Family Nutrition

WIC - Solid Foods and Juice

Questions about Solid Foods and Juice

From Bright Futures in Practice: Nutrition

• When and how should I introduce solid foods?
• When should I introduce juice and how much?

When and how should I introduce solid foods?

• Introduce solid foods when your baby is ready, at about 4 to 6 months of age.  Each baby is different, so you need to learn your baby's cues.  Can he sit up by himself for a while?  Does he have good control of his head and neck?  Can he pick up food with his hand?
• Offer rice cereal as the first solid food, because it is least likely to cause an allergic reaction. 
• Do not add cereal to bottles, and do not use baby food nurser kits.
• Solid foods are usually introduced in this order:  iron-fortified infant cereal, then fruits, vegetables, and meats.  After you introduce cereal, you can introduce the rest in any order you wish.
• Offer foods your baby is able to eat.
• Introduce one food at a time, waiting 7 days or more to see how your baby tolerates the food.
• Introduce foods that are more likely to cause an allergic reaction (for example, citrus fruits, berries, and wheat) last.
• Puree foods prepared for the family meal and serve them to your baby.
• Do not add sugar or salt to your baby's food.
• Most store-bought foods provide adequate nutrition, but check the labels to make sure they have no additives, sugar, or salt.
• By 1 year of age, your baby should be eating a wide range of foods.

When should I introduce juice and how much?

• When your baby seems ready, at 4 to 6 months or later, introduce juice by using a cup.
• Give your baby juice in a cup, not a bottle, because juice in a bottle can bathe her teeth in sugar for long periods of time.  Juice in a bottle also makes it harder to wean your baby from a bottle.
• Although juices provide carbohydrates and vitamin C, do not use them instead of breastmilk or infant formula.
• Offer juice in small amounts.  A reasonable amount of juice is 4 oz per day.  Too much juice (more than 8 to 10 oz per day) may decrease your baby's appetite for other foods and increase the risk of loose stools and diarrhea.

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