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Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Nutrition Guide

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Introducing Foods

Question

Now that my baby is starting solids, I want to make sure she continues to get the nutrition she needs. How do I start?

Answer

Begin by ensuring that breastmilk or iron-fortified formula remains your baby’s main source of nutrition for the first year. As you add solid foods to her diet, nutrition will come from a variety of pureed meats/poultry, fruits, vegetables, and grains.

When feeding your baby, each feeding should consist of about 4 to 5 ounces of breastmilk or formula. (Your baby may drink about 24 to 30 ounces each day.) When your little one starts solid foods, you might start by adding a single-grain cereal to her diet. Then try pureed meats/poultry, fruits, and vegetables. Serving a variety of fruits and vegetables now will help start her on the path of good eating habits that will last a lifetime.

That’s why it’s important to understand the appropriate healthy food choices as your baby goes along the solid-food journey. We want to help you confidently move from one feeding stage to the next by providing you with stage-specific menus—each one planned by our team of nutrition and feeding experts.

Click here to find menus for your Sitter.

MEET OUR EXPERTS

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Meet Our Experts

The START HEALTHY, STAY HEALTHY™ Resource Center panel of experts offers practical advice, answering many questions typically asked by parents and expecting parents.

Lillian M. Beard, M.D. Pediatric Health

Lillian M. Beard, M.D., is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and an associate clinical professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is a frequent guest expert and spokesperson on national TV programs, discussing issues related to children's health. Dr. Beard practices pediatrics in the Washington, D.C., area.

José M. Saavedra, M.D., FAAP Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition

José M. Saavedra, M.D., a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is a pediatric gastroenterologist with long-term experience and expertise in nutrition. Medical and Scientific Director of Nestlé Nutrition North America, Dr. Saavedra is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, the Sub-board of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and the American Board of Nutrition. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins-Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Roy M. Pitkin, M.D. Prenatal Health

Roy M. Pitkin, M.D. is professor of obstetrics and gynecology and is former chairperson of the ob/gyn department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Medicine. He is a frequent advisor to national health agencies concerned with women's health issues and has received numerous international honors for this work.

Robert N. Hamburger, M.D. Food Intolerances

Robert N. Hamburger, M.D. is professor of pediatrics emeritus and former head of the pediatric immunology and allergy division at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) in La Jolla, California. Professor Hamburger is a consultant and continues as an educator and clinician in the UCSD Free Clinics in San Diego and Tijuana, Baja California.

I’m just starting my baby on solids. What’s a healthy balance between breastmilk/formula and solid foods? Should I breastfeed/bottle-feed my baby before or after feeding solids? How to start solids at the Supported Sitter stage