INTAKE FROM 7 TO 8 MONTHS
Between 7 and 8 months of age you can introduce meat to your infant in addition to cereal, fruits and vegetables. Remember all babies progress at different rates and different styles through the feeding stages.

MEAT

• When offering meat to your infant, remember that meat does not gum well and does not soften in the mouth
• Chop meat or cut it very finely and consider moistening it a little
• Offer one teaspoon of plain ground meat and gradually increase to two to four tablespoons. It may take a while for the infant to like the taste of plain meat. After introducing meats, you may offer egg yolks. Egg yolks may be used as a meat substitute. Two to four tablespoons of plain ground or finely chopped meat each day should be enough.

VEGETABLES
Use no fat, salt or pepper in preparing vegetables for your baby. These may taste bland to the caretaker, but the infant enjoys them. The taste for fat and salt is acquired. To avoid choking, use only vegetables that cook and mash well. Avoid combination, high protein or vegetable meat dinners. They contain only a very small amount of meat or vegetables.

FEEDING TIPS

• Gradually increase texture from ground or mashed foods to soft whole foods as the infant's development progresses.
• Remember to offer your child small servings of food, but offer a second serving if necessary. Large servings tend to discourage children.
• Do not force an infant to eat or finish all the food prepared.
• Children have high-energy needs, and they eat small amounts at meals. Children may need to eat every three to four hours.
• If a child does not like a certain food continue to offer it occasionally. A child's taste for foods may change frequently.
• Introduce a new food along with a food the child likes.
• Overfeeding with juice is extremely common. Limit the amount of fruit juices to three or four ounces per day. Only serve juice to children in a cup.
• Do not give soda or other sweetened beverages to infants.
• Satisfying the infant's appetite with solid food may reduce the need for nursing or a bottle at that feeding.

DO NOT INTRODUCE THESE FOODS UNTIL DISCUSSED WITH YOUR CHILD'S PHYSICIAN
The following foods may cause allergic reactions in some cases:

• Chocolate
• Citrus juice
• Egg white
• Fish and seafood
• Honey
• Peanut butter and peanut products
• Strawberries
• Whole milk.

• FOODS THAT ARE CHOKING HAZARDS AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED AT THIS TIME:
• Apple pieces
• Grapes
• Hot dogs
• Nuts
• Raisins
• Raw carrots
• Round, hard or sticky candies
• Seeds.

• Four to six tablespoons of dry cereal mixed with breast milk or formula, offered two times a day.
• Two to four tablespoons of meat (one-third to one-half jar)
• Four to six tablespoons of soft, fork mashed vegetables (one-half to one jar)
• Four to six tablespoons of soft, fork mashed fruits (one-half to one jar)
• Formula and breast milk quantities will vary among infants. Depending on the growth pattern, infants may drink an average of 24 to 32 ounces of formula per day. Breast-fed infants may nurse three to six times each day.