Is Your Baby Ready for Solid Food?

Signs That Your Infant is Ready for Solids

Apr 1, 2008 Rachel Lister

Don't rush the introduction of solid foods. Know the signs that your baby is ready to add something more to his diet.

Starting solid foods is a big step in an infant’s development and many parents are excited to help their baby experience new flavors and food textures. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until an infant is at least 6 months old before introducing any solid foods, including first cereals. It is not uncommon for pediatricians and family members to encourage parents to begin feeding their infant solid foods at 4 months and younger, but before an infant reaches 6 months (and often much older) solid foods are not nutritionally necessary for an infant’s healthy growth and development.

When Does Your Baby Need Solid Foods?

Your baby may act interested in solid foods before he is developmentally ready to eat them. A baby’s intestinal tract may not be fully developed before 6 months. Introducing solid foods before your baby’s body is ready to handle them can cause constipation, gas, and stomach pain. Starting solid foods too early can cause your baby to develop food allergies or sensitivities. It is normal for babies to go through a growth spurt between 4 and 6 months. If your infant acts hungrier than before, it does not mean that he needs solid foods, but rather he needs to nurse more frequently or drink more formula.

Signs That Your Baby is Ready for Solids

Before you feed your baby solid foods, it is important to make sure that your infant is developmentally ready to start solids. Your baby should reach all of the following milestones before starting solid foods:

Sits with support and has good head control
Has doubled his birth weight and weighs at least 13 pounds
Acts hungry after 8-10 breastfeeding sessions or 32 ounces of formula a day
Has lost the tongue thrust reflex and is able to swallow food

If your baby is still working on reaching any of these milestones, it is important to wait before starting solid foods. Babies are born with a tongue thrust reflex that protects them from choking on any foreign objects. You can test your baby’s tongue thrust reflex by making a very small amount of thin, single grain cereal and let your baby try to eat it. If your baby’s tongue pushes the spoon out of his mouth as you try to feed him, he has not lost the tongue thrust reflex and is not ready to start solids. If your baby allows the spoon into his mouth and only slightly pushes on it with his tongue then he may be ready to start solid foods.

An Alternative to Solid Food

If your baby has shown interest in solid food but is not quite developmentally ready, try giving him a breastmilk popsicle, or momsicle, to give him a new food experience.

The copyright of the article Is Your Baby Ready for Solid Food? in Infants & Toddlers is owned by Rachel Lister. Permission to republish Is Your Baby Ready for Solid Food? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.