Things You'll Need:
- Baby about 4 months old
- Baby spoon
- Rice cereal
- Assorted first-stage fruits and veggies
- Patience
- Sense of humor
- Highchair
- Plastic bib
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Step 1
Start with Starch
The first solid food that your baby should try is rice cereal. Mix a teaspoon amount with about a half ounce of formula for the first attempt. Be prepared for some surprised expressions or even a tightly clamped mouth after the first bite. Baby may not like the texture or the taste. Try adding a little water to thin it out and try again. Don’t get frustrated and try to be patient. Soon baby will be willing to open wide for the spoon. Once rice is eaten for 3 days, try barley cereal or oatmeal. Follow the 3-day rule to make sure there are no food allergies. Call you doctor if baby vomits excessively after trying a new food or breaks out into a rash. These could be signs of a food allergy. -
Step 2
Move to Veggies
Now that baby has had rice for about 10 days to 2 weeks and both of you are getting more adept with the feeding routine, you can introduce baby to a tastier version of food. Start with veggies for two reasons. One, they can be milder in flavor than some fruits so a little easier for baby to palate. Two, if you try fruits first, baby may develop a baby-version of a sweet-tooth and not be so open to trying veggies. Some first veggies are squash, string beans and peas. Start with the teaspoon version and stick to the 3-day rule to look for signs of allergies. Meals can be rice and veggies now, to help satiate baby more. -
Step 3
Introduce Fruits
Now it gets fun. Wait for baby’s first bite of banana or avocado. Bananas and avocado can be mashed right out of the skin, mixed with a little water for consistency. Add one fruit to your daily meals, maybe in the morning in some oatmeal. Some great first fruits are bananas, avocado, peaches, applesauce with no sugar and prunes.
