Six to seven months: Adding fruits and vegetables. Once your baby has been introduced to cereal you will want to add mashed/strained fruits and vegetables. Start with small amounts (one teaspoonful), increasing gradually as your baby gets used to the new food. You should only introduce one new food at a time and wait 2 to 4 days before introducing something new. This is so that if your baby has an allergic reaction you will be able to pinpoint which food is the culprit.

Make mealtime a happy time with your baby. Make sure that you only put milk or water into baby bottles and juice into a cup or glass. Putting juice into your baby’s bottle can lead to dental problems later down the road due to the sugar content of juices.    

Seven to eight months: Adding protein. From seven to eight months you will want to think about adding protein foods to your baby’s diet. Protein foods include strained meats, cottage cheese, egg yolk, yogurt, and dried beans. As with the fruits and vegetables, you will want to introduce one new food at a time and wait 2 to 4 days before introducing a new food, starting with a small helping (one teaspoonful) and gradually increasing.    

Eight to twelve months: Adding other foods. By now your baby will be ready to start eating what the rest of the family is eating. Start by adding soft table foods to your baby’s diet such as mashed potatoes, squash, soft meats, and soups. As your baby gets more teeth she will be able to add more foods to her diet.   

There are some things that you should keep in mind as your baby tries more and more types of foods.   

1. Your baby does not need to have sugar, salt, desserts, pop, or sweets in her food.   

2. Talk to your doctor about the right time to add pasteurized cow’s milk into your baby’s diet.  

3. Avoid feeding your baby nuts, seeds, popcorn, raw carrots, and other hard foods.

4. Be sure to feed your baby a variety of good, healthy food so that you are promoting healthy eating habits.

5. It is very important to let your baby feed herself.  As messy as this process may get it is a very important step towards your baby’s independence and motor skills.

As you gradually introduce your baby to food during the first year you should keep in mind that every baby is different and therefore the process of integrating solid food may or may not follow the “usual” course of action. You will find that your baby soon has her favorite foods that she looks forward to eating as well as food that she will refuse to eat. Try to listen to what your baby is telling you while remaining within the guidelines outlined here.