Breastfeeding - Introducing solid foods

At 6 months, most babies cannot get everything they need from breast milk or formula alone. Though you can continue to breastfeed until your baby is 2 years and beyond, at 6 months you’ll start to introduce your baby to other foods. Your baby is ready to start other foods when he:

Seems hungry earlier than usual.
Can sit up without support, and has good control of his neck muscles.
Holds food in his mouth without pushing it out on his tongue right away.
Shows interest in food when others are eating, and opens his mouth when he sees food coming his way.
Can let you know he doesn’t want food by leaning back or turning his head away.
There are many ways to introduce solid food. The first foods usually vary from culture to culture and from family to family.

Start with foods that contain iron, which babies need for many different aspects of their development. It’s common to start with a single grain, iron-fortified infant cereal such as rice or barley. Meat, poultry, cooked egg yolk and well cooked legumes (beans, lentils, chick peas) are also good sources of iron.

Introduce new foods one at a time, waiting about 3 to 5 days before trying another. That way, if your baby develops a reaction, you’ll have a better idea of what food might have caused it.
Healthy foods that your family eats are good to start with as long as they are plain, with no added salt, sugar or spices. You can also use commercial baby foods, as long as you check the label to ensure there is no added salt or sugar.

Grain products. At 6 to 9 months, offer your baby up to 30 to 60 mL (2 to 4 tbsp.) of iron-fortified infant cereal, twice a day. Then try other grain products such as small pieces of dry toast or unsalted crackers. At 9 to 12 months, offer other plain cereals, whole grain bread, rice and pasta.

Vegetables. At 6 to 9 months, offer your baby puréed cooked vegetables—yellow, green or orange. At 9 to 12 months, progress to soft, mashed cooked vegetables.

Fruits. At 6 to 9 months, offer puréed cooked fruits, very ripe mashed fruits (such as bananas). At 9 to12 months, try soft fresh fruits, peeled, seeded and diced or canned fruit, packed in water or juice (not syrup).

Meat and alternatives. At 6 to 9 months, offer puréed cooked meat, fish, chicken, tofu, mashed beans, egg yolk. At 9 to 12 months, mince or dice these foods.

Milk and milk products. At 9 months, you can offer dairy foods like yogurt (3.25% or higher), cottage cheese or grated hard cheese. Wait until your baby is 9 to 12 months old before introducing whole cow’s milk (3.25%). After 12 months of age, your baby should not take more than 720 mL (24 oz.) of milk products per day. Too much milk can lead to iron deficiency anemia.