Exclusive Breastfeeding
- Breastmilk* is the only food your baby needs for the first 6 months to grow and be healthy.1
- If you give your baby any other food, you may make less breastmilk, which can lead to stopping breastfeeding earlier.1
- Exclusive breastfeeding* for 6 months means that only breast milk, vitamins and medications are given to baby in the first six months of life.1
- Once your baby is ready for other foods at about 6 months, you can still continue to breastfeed until your child is two years old or longer.2
Vitamin D
All babies who are breastfed should be given a daily vitamin D supplement.1 Your breastfed baby needs 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D as a supplement.1 They are sold as drops at pharmacies. Continue to give the supplement until your baby is two years of age and is getting vitamin D from their diet.2 There is usually no need to give other vitamins to a baby. View Vitamin D for Breastfed Babies (PDF).
When to start solid foods: 6 months
Your baby is ready to start solid foods at about 6 months of age.2 Breast milk is still the most important food, but extra nutrients like iron are needed from food.
At 6 months, look for all of these signs that your baby is ready for solids:2
- Baby is 6 months old (give or take a few weeks).
- Baby holds her head up.
- Baby sits up in a high chair at the family table.
- Baby opens her mouth wide when you offer a spoon.
- Baby turns her face away if she doesn’t want the food.
- Baby closes her lips over the spoon.
- Baby keeps food in her mouth and swallows it instead of pushing it out.