, beets, green beans, squash, or carrots to babies younger than age 6 months. These foods can have high amounts of nitrates. This raises the risk of a blood disorder (methemoglobinemia) that can interfere with oxygen delivery in the blood.

• Always wash and peel fruits and vegetables, and remove seeds or pits. Take special care with fruits and vegetables that come into contact with the ground. They may contain botulism spores that cause food poisoning.

• Cow's milk shouldn't be added to the diet until your baby is age 12 months. Cow's milk doesn't provide the right nutrients for your baby.

• According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, fruit juice should not be given to infants under 12 months of age. For children over 12 months, fruit juice without sugar can be started, but it should be limited to no more than 4 to 6 ounces daily. Fruit juice is linked to both obesity and malnutrition in children. Whole fruits and vegetables are a much healthier option.

• Feed all foods with a spoon. Your baby needs to learn to eat from a spoon. Don't use an infant feeder. Only formula and water should go into the bottle.

• Don't give your baby honey in any form for the first year. It can cause a type of botulism.

• Don't give your baby hard or round foods that can be choking hazards. This includes foods such as nuts, candy, grapes, raw carrots, and sliced hot dogs.

• Don't put your baby in bed with a bottle propped in their mouth. Propping the bottle is linked to ear infections and choking. After your baby's teeth are in, propping the bottle can cause tooth decay.

• Your baby's health care provider can advise you on how to wean your baby off the bottle.

• Don't focus on cleaning the plate. Forcing your child to eat all the food on their plate even when they're not hungry isn't a good habit. It teaches your child to eat just because the food is there, not because they're hungry. Expect a smaller and pickier appetite as your baby's growth rate slows around age 1.

• Healthy babies usually need little or no extra water. Ask your child’s health care provider about giving your baby extra fluids throughout the day. When your child is taking solids, offering sips of water is usually fine.

• Don't limit your baby's food choices to the ones you like. Offering a wide variety of foods early can help lead to good eating habits later.

• Fat and cholesterol shouldn't be limited in the diets of babies and very young children unless advised by your baby's provider. Children need calories, fat, and cholesterol for healthy growth.