Starting Solids

Solids 6-9 months

After your baby has started eating iron-rich foods, she needs other foods like fruits and vegetables.

Start a new food when your baby is happy and hungry. Try mornings or lunchtime when your baby may be less likely to be fussy and any problems will be seen in the day.
If your baby does not like a new food at first, try it again another day. He may need to try a new food many times before he likes it.
Do not introduce honey until after 1 year of age to prevent food poisoning (botulism).

Offer 1 new food at a time and wait 3-5 days before introducing another new food. That way, if your baby has an allergic reaction (such as rash, vomiting or diarrhea), you can more easily pinpoint the culprit.
Your baby is more likely to have an allergy if 1 or both parents or brothers or sisters have allergies, eczema or asthma. If there is a family history of allergies, speak to your baby's doctor. You may decide to wait to start some foods until your baby is older.
If there is no history of food allergies, there is no reason to delay introducing any foods.

Try 1 new vegetable or fruit at a time.
There are so many choices. You can start with mild tasting vegetables or fruits such as carrot, squash, sweet potato, peas, green or yellow beans, apples, apricots, plum, peaches, pears or avocados. Then try sharper tasting vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts or cabbage. These are just suggestions, you can give other vegetables or fruits that your family eats.
Wash, peel, pit and/or seed fresh vegetables and fruits before using.
Give your baby cooked and mashed vegetables and fruit.
Mash bananas, papayas, avocados, mangoes, melon and canned fruits (in juice) without cooking them.
Unsweetened applesauce can be served as is.
If you use jarred baby fruit, avoid 'fruit desserts'. These are high in sugar.

To get the most iron from food, choose foods high in vitamin C such as potato, broccoli, cauliflower, mango, papaya and cantaloupe

Your baby is getting plenty to drink from breast milk or infant formula.
At 6 months, if your baby seems thirsty, you can give your baby cold tap water, well water (that has been tested and safe) or bottled water (excluding carbonated or mineral water) from a cup.
You do not have to give your baby juice, but if you choose to, wait till your baby is 6 months.
Limit juice to 60-125 mL (2-4 oz) per day. Too much juice can cause diarrhea and early childhood tooth decay. It can fill up small stomachs and decrease your baby's appetite for nutritious foods.
Offer juice as part of a meal or snack and in a cup, not a bottle.
Give your baby 100% pure fruit juice, unsweetened and pasteurized. You do not need to buy special baby juice.
Avoid fruit drinks, fruit beverages, fruit punches, fruit crystals, fruit cocktails or fruit blends. They are high in sugar and contain little juice.
Do not give your baby soft drinks, sport drinks or herbal teas.

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