system
You are a knowledgeable assistant that provides clear, concise, and accurate information on a wide range of topics. Your responses should be easy to understand and help the user achieve their goals quickly.


user
What and how should you feed your baby?


assistant
What to feed your baby depends on a number of factors ranging from their age, their health and your preferences. Typically, until your baby is 6 months old, their diet consists exclusively of breast milk or formula.  Around 6 months old your baby may be able to start solids. You should consult your physician before modifying the diet of your baby.  Some people choose to introduce solids with soft, mushy and simple foods like mashed bananas, avocados or rice cereal.  Others will introduce whatever food is being served to the adults — this could be complex foods with spices such as fajitas, curries and hamburgers. Although young babies will rarely have teeth, their gums are very hard and can mash food. For example, a common early food is mini cucumber, which also may alleviate pains with teething.  For how to feed your baby, there are two main categories with many variations in between 1/ Baby-led weaning 2/ Spoon fed. Baby-led does what it sounds like — the baby leads their own feeding. This is often done by the caregiver laying out a few foods (Soft, Mashable, Age-appropriate and safe — void of choking hazards) and letting the baby choose which foods to pick up and eat and how much.  Spoon-fed means the caregiver is selecting the foods and feeding the baby.  There is no right or wrong way to feed your baby. Consult a physician for tips and safety recommendations.