Your baby at 5 months: what to know and when

Know the signs of a serious food reaction

A reaction to a new food usually shows within minutes, or up to 2 hours, though a few take days. A rash, vomiting or diarrhea on its own means stop that food and call your pediatrician. Trouble breathing or a swollen tongue or throat is an emergency: get help right away.

The 6-month checkup covers a lot

Around 6 months there's usually a checkup, where baby may get vaccines. It tends to cover a lot, like sitting, starting solids and first teeth, so jotting questions down beforehand helps.

Your doctor or pediatrician can tell you what to expect at this visit.

Babble back

When baby makes sounds, copy them, and take turns making sounds together. Then add a simple word with the same sound: "bababa", then "book".

A toy in each hand

Once baby sits leaning on their hands, try offering a toy in each hand. With both hands busy, they practice balancing without propping. Support them or put pillows behind them, and stay right there while they get steady.

Peanut and egg can come early now

Current guidance has shifted: health organizations now generally suggest offering common allergens like peanut and egg early, once baby has started solids, rather than waiting. Keeping them in the menu regularly seems to matter too.

If baby has severe eczema or a known food allergy, check with your doctor or pediatrician first.

Some foods are easy to choke on

As solids begin, hold off on whole grapes, nuts, popcorn, chunks of meat or cheese, hard raw vegetables, and spoonfuls or chunks of nut butter (thinned with breast milk or formula is fine). Offer soft foods, and keep baby sitting up with you watching at every meal.

Make room for iron

Once solids start around 6 months, it's important to include foods with iron. Good options include iron-fortified infant cereal, meat and poultry, eggs, beans, lentils and tofu.

Honey can wait until after 1

As new foods come in, one easy one to skip for now is honey, including honey in baked goods or on a pacifier. Health organizations recommend waiting until after the first birthday because of a rare but serious illness called infant botulism.

Skip juice, salt and sugar this year

Before the first birthday, babies shouldn't have juice, and their food is best without added salt or sugar. Foods made for older kids and adults often have more salt.

One new food at a time

Introduce new foods one at a time, starting with single-ingredient ones, and wait a few days before the next. That makes it easier to spot a problem, like a food allergy.

Eyeing your plate? Solids might be close

Most babies are ready to start solid foods around 6 months. Signs to watch for: sitting up with little support, steady head control, reaching for food and opening up when it comes their way.

Your doctor or pediatrician can help you decide when to start and what first foods to try.

A few sips from a cup

Once solids start, baby can try sips of water from an open cup with meals. Just a little: healthy babies get the fluids they need from milk. Expect spills, since that's part of learning.

Milk still does most of the work

As solids begin, breast milk or formula still gives baby most of their nutrition. Starting with just a teaspoonful or two of food is fine.

Get ahead of the crawl

Most babies get the hang of crawling between 7 and 10 months, so it's easier to get ahead of it now. A quick crawl-level look for cords, cleaning products, medicines, stairs and small objects goes a long way.