4 month Child

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Congratulations, your child is now 4 months old! Changes are happening and your baby can start to do things. Below, you can find a carefully curated list of resources that you will find help.

Starting solids:

When to start:

  • Baby is at least 4 months old
  • Baby has good neck support, i.e. able to sit in high chair or baby seat

What foods to start with:

  • Iron-fortified baby cereal, e.g. baby oat cereal – do NOT choose baby rice cereal due to arsenic content
  • Fruit and veggie purees (store bought or home-made)
  • Well-cooked, minced meat or fish – you can add breast milk/formula/cooking water to it
  • Mashed, cooked egg
  • Mashed beans, lentils, tofu

Foods to AVOID:

  • Undercooked meat/fish/eggs
  • Added salt or added sugar
  • Honey (until after 12 months old) – risk of botulism
  • Choking foods, e.g. popcorn, whole nuts, whole grapes

Notes:

  • Offer your baby solid foods 1-3x per day
  • Wait for baby to open their mouth before you offer food on the spoon
  • It is normal for baby to spit out their food
  • It is normal for a baby to try a food 10x before they like a food
  • Baby will still be getting the majority of their calories and nutrients from breast milk/formula, so it’s ok if baby is eating a small quantity of solid food
  • You can serve baby with a baby spoon, or they can also self-feed (baby-led weaning) when they are able

Allergens** (introduce as early as possible): 

  • Peanuts
  • Tree nuts
  • Egg
  • Milk
  • Wheat
  • Soy
  • Sesame
  • Fish & Shellfish

**If you delay the introduction of allergens, there is a HIGHER chance that your child will develop an allergy to that food. Therefore, it is important to start introducing allergens early (e.g. start at 4-6 months), ESPECIALLY if there is a family history of food allergies. When giving new allergenic foods, space them out by at least 2-3 days

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