How to Add Solid Foods to a Four-Month-Old Baby

Patient's question:

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Doctor's answer:

A 4-month-old baby is still primarily breastfed, being fed every 4 hours, roughly at 8 a.m., 12 p.m., 4 p.m., and midnight. This month, the baby's activity level has increased, and their appetite has started to grow. If only milk or breast milk is provided, it may not be sufficient for the baby. Additionally, starting from 4 months, the secretion of salivary amylase and pancreatic amylase in the baby's mouth increases rapidly, making it an ideal time to introduce complementary foods. Therefore, it is recommended that the baby can begin eating some liquid foods. Complementary foods can be added 2–3 times a day, such as scrambled egg yolk, egg custard, or well-cooked, soft porridge. Vegetable puree can be mixed with porridge to eat. If the baby does well with complementary foods, one breastfeeding session can be reduced.
For bottle-fed babies, most children can be satisfied with 150 milliliters per meal, while some rapidly growing children may consume significantly more milk than their peers, with 200 milliliters at a time possibly still not being enough. Some may even need to add additional foods like rice cakes. When the baby can start eating porridge, the milk intake can be slightly reduced, but at this age, milk should still be the primary food source.
At 4 months, in addition to milk, the baby should gradually increase the intake of semi-liquid foods to prepare for solid food consumption in the future. As the baby grows, the digestive enzymes secreted in their stomach increase, allowing them to consume some starchy semi-liquid foods. Start with 1–2 spoons and gradually increase the amount. If the baby doesn’t like it, don’t force it. On the day when you introduce rice porridge or similar foods, you can skip one feeding of rice cakes.
Make some vegetable puree and fruit puree to feed the baby:
To supplement the baby’s need for vitamin C at 4 months, in addition to continuing to give them fruit juice and fresh vegetable water, you can also make some vegetable puree and fruit puree to feed the baby. During the process of introducing complementary foods, pay attention to whether the baby’s bowel movements are normal and whether there are any signs of discomfort. Avoid adding too much at once to allow the baby’s digestive system to gradually adapt.
Feeding times can be at 6:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m., with the option of not feeding at night or adding one fresh fruit juice or water feeding. Calcium tablets can be given 3 times a day, with 2 tablets each time. Fish liver oil can be given 2 times a day, with 2–3 drops each time.