Baby's first food

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Choosing a cereal
Adult cereals are not nutritionally formulated for babies, and their thick, lumpy texture may cause choking. You just can't beat infant cereals for infants. They're fortified with easily absorbed iron and are enriched with calcium, phosphorus, vitamins B1 and B2, and niacin.

• Begin with single-grain cereals with added iron. Do not give your baby mixed grains until you are sure she is not allergic to any of the grains combined in the cereal. Rice is a good first choice because it's the least likely to cause an allergic reaction. Good second choices are barley or oatmeal.

• Select infant cereals without added sugar. Sugar isn't necessary and it might encourage your child's sweet tooth.

Allergy alert
Allow at least four days after introducing each new food to note possible reactions that might suggest a food sensitivity or intolerance. But if, within a minute or even within 20 minutes after a feeding, your baby breaks out in hives, has acute diarrhea or projectile vomiting, has difficulty breathing, or displays other allergic symptoms, it's likely that your baby is allergic to the new food. Get immediate emergency medical help, and consult your doctor. If these symptoms occur in a much less severe form after ingesting the new food, either over the next few hours or up to 48 hours, he may have a sensitivity to the food. Record the reactions and consult your doctor -- less severe reactions to new foods are more manageable.

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