Breast milk is the only food your baby will need until they are about six months old. Continue offering breast milk until the baby is two years or older, but start adding new foods at six months. It's also a great time to start having meals as a family.

Babies are ready for solids when they:

• Are curious about the food you're eating
  

• Can sit and hold their head up by themselves

• Open their mouths to take food from a spoon

• Turn their head away to show they don't want food

• Close their lips over the spoon

• Keep food in their mouth and swallow instead of pushing it out.

Start a new food when your baby is happy and hungry! If your baby does not swallow the food, wait a few days and try again. Sometimes it takes up to 20 tries before your baby will like it.

Tips for introducing solid foods

• You decide what food is offered and at what time.
  

• Your baby decides which of the offered foods to eat and how much.

• Forcing your baby to eat is never a good idea. You'll only create future problems.

• Make meal times fun and encourage healthy food choices.

• Be a good role model. Your choices influence your baby's eating habits and attitude.
  

Learn what to feed your baby

• What to feed your baby (English) - Also available in: Chinese, Farsi, Punjabi, Spanish, Vietnamese

Iron rich food

Your baby's first foods should be rich in iron because the iron they were born with is running low. Iron helps a baby grow and be healthy. A baby without enough iron may have poor appetite, develop slowly, get sick more often, and be tired. Learn more about why iron is very important for healthy development.

Start with one spoonful of a single iron rich food and try to offer these foods two to three times each day. Some healthy iron rich foods to try are:

• Well-cooked finely minced or shredded meat, poultry or fish

• Mashed cooked egg, lentils or cooked tofu

• Single grain iron-fortified infant cereal

• List of iron rich foods to try
  

Food variety

It is also important to introduce a variety of textures from other food groups starting at six months. Try to offer a variety of food from Canada's Food Guide. Food does not need to be pureed. Simply mushing it with a fork is good enough. If you start with pureed baby food, move to well mashed food within a few weeks of starting solids. You should also offer a variety of finger foods as a part of first solid foods.

By nine months of age, offer your baby the same foods as the family is eating. Small amounts of whole milk may be offered once your baby is 9-12 months old and is eating a variety of iron rich foods.

Fish

Fish is a great source of protein, iron and lots of other nutrients. However, some fish have higher levels of mercury which might be harmful to the brain. Infants 6-12 months should only have ½ serving (40 grams or 1 ¼ ounces) per month.  Children over the age of one can have 1 serving (75 grams) per month. Fish that are high in mercury are fresh or frozen tuna, shark, marlin, swordfish, escolar and orange roughy. Here are guidelines for eating fish with higher mercury levels.

Around 6 months, babies are learning to chew food with their jaws and gums. Babies don't need teeth to eat soft foods. When you first start giving your baby solids, start by feeding them small amounts or mushy food with a spoon. However, it's just as important for babies to learn to feed themselves too. Babies may hold finger foods a lot but not eat much. This is okay. Finger foods help babies:

• Explore their food through taste and touch

• Learn to use their jaws and gums

• Have fun creating a big mess
  

Offering finger foods

When giving your baby finger foods, try to offer as many foods as possible from a variety of food groups. You can often share your own meal with your baby. Just follow some basic guidelines on making baby food and make sure that you are following safe food handling practices. Learn more about finger foods, including ideas about what to offer.

If you have questions about finger foods, call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 and speak to a dietitian.

Babies learn how to eat until they are about four years old. They are still at risk of choking. Luckily, by taking a few easy steps, you can do a lot to prevent choking.

• Always be in the same room while your baby is eating

• Feed your baby while they are sitting in a high chair

• Avoid these foods: nuts, raisins, popcorn, hard/small candies, marshmallow, gobs of peanut butter or gooey cheese

• Cut these foods into small pieces: olives, grapes, raw vegetables, hot dogs (cut lengthwise first, then into small pieces)
  

Choking versus gagging

Gagging can sometimes look like choking, but gagging is a normal part of learning how to eat. Choking means that there is no air moving. Your baby will start to look blue and won't be able to make any sounds. If this happens, call 9-1-1 right away.

By the time your baby is 1 year old, they should be learning to use a cup. Baby bottles should not be used for anything other than water and shouldn't be used at all after 18 months. Saying goodbye to the baby bottle can be hard, but you can make it easier. For information on helping your 1 to 3-year-old stop using a bottle use this resource:

• Bye baby bottle (English) - Also available in: Chinese, Spanish

To access this pamphlet in other languages, contact phem@vch.ca.

‎For information on safe food handling to prevent food poisoning, visit the food safety at home webpage.

When it's time to start solid foods, you'll find a large selection of baby food in your grocery store. However, it's easy to make your own baby food at home instead (and it will save you money!).

• Offer the same foods to the whole family at meals, just remove your baby's portion from the recipe before adding salt, soy sauce or other high sodium ingredients. Fresh and dried herbs can be used in a recipe to add flavour.
  

• Offer new foods often and serve with other familiar foods. Often, making baby food is as simple as sharing your own meal by following some basic guidelines and following safe food handling practices.

Recipe ideas for babies

If you're stuck for ideas, try some of these HealthLink BC resources:

• Finger foods for babies 6 to 12 months old

• Meal ideas for babies 6 to 12 months old

• Recipe ideas for babies 6 to 9 months old

• Recipe ideas for babies 9 to 12 months old

• Meal and snack ideas for children 1 to 3 years old

You can also get ideas for family meals from these recipes or from this sample meal plan. Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 and ask to speak to a dietitian if you have any questions.