Why start with rice cereal

For many years, doctors recommended that parents give their babies iron-fortified cereals first. Rice was believed to have a low risk for allergic reaction, and fortification with iron meant that it would help meet the needs of breastfed babies, whose iron stores begin diminishing at about 6 months of age the time when parents begin to introduce solid foods.

Today, few pediatricians recommend that parents start with rice cereal. Some experts suggest starting with meat, poultry, or tofu, which are better sources of iron.

In fact, given the increased rates of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in U. Instead, the organization suggests babies should be offered a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods, including a variety of grains, within the first year, in part to reduce exposure to arsenic from rice. Find out when and how to make the transition from breast milk or formula to solid foods.

Giving your baby his or her first taste of solid food is a major milestone. Here's what you need to know before your baby takes that first bite. Breast milk or formula is the only food your newborn needs.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months after birth. But by ages 4 months to 6 months, most babies are ready to begin eating solid foods as a complement to breast-feeding or formula-feeding.

During this time babies typically stop using their tongues to push food out of their mouths and begin to develop the coordination to move solid food from the front of the mouth to the back for swallowing. If you answer yes to these questions and your baby's health care provider agrees, you can begin supplementing your baby's liquid diet. Babies often reject their first servings of pureed foods because the taste and texture is new.

If your baby refuses the feeding, don't force it. Try again in a week. If the problem continues, talk to your baby's health care provider to make sure the resistance isn't a sign of a problem. It's recommended that you give your baby potentially allergenic foods when you introduce other complementary foods.

Potentially allergenic foods include:. There is no evidence that delaying the introduction of these foods can help prevent food allergies. In fact, early introduction of foods containing peanuts might decrease the risk that your baby will develop a food allergy to peanuts. Still, especially if any close relatives have a food allergy, give your child his or her first taste of a highly allergenic food at home — rather than at a restaurant — with an oral antihistamine available.

If there's no reaction, the food can be introduced in gradually increasing amounts. Don't give juice to your baby until after age 1. Juice isn't a necessary part of a baby's diet, and it's not as valuable as whole fruit. Too much juice might contribute to weight problems and diarrhea. Sipping juice throughout the day can lead to tooth decay.

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Here are our top tips. Gripe water is a remedy available in liquid form. It contains a mixture of herbs and is often used to soothe colicky babies. Baby teeth, or primary teeth, usually start coming in between 6 and 12 months. Start with 1 or 2 tablespoons of cereal mixed with breast milk, formula, or water. Feed your baby with a small baby spoon, and never add cereal to a baby's bottle unless your doctor recommends it.

At this stage, solids should be fed after a nursing session, not before. That way, your baby fills up on breast milk, which should be your baby's main source of nutrition until age 1.

Wait a few days between introducing new foods to make sure your baby doesn't have an allergic reaction. Experts recommend introducing common food allergens to babies when they're 4—6 months old. This includes babies with a family history of food allergies. In the past, they thought that babies should not get such foods like eggs , peanuts , and fish until after the first birthday. But recent studies suggest that waiting that long could make a baby more likely to develop food allergies.