After months of feeding your baby a liquid diet its now time to introduce solids.  Even though your doctor may recommend starting solids between four to six months of age this is not meant for nutrition, it is more like dessert.  When your baby is starting to take a large amount of solid food (seven to nine months of age), solid foods will start to replace some of the nutrition that liquid nutrition gives. 

Some babies are ready at four months; some aren’t ready until six months.  Your baby will tell you if he is ready.  Start with baby rice cereal.  Try putting a spoonful of rice cereal on his tongue.  If he swallows it, he’s ready.  If he spits it back out to you, put the box away and try again next week. 

How much to feed?

When starting with solids, offer the rice cereal after the baby has had breast milk or formula first.  If you try to feed your child solid food when he is hungry, you won’t be able to shovel it in fast enough.  Start by giving 1-2 tablespoons once a day.

How often do I introduce a new food?

After your baby has mastered rice cereal, forge ahead and introduce one new stage 1 food every three to four days.  You are introducing slowly because you are looking to see if your baby has any food allergies. 

How often do I feed my baby solid foods?

Here is a ballpark figure: one solid meal daily at six months, two at seven to eight months, and three solid meals by nine months of age.

The Big Picture for Liquid and Solid Nutrition


Age                     Liquid Nutrition          Solid Nutrition             Solid Serving Size

4-6 months                32-40oz               Maybe cereal                      2-4 Tbsp (1-2 oz)
                                                                    Maybe fruit/vegetable                   (0-8 oz/day)
                                                                       (0-1 feeding/day)


6-9 months                24-32oz                     Cereal                          2-4 Tbsp (1-2 oz)
                                                                 Fruit/Vegetable                 Two or three items at
     Meat                        each meal, or a whole
    Grains                             Stage 2 jar
     Dairy                             (8-14 oz/day)
  (1-3 feedings/day)


9-12 months              20-30oz               All of the above                     3-4 Tbsp (2 oz)
                                                                           Table foods                   Three items at each meal
                                                                          (3 meals/day)           or a whole Stage 3 jar.
                                                                                                                    (10-15 oz/day)