Ginger
From Babycenter...
How should I go about introducing solid food?
A good rule of thumb is to start with rice cereal, which is gluten-free and less allergenic than other foods. First nurse or bottle-feed your baby. Then give him one or two teaspoons of dry cereal mixed with enough formula or breast milk to make a semi-liquid. Use a rubber-tipped spoon when you feed your baby, to avoid injuring his gums. Start with just a small amount on the tip of the spoon.
Begin with a once-a-day feeding, whenever it's convenient for you. Your baby may not eat much at all in the beginning, but give him time to get used to the experience. Some babies need practice keeping food in their mouths and swallowing. Once he gets used to his new diet, he'll be ready for a few tablespoons of cereal a day. As the amount he eats increases, gradually thicken the consistency of the cereal and add another feeding. Your baby should be able to eat about a half-cup of cereal a day before you add other solid foods
How should I introduce other solid foods?
Gradually, one at a time, waiting at least three days after each new food. Even though it's a good idea to get your baby used to eating a wide variety of foods, it'll take time for him to get used to each new taste and texture. Introducing foods one or two at a time can also give you a heads-up if he has an allergic reaction to one of them (signs of which may include diarrhea, tummy ache, or a rash).
Every baby is different and will have unique food preferences, but the transition should go something like this:
1. Semi-liquid cereals
2. Strained or mashed fruits and vegetables
3. Finely chopped table foods, including meat and other protein sources
Once your baby is ready for more than cereal, offer a few tablespoons of vegetables or fruit in the same meal as a cereal feeding. Good foods to start with include sweet potatoes, squash, applesauce, bananas, carrots, peaches, and pears. All food should be strained or mushy for a 6-month old; at this stage he'll be pressing the food against the top of his mouth and then swallowing. If you're feeding your baby from ready-to-eat jars of baby food, scoop some into a little dish and feed him from that. Otherwise, if you dip his feeding spoon into the jar, you won't be able to save the leftovers because you'll have introduced bacteria from his mouth into the jar.
Some experts recommend introducing yellow fruits and vegetables first because they're easiest to digest, but others advise going green from the get-go so your baby doesn't develop a preference for the sweeter taste of the yellow it's up to you which route you take. Either way, don't leave any food off his menu simply because you don't like it. Do stay away from foods that might cause an allergic reaction early on, and foods that might cause him to choke.
If your baby turns away from a particular food, don't push. Simply try again in a week or so. He may never like sweet potatoes, or he may change his mind several times and end up loving them.
By the way, don't be surprised if your baby's stools change color and odor when you add solids to his diet. If your baby has been exclusively breastfed up to this point, you'll probably notice a strong odor to his formerly sweet-smelling stools as soon as he starts eating even tiny amounts of solids. This is normal. If his stools seem too firm (rice cereal, bananas, and applesauce may be constipating), switch to other fruits and vegetables and oatmeal or barley cereal.
How many times a day should my baby be eating solid foods?
At first he'll eat semi-liquid cereal mix just once a day. By around 8 months he should be eating solid foods three times a day. A typical day's diet at this point might consist of:
Breast milk or iron-fortified formula
Iron-fortified cereal
Small amounts of non-citrus juice
Yellow and green vegetables
Fruit
Small amounts of proteins such as poultry, cottage cheese, tofu, and meat
There are certain foods that you shouldn't give your baby just yet. Honey, for example, can cause botulism in babies under a year old. And commonly allergenic foods such as peanut butter, cows' milk, shellfish, and egg whites should also be avoided for a year or more, depending on how careful you want to be about potential allergies. (For more details, see our article, Foods to Watch Out For.)
I started feeding my DD white rice cereals for 1 month before starting her on other grains (i.e. brown rice, oatmeal and etc) because white rice cereal is among the easiest to digest. As for purees, I steam the veg/ fruits and blend it using a blender especially for bb foods.
Hope this help!
