6 Month Milestone
6 MONTHS and sitting up!
VITAMIN D REMINDER
The CDC recommends that all infants who drink LESS than 32 oz (1 L) of formula daily receive 400 IU of vitamin D. Especially at northern latitudes, and especially for dark-skinned infants who have higher levels of melanin to block UV light absorption, vitamin D supplements help ensure a healthy immune system, bones, and teeth. See our post on vitamins for more information.
BOTTLE FEEDING REMINDERS
Always hold your baby while bottle feeding
Don’t prop the bottle, lay your baby down to sleep with the bottle, or put anything other than formula (mixed by the instructions on the can) or human milk in the bottle.
Maintain eye contact with your baby while they are feeding. For a baby, eating isn’t just about getting fed—it’s about bonding, too.
Babies have meals and snacks just like we do, and they won’t always take the same amount each time.
Hold the bottle in a “gravity-neutral” position so your baby can eat at their own pace, take breaks, and take as much or as little as they need. Check out our bottle feeding blog post and downloadable bottle feeding guidelines for more information.
WHEN TO START SOLIDS
Most babies are ready for solid foods on a spoon at about 6 months, but it is more important to go by your baby’s developmental signs rather than their age to know when they are ready to start EATING food vs just TASTING food. (For example, if your baby was born prematurely, they will likely not be ready for solids until later.)
Read more about developmental signs of readiness for eating solids, as well as guidelines related to food allergies, here.
Exclusively breastfed infants need daily food sources of iron after about 6 months.
WHEN TO START A CUP
About the time you start your baby on solid foods, unlimited water (as much as your baby wants) can be offered in a cup. Read more about introducing a cup here.
LEARN MORE
We invite you to our free INFANT FEEDING CLASS, offered the first Thursday of each month from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. You can bring your baby and anyone else who is interested in attending! We cover the topics of tasting flavors, introducing solids, cup drinking, and common concerns such as choking. Contact us if you would like to attend, and we’ll get you on the list.
DISCLAIMER: We know when you surf the web for information, you can get conflicting results, and it’s not easy to know whether you are finding evidence-based, high quality recommendations. That’s part of our job here at Kodiak KINDNESS; we are here to support your informed decisions about infant feeding through your baby’s first year. We’ve done some background work, and to the best of our knowledge, this post reflects current best practices. However, the information contained in this post and any links contained herein is for your informational use only; it is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Furthermore, Kodiak KINDNESS is not responsible for the accuracy of any information contained in this post or links contained herein; it is for you to review at your own risk and discuss, as needed, with your health care professional in order to make a plan that suits your individual circumstances