Dear Dorie,

My 6-month-old baby boy has just started eating cereal. My pediatrician recommends two to three days of one type of cereal to watch for allergies, followed by veggies, fruit and meats. Other than a rash, what am I looking for? Also, can I mix the fruit and cereal together or does it have to be one item per meal? How many times can I feed him during the day?

Finally, I’ve been mixing the cereal with breast milk. When do I switch to water or formula?

Mixing Momma



Dear Mixing,

Congratulations on making it through the first six months! Believe it or not, each week gets easier, especially when they start eating. Remember, your long-term goal is to have your child ingest a diet as varied as possible, so the order in which you introduce foods is pretty important.

Your doctor is right on track with this: cereals, veggies, fruits, meats and — at one year, eggs and other dairy. I follow the one-week rule of introduction time (one week was just easier for me to remember). Each Monday, we tried something new. Start with oat cereal and end with barley.

Green veggies come next, as they’re not as sweet as orange or yellow veggies. Adults may not like the taste of plain green beans, but to your son, they’re pretty good. If we jump right into buttered squash, however, green beans are definitely going to get demoted. As long as you are able to identify the source of an allergy, combinations are just fine.

Allergies can show up as a rash around the mouth or bottom, diarrhea or vomiting. Common allergies for infants are: citrus fruits, strawberries, wheat, tomatoes and fish, but infants often outgrow allergies, so re-introduction of a specific food item after a month or so is OK. Breast milk as an additive is easiest on your son’s digestive system and familiar in taste. But water and formula are just fine should you decide to wean. Good luck.

Dorie

Dorie Meek is director of the Infant & Family Support Program, provided by Saint John’s Health Center in partnership with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Send questions to meek@smmusd.org.