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Parents have been feeding me lots of questions as to what is the best time for their infant to start eating solid foods. Let me see if I can provide some easy to digest information on this topic.

It is not until late in the first year of life that the digestive system has matured to maximally absorb nutrients and calories.

Solids in infant baby foods can fill a baby up, but are low in calories and nutrients and do not help your baby grow until they are about a year old.

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What are solids for in infancy?

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Solids are really only there in infancy to help your baby develop a fondness for tastes and textures.

Their main ongoing source of nutritional growth in that first year of life is through breastmilk or, if need be, the formula they are drinking.

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When to initiate solids for taste and texture

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This is certainly not before at least four months of age.

Even more importantly, solids should not be started until your baby demonstrates good head and neck control and is close to, if not, sitting up. This signifies the loss of primitive sucking reflexes that make it difficult for your baby to swallow anything but a liquid without choking.

It is for that reason primarily, and to reduce the risk of food allergies if solids are started too early or too late, that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting solids sometime before four to six months. This is when your baby has doubled their birth weight and starting solids really should be closer to six months if exclusively breastfeeding, which is what I would recommend.

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Good starting foods

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Most nutritionists recommend starting with a single-grain cereal like iron-fortified rice cereal. This can be easily digested at four to six months.

Next, move up to pureed vegetables and subsequently fruits. Many parents tell me they save the sweeter tastes for last so their baby adjusts to the non-sweet tastes of cereals and vegetables first. To date, this has not been proven formally in a study.

Do not introduce more than one new food every few days. This can help make sure that your baby does not develop a food allergy to a particular new food or ingredient you are giving them. You will know what the culprit is if a new food is introduced and an allergic reaction occurs such as a rash, diarrhea, or difficulty breathing.

If your baby doesn’t like a food — wait a week or two and try again. Oftentimes, the second or even third time is the charm.

Hopefully, tips like these will go down easily when it comes to knowing more about when and how to introduce solids.

Lewis First, MD, is Chief of Pediatrics at The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine. You can also catch “First with Kids” weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and NBC5.