6-month-old feeding schedule
If your 6-month-old is ready to start solid foods, you may be wondering how to do it. We explain the what, the when, and the how for feeding your 6-month-old.
What do I feed my baby?
First of all, remember that at that age, breast milk or formula is still the prime source of nutrition for your infant.
Solid food is just a supplement at that age, and you should still feed your baby plenty of breast milk or formula.
Purchase formula for your baby online.
Often, the first food is baby cereal, like rice or oatmeal. Some babies won’t take cereal, and that’s OK.
There’s no harm in your baby skipping the cereal stage and going straight to pureed foods, but we do suggest trying cereal first. It has added iron, which your baby needs at this age.
Plus, it’s a nice bridge from the pure liquid diet of breast milk or formula to more solid food.
Here’s a selection of baby cereals to try.
Don’t put cereal in the bottle. Mix it with formula or water and give it with a spoon.
If you’re breastfeeding, don’t mix your breast milk with the cereal for the first few attempts at eating. Until your baby shows that they really will eat it, most of the cereal will wind up somewhere else besides their stomach, like on the floor, their head, or the tray.
Your breast milk is too valuable to throw away, so mix the cereal with a little water at first. When your infant is taking it well, then you can mix it with your breast milk.
Make the cereal a little runny at first, closer to the consistency of a liquid. If your baby is taking this well, gradually thicken it to the consistency of oatmeal.
Start by offering just a few spoonfuls at a time. When your baby has gotten the hang of it and seems to want more, work up to about 3 to 4 tablespoons per feeding.
Once your baby has been taking cereal reliably once a day for a week or two, try twice a day feedings. Once they’ve done that reliably for a week or two, then you can start pureed foods.
When your baby’s ready, start them on pureed baby foods like these.
Traditionally, orange and yellow vegetables have been the first foods to give a baby, but other good foods to try first are bananas or avocado.
When giving a food your baby hasn’t had before, give it at least three days in a row before trying another new food. This is to help identify which foods your baby may be allergic or intolerant to.
Also, be aware that many of your child’s later dietary habits often have their beginning in infancy. One study in 2014Trusted Source found that babies who didn’t eat many fruits or vegetables in the 6- to 12-month period probably wouldn’t eat many fruits or vegetables as older children.
