During his first year, your baby will move on from mere “tastes” of solids with his bottles, to three solid meals a day, with drinks of water, fruit juice (diluted if you wish), or milk.
Once he is happy with a couple of different solids, it is important to introduce a variety of tastes and textures. He will be able to deal with foods that have been pureed, mashed, or chopped, and to chew or suck on larger chunks of food. Still, it is important to remember that every baby has different requirements and appetites. If in doubt, just feed your baby as much as he will happily take. The amount of milk or formula he requires will lessen as he increases the number of solid meals. Since he’ll be getting most of his calories from solids rather than from milk, your baby will become thirsty. When he does, give him plain water or diluted fruit juice to drink (up to four ounces per day) rather than milk. Never give your baby a commercial drink containing sugar, artificial sweeteners, or colorings.
Until he’s six months old, you will probably feed your baby on your lap or in a baby seat, but once his neck and back muscles are strong enough to support him, you may consider using a high chair or feeding table. With a feeding table you will have to bend down to feed the baby until he can feed himself and at first you may have to prop up your baby with cushions, so a high chair is probably the better option; make sure your baby is properly strapped in. Your child should always be supervised while he’s eating. Almost all children gag on some food at some stage, and it is essential that you react quickly in such a situation. A new texture, taken for the first time, may make him gag out of surprise. If he does, pat him firmly on the back and encourage him to cough until the food is dislodged. Talk soothingly and gently rub his back, and he’ll be more able to swallow the new food. Should your baby’s choking happen to be severe (this is unlikely with the soft foods he eats at this age), you should know how to administer first aid. Your baby will soon look forward to mealtimes as an opportunity to play as well as to eat, so feeding will become messier. Keep your baby away from the walls and put newspapers on the floor in case he starts throwing food. Within a month or so of starting solids, your baby will be able to take food from the spoon.