6 Tips on Starting Solid Foods With Your Baby

Today was my son's six month check up and the pediatrician gave us the OK to start solid foods. While his first few spoon fulls of oatmeal cereal left him with a perplexed and disgusted look on his face, he was soon reaching for the whole cup, trying to get more into his system.

Some tips on starting solids from the good doctor and the American Academy of Pediatric

1. You should wait until your child reaches six months of age to start them on solid foods. This is the recommended age as it reduces instances of food allergies as their digestive systems are better able to handle foods.

2. Cereals are usually the first recommended solids. Rice, oatmeal and barley are the initial line up, and in that order.

3. After introducing cereals and your child gets used to eating, you can begin introducing them to fruit, strained vegetables and meat.

4. Introduce new foods to your baby one at a time. Wait 3 to 4 days between new foods to see if there are any allergic reactions. The 3-4 day waiting period simply lets you determine to which food your child is reacting without dealing with multiple variables.

5. DO NOT give your child eggs, peanut butter, strawberries, tomatoes, citrus, seafood or honey until 1 year old.

6. Get a bib, place mat or tarp. The food will end up everywhere.

As always, consult with your own pediatrician before changing your child's diet.