Diets in the first six months of infants in western Massachusetts. II. Semi-solid foods

The early introduction of solid foods was observed in three ethnic and income groups in a survey of 268 infants in western Massachusetts. By four weeks of age, cereal had been introduced into the diets of 57 per cent and fruit to 32 per cent of the infants. Patterns of introducing and feeding solid foods to breast-and formula-fed infants were similar and were related more to income than to type of milk fed. The cost of infant feeding can draw heavily on the family's food budget.