Baby's nutritional milestones, explained

Now that your baby has arrived, your to-do list is longer. Make feeding your baby easy and fun with tips from Krista Yoder Latortue, MPH, RD, LDN, PMP, PBA, FAND and executive director of Family Food Corporate Wellness Nutrition in Philadelphia.

"If baby is developing along the usual timetable, you can count on offering certain foods at certain times," says Latortue. "Always check with your pediatrician, however, since each child develops differently."

Don't force it: Along the way, try not to be too hard on yourself. "Your role is to expose children to tasty, healthy foods within a structured environment and not to force them to eat," she says. "So don't expect a child to eat every bite of everything the first time out."

Being too forceful can backfire. It can create a negative attitude about eating, or cause the child to dread mealtimes or be a picky eater, she says. "This can happen even though you have really good intentions."

Demonstrate model behavior: From the get-go, welcome your baby into a world of healthy family eating, with everyone eating the same thing as soon as possible. That happens when your baby can eat solid food and you simply puree some of what everyone else eats.

In conjunction with recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, here's what Latortue generally suggests most babies eat as they grow.

Baby's Feeding Schedule

A. From 0 – 4 months:

Feed breast milk or formula only. "Don't introduce water unless you live in a very hot climate and there's a chance of dehydration. "Your baby gets plenty of water from your breast milk," says Latortue.

Six months of breastfeeding reduces the risk of being overweight and of developing type 2 diabetes. "Breast milk is also linked to a higher IQ, a stronger immune system and less sick days," says Latortue.

Breastfeeding provides an additional benefit of skin-to-skin contact and bonding. A 2014 study in the journal Pediatrics found babies who are breastfed have fewer ear, sinus or throat infections later in childhood.

Although current formulas continue to reflect high amounts of nutrients found in breast milk — also called the "golden milk" — the two are not identical. "That's why we support breastfeeding as much as possible," she says.

Remember that you're still feeding breast milk or formula right through 12 months.

B. From 4 - 6 months:

Discourage allergies: Now that your baby's digestive system is more developed, you can start to introduce solid foods slowly and carefully at the 6-month marker. Waiting this long helps ensure better resistance to food allergies, including those occurring later in life. Add these foods to baby's current daily breast milk or formula servings that no longer provide all the necessary nutrients.

"However, waiting too long to introduce solids after that six-month marker can increase the risk of food allergies," says Latortue. "Don't delay the introduction of high-allergy foods such as eggs or nuts — in the form of diluted peanut butter, for example — if your child responds positively to their texture."

Especially important if your family has a history of food allergies, feed a new food for several days. That helps ensure there's no reaction before you introduce a new food, says Latortue. Keep a food log to record details as baby's menu expands and work with your baby's pediatrician along every step of the way.

Puree away: You can puree meat, eggs, vegetables, legumes and fruits, infant cereal fortified with iron, or unsweetened yogurt. Puree single ingredients only instead of a combination such as peas and carrots.

When you "puree" foods, you'll expose your baby to an entirely new world of food tastes and colors, in no particular order. He'll already have had a "taste" of different flavors because your breast milk reflects them, depending upon what you eat. The more choices or variety you offer, the less of a fussy eater your child may turn out to be because he trusts more foods.

C. From 6 – 8 months

Feeding directions for this period resemble those for the previous timeline. You can begin to add more pureed foods including additional vegetables, legumes and different types of fruit, as well as tofu, pasta and brown rice.

D. From 8 – 10 months

Here you'll add more dairy such as soft pasteurized cheese and cottage cheese. You can "squish" baby's foods less, back-tracking from pureed to simple mashed vegetables and fruits. Introduce finger foods in very small pieces, along with small bites of protein.

E. From 10 – 12 months

Now's the time to add bite-sized, "well done" vegetables, along with something new: foods mixed together, such as macaroni and cheese or casseroles. After 12 months, you can also add cow's milk.

With a little planning and patience, you'll enjoy your baby's journey from breast milk or formula to a full and diverse menu.