Baby's first foods

Ready or Not?

Before starting solid foods, make sure your baby is at least 4 months old and shows signs that she's ready for that first bite. She should be able to sit up with help or support and accept food or a spoon in her mouth without pushing it out. Take our quick Starting Solid Foods quiz to learn more.

Wait and See

When you introduce a new food, always wait about three days before introducing another food to make sure your baby doesn’t show signs of any intolerance or sensitivity, such as rash, diarrhea, or vomiting. If you suspect a reaction, stop feeding the new food and consult your health care provider.

Rice Cereal First

Rice cereal is typically the first food. It's easy to digest and less likely to cause an intolerance or sensitivity than other grains. Health care providers recommend feeding baby iron-fortified infant cereals since the iron reserves that babies are born with run out at around 5 or 6 months.

Mix It Right

Your baby's first solid food should be more like the consistency of runny milk. Mix 1 tablespoon of cereal with 4 to 5 tablespoons of breastmilk or formula to serve cereal with a souplike consistency. It is important to feed baby from a spoon to help him develop the oral skills needed to eat solid foods. As your baby’s feeding skills progress, you’ll gradually thicken his cereal by using less breastmilk or formula.

Other Cereals

After rice cereal, you can try other
single-grain infant cereals, such as oatmeal and barley. Wait to introduce wheat cereals until your baby is 8 months old since wheat can cause an intolerance or sensitivity in young babies. After your baby has accepted single-grain cereals, you can try mixed-grain cereals.

Vegetable and Fruit Purees

Once your baby is familiar with eating from a spoon, you can introduce
single-ingredient vegetable and fruit purees. Remember to add these purees to her diet one at a time (the order doesn't matter) so you can watch for an intolerance or sensitivity.

Keep On Trying

When you introduce a new food, your baby may reject it the first, second, or even third time you serve it but don't give up. Some experts say it may take up to 10 exposures to a new food before baby decides that she likes it.

Off the Menu for Now

Some foods, such as honey and cow's milk, should not be given before baby's first birthday. Honey may contain spores that can cause botulism in babies, and cow's milk does not provide the necessary nutrition for your baby.

If you have a family history of allergies, talk to your health care provider before introducing foods that tend to cause an intolerance or sensitivity, such as eggs, wheat, peanut butter, and fish or other seafood.

What's Next?

Once your baby has been eating
single-ingredient cereals and fruit and vegetable purees without any issues and her eating skills become more advanced, she'll be ready to try foods with more texture and variety, such as GERBER® NATURESELECT™ 2ND FOODS® purees.

If you have any concerns about your baby's diet and nutrition, talk with your health care provider.