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Feeding your baby (Birth to one year)

Feeding your baby in In the first six months, the only the first year is an your baby needs is breastmilk. Babies experience of do not need additional fluids, such as discovery for water or juice before six months of everyone involved. age. If you are not , In just one year your offer iron-fortified formula baby will go from instead. exclusively breastfeeding to Babies who are not breastfed have an sitting at the table increased risk of: and enjoying a wide • Ear, respiratory and variety of with the rest of the family. gastrointestinal infections • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome What’s inside this booklet… (SIDS) • Feeding your newborn • Allergies, if there is a family • Starting solids history of allergies • Food allergies • Safety tips for feeding Combining bottle and breastfeeding • Sample menus If your baby’s health care provider has • When is your baby ready for finger recommended giving some formula foods? because of breastfeeding challenges or • Answers to frequently asked questions , consider: • Combining breastfeeding and bottle feeding using formula Birth to six • Bottle feeding using pumped breastmilk and formula months If you are breastfeeding and bottle feeding, Feeding your baby can be offer the breast at each feeding. Not one of the most rewarding experiences offering the breast at every feeding can of parenthood. Not only do you nourish lower your milk supply. your baby’s body, you nourish your Any amount of breastmilk your baby gets relationship with your baby. Feeding is has a positive impact on your baby’s a time for you to bond, so enjoy this health due to the unique structure of time, cuddle with and talk to your breastmilk. Formula does not have the baby. biological ingredients of breastmilk.

1 If you have questions about breastfeeding or Iron how to safely prepare and feed your baby Iron is an important for your , contact York Region baby. Most healthy babies born at full- Community and Health Services Health term have enough iron stored in their Connection at 1-800-361-5653 (TTY 1-866- bodies to last up to six months. 252-9933) or email [email protected]. Babies who are born to with low How to feed your baby iron and those who were born premature Your baby’s appetite is the best guide to or at a low may require iron knowing when to feed her. You can tell if supplements (e.g., iron drops) before six your baby is hungry if they are turning their months. If you are concerned, speak to head toward you with your baby’s health care provider. an open mouth or sucking on their hand Breastmilk contains small amounts of vigorously. Crying is a iron, but your baby’s body does a good job late sign of hunger. of absorbing this iron.

Your baby will tell you If you are not breastfeeding, it is they are full when they important to provide your baby with an pull off the breast, turn iron-fortified infant formula. their head away, or seem satisfied or full Since a baby's iron stores last up to 6 (they may or may not months, it is important to start solid fall asleep). foods, focusing on foods rich in iron (e.g., meats, iron-fortified baby cereal) at six Trust that your baby knows how much to months. eat. Watch for your baby’s cues and stop feeding when they tell you they are full. At 6 months Vitamin D

All babies living in Canada need 400 IU of vitamin D daily. • Babies who are exclusively breastfed Starting solid foods should receive a vitamin D supplement It is time to start solids at six months (26 of 400 IU daily until one year of age weeks) so your baby continues to get the • If your baby is drinking a combination of energy and they need to grow breastmilk and infant formula, a vitamin and be healthy. In addition to breastmilk, D supplement may still be needed or, if not breastfeeding, iron-fortified formula, your baby now needs more • If you are offering infant formula to your calories, iron, zinc and other nutrients. baby, vitamin D is added to the formula;

however, depending on how much your Until about one year of age, breastmilk, or baby drinks, they may still need an if not breastfeeding, iron-fortified formula, additional vitamin D supplement will continue to be your baby’s most

important food. To learn more about vitamin D needs in the first year, visit www.york.ca/nutrition to get Starting solid foods is a new way of a copy of the fact sheet Vitamin D and Your and the following advice will help make Baby from the ‘Fact sheets and Resources” this a positive experience for both you and page or call EatRight Ontario at 1-877-510- your baby. 5102 and speak to a registered dietitian.

2 Why start solids at six months? • Bib and You will probably receive different advice washclothes from many people on how to feed your baby. • Small bowl or You may also find information on the cup (a ramekin Internet or in books. Some of this or tea cup works information can be outdated or not based well) on Canadian recommendations. You can use a baby food mill, blender, Although it was once common practice to food processor or feed babies solids as early as four months of even your fork to make food for your baby. age, this is not recommended any longer as Babies eat pureed foods for only a few it can interfere with how much your baby months so feel free to use what you will drink and can affect their growth. Also, already have in your home. babies at four months of age are not developmentally ready for solid foods. Which to choose — homemade or Health Canada, Dietitians of Canada and store-bought baby food? the Canadian Paediatric Society recommend Choosing homemade or store-bought baby exclusive breastfeeding until six months of food is a personal choice. Many age, followed by the addition of solid foods do a combination of both. The following at six months of age, with continued are features of both types of baby food: breastfeeding for up to two years and beyond. Homemade baby food • Is less expensive Is your baby ready for solid foods? • Allows you to change the texture easily Waiting until your baby is ready for solids • Allows you to offer a wider variety of will ensure your baby can digest solids and foods to your baby has the skills and interest in new foods to be successful at eating. Store-bought baby food

• Convenient Look for the signs of readiness for solids in • Safe your baby which can include: • Requires you to thicken texture of • Sit up with little support single ingredient items once your baby • Hold their head up is ready for more challenging textures • Open their mouth wide when offered (at about 7-8 months). When your food on a spoon baby is ready, thicken store bought • Turn their face away to let you know baby food by adding iron-fortified baby they are full or just not hungry cereal to it or by mixing it with yogurt, • Control their tongue better so it doesn’t homemade meats or other foods push the food back out of their mouth • Be sure any store-bought baby food • Use their lips to remove food from the doesn’t have any added sugar or salt. spoon Watch out for words such as fruit • Show interest in what you are eating ‘dessert’ as it will have added sugars and starches What do I need to get started? You don’t need special ‘baby food’ What about ? equipment to feed your baby solids. Here is Buying organic baby food or preparing a short list of the basic items you’ll find baby food made from organic ingredients helpful to have at hand: is a personal choice. Be aware that • Baby spoons with soft tip. Lots of babies organic foods do not provide more love to grab the spoon. Why not use two nutrients than non-organic foods and they spoons - one for you and one for baby to often cost more to buy. practice with!

3 When and where? fun — especially Breastmilk is still the most important part when foods fall on of your baby’s diet. It provides most of the the floor! nutrition your baby needs to grow and develop in the first year. Safety tips for feeding Breastfeed, or if not breastfeeding, offer Safety is important formula before you offer solid foods. This regardless of the will ensure your baby gets all the nutrients type of food you are and fluids they need. feeding your baby. The following are tips to follow to help your baby be safe while If you find your baby isn’t very interested in eating. solids after breastfeeding, then wait 15-20 • Babies need to be watched while minutes (but not longer) to offer solids. eating. Sometimes they gag on a new Here are some tips: food, or new textures and this is • Have your baby sit upright (e.g., in a normal. Your baby gags to avoid highchair), when eating solids choking, but this is not choking • Offer solids from a spoon since eating • Although any food can cause choking, from a spoon is a new skill for your baby some foods are more unsafe than • Offer one new food at a time. You can others including: combine the new food with another food • Hard foods (e.g., raw ) your baby has tried before (e.g., chicken • Small and round foods (e.g., grapes, with sweet potatoes) olives) • Offer the new food 3-4 days in a row • Foods that are smooth or sticky before trying another new food (e.g., peanut butter on a spoon) • At first, solid foods can be offered pureed • Foods with pits (e.g., olives, or well-mashed; however, most babies cherries) are ready for thicker textures quickly. • Foods that are sharp or can be Increase the texture as your baby gets inhaled (e.g., nachos and popcorn) older • Do not give honey to your baby during • By eight months, most babies are ready the first year. Honey may contain the to try finger foods (foods cut up in small bacteria that can cause infant pieces that your baby can pick up by botulism. themselves) • When opening a jar of baby food, make sure you hear the “popping” sound. If How much should my baby eat? you do not hear the popping sound, Let your baby be your guide in terms of how return the jar to the store because it is much they want to eat. Your baby will let unsafe to feed to your baby. you know when they are full by turning • Use a separate spoon to feed your their head away, pushing the spoon away or baby. If you wish to taste your baby’s closing their mouth. food to check the temperature of the food, use a different spoon. Sharing As a general guide, start with a small spoons means sharing germs. amount of food at first, such as 2-3 • Do not feed your baby solids from a teaspoons of dry cereal mixed with bottle (e.g., put cereal in a bottle). It breastmilk or water or pureed meats or can be a choking hazard. In addition, meat alternatives. You can then increase there is no benefit in terms of your this amount as your baby shows they would baby’s development with this practice. like to eat more. Once a baby is six months, it is time to learn how to eat from a spoon (and Expect a mess! Babies use their five senses their hands). Research also shows when eating. This is how they discover colours, flavours, textures, sounds and have 4 babies do not sleep longer if cereal is put in the bottle. Signs of an allergic reaction include: • Feed your baby from a dish, not directly diarrhea, vomiting, skin rash or hives, from the jar or original container. Throw swollen lips, tongue or face. Signs of a out any food your baby doesn’t eat at a severe allergic reaction include breathing sitting. The spoon will carry saliva and difficulty which needs immediate germs back to the food causing it to spoil emergency help by calling 9-1-1. • You can store leftover baby food (store- If you notice one of these signs after bought or homemade) in the fridge at a feeding a food to your baby, stop feeding temperature of 4°C (40°F) or lower for up that food. Check with your baby’s health to three days. After that time, you care provider before re-introducing the should throw it out food which caused the reaction. • It is not recommended to use a microwave to heat baby food as the food If your baby does have a , could be heated unevenly and cause make sure that anyone who takes care of burning. If you do use a microwave, your baby is aware of the allergy. Even a make sure you mix the food thoroughly small amount of the allergic food can to ensure it is heated evenly cause a reaction. • A better way to warm baby food is to place a dish of baby food in a bath of Babies need iron warm water (double-boiler method) Iron is important for your baby’s growth and brain development. To make sure your baby gets enough iron, offer iron-rich foods as the first foods you offer your baby. This includes meat (beef, chicken, lamb, goat), eggs, beans, lentils or iron- fortified baby cereal. Forcing your baby to eat or punishing them for not eating will lead to feeding problems. Once your baby’s first tooth has appeared, brush gently with a small, Affection and comfort for your baby comes soft toothbrush at least twice a day. from you, not the food.

Food allergies The latest research indicates there isn’t a health benefit (e.g., reducing the risk of 6 to 9 developing food allergies) by not offering highly allergic foods such as eggs, fish, months peanut or nut products until a baby is much older. This means that once your As you introduce solid baby is 6 months of age, all foods except for foods to your baby, continue to offer each honey can be offered. This is even true for new food for 3-4 days in a row before babies who have a family history of starting a new food. Offer iron-rich foods allergies. daily, and as you add each new food, alternate between food groups. In order to determine if your baby is allergic Once you are offering iron rich foods, to a food, offer one new food at a time for 3- there is no particular order you must 4 days in a row. Offer a new food earlier in follow for introducing other foods. For the day so you have time to watch for any example, you don’t need to offer all reactions. Reactions to a new food can be vegetables before moving on to fruit. Offer both right away or even delayed for a few your baby a variety of foods and don’t be hours. limited by your own likes and dislikes. 5 Even if you don’t like butternut squash, Foods for your baby do not need any chances are your baby might! added salt or sugar. Check for these ingredients in jarred baby foods and avoid If you offer a food and your baby refuses to the foods that include these ingredients. eat it, offer it again the following day However, it is fine to add a little bit of without pressure. It may take several spice (e.g., cinnamon) or herbs (e.g., basil) attempts before your baby accepts a new to your baby’s food. food. Be patient. Babies make a funny face when they are offered something new. This Grain Products does not mean they don’t like it, just that • Offer the single grain infant cereals, they realize it is new. such as rice, barley and oatmeal, before starting mixed grain cereals. Be aware some single grain cereals have added milk solids or infant formula. This means a breastfed baby being introduced to a cereal with added milk solids or infant formula is being Since your baby knows how much they introduced to two new foods (the grain need to eat: and the milk) • You decide what foods to offer your • Some infant cereals are also mixed baby to eat with other foods, such as yogurt and • Trust your baby to decide how fruit. Wait to offer these cereals until much they eat your baby has tried each of those foods on their own Tips to helping your baby become a • When your baby is about eight months healthy eater: old, you can offer pieces of toast, naan, • Create safe, pleasant and quiet well-cooked noodles, pita, rice, roti, mealtimes. Turn off the TV and steamed bun, O-shaped cereal and don’t distract your baby with toys unsalted crackers Don’t pressure your baby to eat if they don’t want to eat Meat and Alternatives • Make them part of mealtime. Seat Meats and alternatives are a good source your baby on your lap or in a of iron and important for your baby. highchair. This is an excellent • Offer chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, pork, chance for you to role model healthy fish eating and to connect with your • Scrambled eggs baby • Try alternatives such as mashed • Expect a mess! Babies learn about and legumes (e.g., lentils or kidney textures, tastes and colours by beans) handling their food. Put a bib on • Begin with finely ground or mashed your baby and cover the floor with a texture and progress to ground meats plastic sheet to help with cleaning and then to small pieces of tender, up moist meats

Vegetables and Fruit When your baby starts picking up things Vegetables and fruit can be offered with their fingers (somewhere around eight anytime after six months; however, they months of age), they are ready to try soft, are usually started once iron-rich foods small (bite-sized) foods. This is an exciting have been offered. time for your baby to have more control in • Vegetables for your baby should be what they eat. This change in texture cooked. Begin with finely mashed and allows your baby to learn how to chew, even slowly increase to soft cooked bite-size if they do not have teeth. pieces 6 • All vegetables can be offered. You do not have to offer green vegetables before From 9 orange (or vice versa) months • There is no proof that offering vegetables

before fruit will help your baby like By nine months you've vegetables more. To offer a variety of introduced solids and foods, mix between a vegetable and fruit offered a variety of different foods, your when choosing a new food to introduce baby is ready to start being more involved • Offer your baby a variety of fruit, such in the feeding process. This section as apples, apricots, avocado, banana, answers questions parents have about berries, cherries, orange, mango, melon, offering finger foods and helping your baby peaches, pears, and plums learn to eat independently and helping

your baby develop a healthy relationship Milk and Alternatives with food. Continue to breastfeed your baby based on their hunger cues, not on a set schedule. Encourage your • You can offer your baby cottage cheese, baby to feed yogurt and cheese after six months. themselves. Offer Once your baby is eating with their foods they can hands, you can offer grated cheese grasp and that are • Cow’s milk can be introduced between 9- easy to chew. 12 months of age — and only when your Place small pieces baby is eating a variety of iron-rich foods of food on your • Offer only full-fat, pasteurized milk baby’s high chair tray and let them select products. This includes homogenized what they want to try. This is a learning milk (3.25% milk fat) and full fat cheese, process, so give them plenty of cottage cheese and yogurts opportunities to practice. • Do not offer raw (unpasteurized) milk. It is not safe. Babies need more fat in their diet than adults do because they grow so fast. You First year, first visit should choose the full-fat version of foods Have your baby’s teeth checked by a for your baby (e.g., full-fat yogurts) until dentist or dental hygienist by one year two years of age. of age. Avoid adding salt or sugar to your baby’s food. However a little bit of spice (e.g., Sample menus for Aryan cinnamon) or herbs (e.g., basil) is fine. (7½ months old) From 9-12 months, you will be helping Aryan is fed breastmilk before solid food. your baby to shift to mostly table foods. He is also breastfed in between meals and Add the following foods to the food you may wake for breastmilk at night. have already introduced.

Day One Day Two Day Three

infant cereal and Morning infant cereal infant cereal peaches

pureed chicken and Afternoon and peas pureed chicken and peas squash

infant cereal and Early Evening infant cereal infant cereal and peaches applesauce

7 Grain Products What should my baby drink? • Grain products, such as buns, bagels, In addition to breastmilk, or if not pita, rice, noodles and pasta breastfeeding, formula, you can offer an • Cereals (e.g., o-shaped cereals) and open or sippy cup of water with meals. unsalted crackers Soy or rice beverages cannot replace the Vegetables and Fruit calories or nutrients • Soft, cooked vegetables cut into bite- your baby gets from sized pieces breastmilk or • Soft, ripe, peeled fresh fruit or canned formula. It is not fruit that is packed in water or juice recommended to • Grapes cut into quarters give these products • Grated raw vegetables such as or to babies until after cucumber two years of age.

Meat and Alternatives Soft drinks (pop), • Small pieces of moist meat, chicken, fruit drinks, sports beef, lamb, pork, fish, and tofu drinks, coffee, tea or • Scrambled eggs or cut up boiled egg herbal teas, such as chamomile, are not • Kidney beans, lentils and mashed suitable for a baby. chickpeas These drinks do not meet a baby’s • Avoid or limit the use of processed nutritional needs and can be dangerous to meats, like deli meats or hot dogs your baby’s health.

Milk Products Should I give my baby juice?

• Full-fat cheese (shredded, grated or cut There is no need to offer your baby juice. into small pieces) Juice can fill your baby up, and does not • Full fat versions of yogurt, cottage contain the important nutrients that cheese and ricotta breastmilk provides. • Homogenized (3.25% M.F.) cow’s milk may be offered once your baby is eating If you choose to offer your baby juice after a variety of foods from the four food six months of age, offer no more than ¼-½ groups from Canada’s’ Food Guide cup (60-125 mL) a day and only with • Offer milk in an open or sippy cup as meals. This will help ensure your baby is part of a meal interested in eating at meal and snack times as well as drinks enough breastmilk or, if not breastfeeding, drinks enough iron-fortified formula.

From six months of age, you can help your

baby learn to drink from a cup. If your Self-feeding is important at this age. Let baby is using a bottle, you should switch your baby try eating with a spoon or fork them to a cup by 12-15 months. By about (or their hands). 12 months of age, your baby will be able Don’t expect them to get much food in to drink homogenized milk, juice or water their mouth at first. But they can have from a cup. Try to offer those drinks only fun learning! at meals and snacks as this will help keep your baby’s teeth healthy.

8 Choking Prevention Babies and young children explore their world by putting things in their mouths. Although they have a strong gag and cough When preparing meals and snacks, offer soft foods cut into ½ to 1 cm pieces. reflex, their small airways makes a blockage This way, it’s big enough for little hands more likely. to grab but not big enough to be a choking hazard. Children under four years of age are at a higher risk of choking on food. Now your baby is feeding themselves (and likely putting more than just food in their mouths), you need to be aware of the choking hazards around your baby. ½ cm 1cm

Review the safety tips on page five of this booklet and for more information visit www.york.ca/nutrition in the “Fact Sheet and Resources” section to see the fact sheet Choking prevention tips.

Sample menus for Sarah (10½ months old) Sarah is eating a wider variety of foods and is feeding herself at most meals and snacks. Sarah continues to breastfeed on demand between meals and may wake to breastfeed at night. Sarah might with (and occasionally take a sip) a sippy cup of water at some of her meals.

Day One Day Two Day Three infant cereal mixed infant cereal with cooked pieces of pancake dipped Breakfast with chopped apricots in applesauce blueberries cottage cheese Morning Snack small pieces of toast cheese cubes o-shaped cereal

mashed kidney beans tofu pieces infant cereal mixed with Lunch small pieces of avocado squash plain yogurt and prunes

Afternoon grated cheese banana pieces plain rice cake snack oatmeal muffin unsalted cracker cooked green beans

minced chicken brown rice sweet potatoes grated cheese, Dinner grated carrot plain yogurt with soft cooked pasta, peas ground lamb mashed banana

9 Frequently Asked Questions

1. I understand breastmilk is the most 3. Can I give my 11 month old baby important part of my baby’s diet and scrambled eggs? that I should breastfeed before Yes. The most current research giving my seven month old baby available suggests that there is no solids. When do I stop breastfeeding health benefit to waiting to offer egg before meals? whites until one year of age. Babies In the first year of life breastmilk is the can be offered whole eggs (e.g., most important part of your baby’s scrambled eggs) or foods made with diet. However, most babies between 9- eggs (e.g, pancakes, breads) after six 12 months of age begin to eat a wider months of age. If you are concerned variety of foods and decrease the about your baby’s risk for developing a amount or frequency they breastfeed. food allergy or if your baby is At this time you can try offering meals experiencing signs and symptoms of first and offer the breast after. By 12 allergy (e.g., eczema), speak to your months of age, babies should be eating baby’s health care provider. 3 meals plus 2-3 snacks each day along with continued breastfeeding If 4. I’m afraid to let my nine month old you are not breastfeeding, follow the baby eat anything but pureed foods. same type of schedule as described I think he might choke. Can’t I just above, offering iron-fortified formula. continue with pureed foods until he’s older? 2. My baby doesn’t seem to like solids It is important to continue to offer your very much. What can I do to baby new and more challenging encourage her to eat more? textures as they get older. If you wait Introducing solid foods is a learning too long to offer foods with texture, experience for both you and your baby! your baby may have a harder time Some babies may be hesitant with all accepting new textures and may have these new colours, textures, smells and feeding problems, including having a tastes. Be patient and let your baby hard time chewing new foods. take the lead. Babies can start with pureed foods, Forcing your baby to try new foods but by about seven months of age are may only cause them to dislike these ready for thicker, lumpier textures. By foods more. Continue to offer new about eight months of age, they are foods, but if your baby refuses, don’t ready for small pieces of food they can panic. Try again the next day and if pick up themselves and may even show you are still not successful, try again in interest in feeding themselves. a week or two. You can offer a new Continue to offer thicker and soft- food along with a food that she likes, cooked textures and encourage self but don’t hide new foods — you don’t feeding when your baby is interested. want to turn her off the foods she already likes and babies need to Don’t forget gagging is not the same as experience new flavours. choking and your baby may gag with new textures. Gagging is a natural Sometimes babies who enjoyed solids reaction to stop from choking. Try not at six months of age begin to refuse to to react strongly and get upset as this eat solids around 8-9 months of age. might upset your baby as well. Don’t Often these babies don’t want pureed offer unsafe foods to your baby as textures anymore and are ready for soft discussed in this booklet, but do let bite-sized pieces of food they can feed them explore with new textures as they themselves. grow older and develop.

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Where to find more information

Online: To learn more Phone: Ontario about nutrition and residents can speak feeding your family to a registered visit us at dietitian at no cost

www.york.ca/nutrition by calling EatRight . You can access many Ontario at 1-800-510-5102. Thought of informative fact sheets feeding or nutrition question during a 2 and resources on a.m. feed? Email your question at various topics, EatRight Ontario’s website including: www.ontario.ca/eatright and a registered • Healthy eating while breastfeeding dietitian will respond to your question. • Vitamin D and your baby • A guide to eating fish for women, children York Region Community and Health and families Services Health Connection is a free and • Feeding your vegetarian child confidential link to services • Food allergies and your baby and information. Health Connection can • Constipation in babies and young link you with breastfeeding supports, children including appointments with the breastfeeding clinics, Healthy Babies • Finger foods Healthy Children programs and other • Changing yuck to yum: 10 tips to help programs in the local with mealtime struggles community. Call Health Connection at • The ABCs of fruit juice 1-800-361-5653. (TTY 1-866-252-9933) • Making your own baby food or email [email protected] to connect with a • Feeding your toddler (12-36 months) public health nurse. • Cooking up some fun (recipes for children) • Snacks that make the grade Books: Available at your • Can food affect your child’s behaviour? local bookstore and • How to build a healthy preschooler library, here are a selection of our favourite Many of our fact sheets are available in books on feeding and multiple languages. nutrition for babies and children. • Better Baby Food. 2008. Authors: Other recommended websites: Daina Kalnins and Joanne Saab • Dietitians of Canada - www.dietitians.ca (Hospital for Sick Children) • EatRight Ontario – • Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and www.ontario.ca/eatright Good Sense. 2000. Author: Ellyn • Ellyn Satter - www.ellynsatter.com Satter • Canadian Pediatric Society – • Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family. www.caringforkidscps.ca 2008. Author: Ellyn Satter

Produced and distributed by York Region Community and Health Services, www.york.ca/nutrition. 2005. (Revised 2010). May be reproduced without permission, provided the source is acknowledged. To speak to a Registered Dietitian call EatRight Ontario at 1-877-510-5102. For information about public health programs, call York Region Community and Health Services Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653 (TTY 1-866-252-9933) or email [email protected].

11 A Guide to Feeding Your Baby

Use this table as a guide for what types and textures of foods your baby is ready for. Print it out and post it on your fridge for a quick reference.

At six months, begin to offer As baby gets older, offer…. pureed or mashed …..

All – the order you introduce them does not Meat and Finely minced matter (e.g., beef, fish, poultry, beans, lentils, Alternatives Tofu pieces make great finger food egg, tofu) Thicker infant cereals Start with iron fortified single grain infant Baby Cereals Mixed grain cereals (once all single grain cereals have cereals (e.g., rice, oat, barley, wheat) been offered)

All — the order you introduce them does not Mix with meats or cereal Vegetables matter Move to mashed and then well cooked small pieces

Mix with meats or cereals All — the order you introduce them does not Fruit Move to mashed and then small pieces of soft and ripe matter fruits like banana, peaches and pears

Plain yogurt mixed with mashed or soft-pieces of fruit All (e.g., cottage cheese, yogurt) Milk Products Cottage Cheese

Grated or finely chopped cheese

Homogenized milk between 9-12 months only if baby is Homogenized Avoid eating a wide variety of foods (3.25%) Milk Offer in an open cup or sippy cup

Offer small amounts (e.g. 2 oz or 60 mL) Offer small amounts (e.g. 2 oz or 60 mL) Water Offer in an open cup or a sippy cup Offer in an open cup or a sippy cup

Your baby does not need juice Juice If you choose to give your baby juice, do not give more than ½ cup (4 oz or 125 mL) a day

Avoid honey in the first year Other Advice Avoid adding sugar or salt to your baby’s food.

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