4-Month-Baby Diet

At 4 months, your baby's appetite is growing and she's drinking more than she has in the past. For many children, however, the 4-month mark is when their diets begin to change. Depending on her development and your pediatrician's philosophy, your baby may be ready to incorporate new foods into her diet.

Daytime Feedings

At 4 months, your baby is getting all of his nutrients from breast milk or formula. Parenting website BabyCenter.com reports that babies at 4 months can have as many as 10 feedings of breast milk or 40 oz. of formula in a day. If he can handle all of this feeding with no problem, his appetite is healthy and he could be ready to move on to solid foods.

Nighttime Feedings

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Your 4-month-old baby is getting to the point where she no longer needs to be fed during the night 2. Most babies at this age can last seven or more hours at night without a feeding, according to Texas Children's Pediatric Associates. It's OK if your baby needs more feedings than this, however, you might want to encourage her to sleep later into the night without feedings.

Cereal

At your baby's 4-month checkup, your doctor may recommend that he begin eating solid foods. In most cases, the first solid food he'll have is rice cereal. You'll start by giving him a runny mixture of cereal and formula or breast milk, which will become thicker over time as he gets adjusted to the texture. It may take him some time to get used to this new way of eating, but he'll eventually come to enjoy cereal.

Fruits and Vegetables

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When your baby has mastered cereal, she's ready to move onto jarred fruits and vegetables. This is the next step toward getting her to eat table foods. However, at 4 months, pureed fruits and vegetables are merely meant to supplement her diet of formula or breast milk. Stick with one food for a few days so you can see which ones she likes best or may have adverse reactions to.

Beyond 4 Months

Once your baby adjusts to solid foods, you can relax for a little while. He'll be having his regular feedings, plus cereal and pureed foods, until he's about 8 months. At that time, he can begin to have the same table foods you eat every day. When he's about a year old, he'll be ready for whole milk and he'll be able to follow a toddler's diet.