Health & Parenting Center Health & Baby Center Guide to Baby Food & Nutrition Feeding Baby: 8 Eating Milestones There are many milestones that need to be achieved when a baby is ready to start to eat solid foods. Here are some of the big ones. Baby Milestone 1: When They Can Start Solids Most pediatricians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend introducing solid foods to babies when they are between ages 4 and 6 months. That’s when they start to lose the “tongue-thrust reflex” or extrusion reflex, which is important for sucking the breast or bottle when they are younger, but interferes with feeding. Babies at this point can also lift their heads up independently and hold their necks high. If your baby is around this age, can sit up well with support, and shows interest in the foods he sees you eating, it’s probably a good time to venture into feeding your baby solid food. If your baby is exclusively breastfed, it is recommended that you wait until he is 6 months to start solids.
Baby Milestone 2: When They’re Ready to Move From Puree to Chunks “Chunking up” babies’ food is a process -- obviously, they shouldn’t go straight from rice cereal to raisin bran. But after the first few weeks of adjusting to eating rather than just drinking his food, your baby should be ready to handle a little more texture in solid foods. Introduce new textures slowly. Good starters are mashed bananas or mashed avocados. You can also use the “staged” store-bought baby foods -- going from the smooth puree of stage 1 to the slightly thicker stage 2 and then the chunkier stage 3 by around 9 months of age. (Babies don’t necessarily have to have a lot of teeth to handle more texture in their foods -- they can often gum soft foods very well!) Baby Milestone 3: When They Can Sit in a High Chair When babies are ready to eat solid foods, they can sit upright with support and hold up their head and neck. They're capable of sitting in a high chair! That's a serious milestone, but you'll need to follow these safety rules: Always buckle a baby into his chair for safety, even if he is unable to get out with the tray in place.
As he gets older and becomes more active, he may be able to squirm out. It is a good habit to buckle a child as soon as you place him in his chair -- even if you think there's no chance he could fall out or climb out. You may get distracted for a moment, which happens really easily when we are trying to do a million things at once! Baby Food and Nutrition GuideSolid Foods SlideshowEating MilestonesStarting SolidsBaby Food ChartMaking Baby FoodIntroducing FoodsExpert Q&A More Baby Care EssentialsThis website, shop or anything associated with the Pink Oatmeal LLC should not be used in replace of medical advice or treated as medical advice. The purpose of this Pink Oatmeal, LLC is for education only. If you have a medical condition or need medical advice please contact your physician. Any participation related to this site or social media does not result in a physical therapist-patient relationship with Pink Oatmeal LLC or it's owner. Pink Oatmeal LLC disclaims liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any activities or ideas from the website and/or purchased or free activities and printables.
Please see full disclaimer.What Your Baby Is Learning By 4 months old, your baby has learned to recognize you and familiar caregivers, focus and pay attention to things, and actively engage your attention. Your infant will learn to sit during this time, and in the next few months will begin exploring by reaching out for objects, grasping and inspecting them. Continue to foster the learning process by engaging, responding, and encouraging as your child develops a stronger body, a curious mind, and a feel for language. Provide chances for practicing and building on what your little one learns with age-appropriate toys and a safe environment to explore. Exploring will be a big part of this stage. Your child will be drawn to colors, patterns, and shapes of different objects and toys. By reaching out for things, babies learn about touch, shape, and texture. Your baby's ability to reach and hold an object will mature now, and after successfully grasping an object, your tot is likely to put it into his or her mouth for further exploration.
It's important to make sure that any objects that could be choking hazards — or dangerous to your baby in other ways — are out of reach, or even better, out of sight! Although those first words are still a couple of months away, your infant is learning a lot about language and will begin to distinguish between different sounds, even though he or she doesn't understand what the words mean. By the end of this period, babies recognize and respond to their own name. Your baby also will learn how to use his or her voice, and cooing sounds may be mixed with other consonants (such as "ba" and "da") and evolve into babbling like "bababababa," "dadadadada," or "mamamama." Talk to your infant and respond to the sounds he or she is making — this helps teach the social aspects of language and conversation. Your baby also will begin to get a sense of object permanence (knowing that something can exist, even when it's out of sight). This knowledge will prompt your baby to search for an object that you have partially hidden and to drop toys and other objects over the side of a crib or high chair to watch you retrieve them.
By doing this, babies learn that an object exists even after it's dropped out of sight and start understanding cause and effect (that an action causes a reaction). As your baby masters this concept, expect your little one to find more ways to make thing happen! Create a safe place for exploration (with supervision), because by the end of month 7, your baby will be rolling over, sitting, and reaching for everything. It's never too soon to childproof the playspace, even if your baby isn't mobile yet — it will happen before you know it. Make the space inviting and fun with age-appropriate toys in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. Everyday objects, like wooden spoons, plastic containers, and cups also stimulate creativity and curiosity. It's not so much the toy that's important, but the way it can help your baby learn. As your baby babbles and explores how to use his or her voice, keep responding. Reinforce the sounds by repeating them and introduce new sounds and simple words, then watch as your baby tries to imitate you.
If you haven't already, introduce books now. When you read to your infant, say the names of the objects, people, and animals as you point to them, and make the sounds of the animals and the objects in the book. Choose baby books with simple pictures and faces and those with lots of textures to feel, like Pat the Bunny. Also look for cloth, vinyl, and sturdy board books that won't rip and can withstand a little drooling and chewing. Other Ideas for Encouraging Learning During tummy time, place a favorite toy or soft ball in front of the baby to reach for. Hide a toy — but don't hide it very well — and encourage your baby to find it. Let your baby discover that actions can make things happen. Provide toys that move or make sounds when your baby plays with them, such as baby musical instruments, busy boxes, or see-through toys that show motion. Sing nursery rhymes like "Baa, Baa Black Sheep" and "Hey Diddle Diddle." Remember that there's a wide range of what's normal for babies.