For the new parent, even a task as simple as feeding your firstborn can be frightening. Such basic questions as when solids should be introduced and how much food is too much can throw the most confident parent into a tailspin. Knowing which foods to feed baby, and when, determines the state of her health not only in infancy but in later years as well. Here's a quiz, designed with the help of New York pediatrician Gloria Allen, that will help you test your baby-feeding know-how. Answer True or False for each of the following:
True/False
QUESTIONS:
1. Breast milk and prepared formula are equally good for your baby.

2. A persistent rash, constant diarrhea and repeated vomiting are signs that your baby is allergic to her food.

3. It's important to give babies water.

4. Whole milk is a fine substitute for formula or breast milk.

5. Eating solid food won't help your baby sleep through the night.

6. It's best to delay giving your baby solids until she's several months old.

7. As soon as he starts eating solid foods, your baby should have as much variety as possible.

8. Mixing cereal in your baby's formula bottle is a good way to introduce solid foods.

9. Once she's started solid foods, a baby will begin to consume less formula.

10. Some babies are overeaters.

11. Once she's cut her upper and lower teeth, your baby can eat anything.

ANSWERS:
1 False Doctors and pediatricians agree that breast milk is by far the best food for babies. Not only do babies have an easier time digesting human milk, but they also get valuable disease-fighting antibodies from it. 2 True These symptoms are a strong indication that your baby can't tolerate the formula or baby food you're giving her. Check with your pediatrician. She'll probably recommend that you change your baby's diet - switching, for example, from a cow's-milk-based formula to a soy-based one. 3 True Breast milk or formula will supply a baby's fluid requirements during the first few months of life. After two months, however, many doctors recommend that water be given separately. "A lot of babies will refuse to take water at first," Dr. Allen explains. "But you just have to keep giving it to them, until the resistance dies down." And by all means, Allen emphasizes, "do not add sugar." 4 False Most doctors won't switch a child from mother's milk or baby formula to over-the-counter cow's milk until he's at least 1 year old. Whole milk doesn't provide as many calories per ounce as the other two. Because a baby's growth is so dramatic during the first year, he usually needs the extra calories. Further more, many mothers insist that babies don't digest whole milk until they're a year old. 5 False "Solid food makes the child feel full," says Dr. Allen. "As a result, he's more likely to get through the night without a bottle." 6 True Ahh, there's the rub: Baby sleeps better on solids, so why delay? "We found that if we gave solids too soon, a baby's intestines weren't developed enough to absorb the nutrients they contain," Dr. Allen explains. "So even though the baby felt full, he wasn't getting the nutrition he needed." Now some doctors insist on waiting five months before introducing solids. Calling herself a "moderate" on this issue, Dr. Allen advises waiting until a baby reaches 3 months if she's on formula, 4 months if she's breast-fed. 7 False Introduce one new food at a time. (Most doctors say that cereal should be the first solid.) Then wait between three days and a week before introducing another. "This way," explains Dr. Allen, "if your baby shows signs of an allergic reaction [see question 2], we'll know which food he's reacting to." 8 False It's best to dive right in with the spoon. "The biggest obstacle to this is the parent," notes Dr. Allen. "At first, a child is likely to choke or spit or sputter, and that can be hard to take." The gagging stage will pass, though. "To make cereal go down more easily," Dr. Allen advises, "mix it with enough formula or breast milk to make it soupy. Then it will slide right down." 9 True Her intake will probably shrink to four bottles a day - one after each of her three meals, and one just before bed. 10 True If you suspect your baby is too fat, or that her appetite is too big, ask your pediatrician. How fat is too fat? "Eight-month-olds weighing 28 and 30 pounds are cause for concern," says Dr. Allen. What's an oversize appetite? "If the standard serving of baby food - listed on the side of the container - is half a jar," she says, "and your baby is eating two jars at a sitting, there's a problem." How do you discourage overeating? Just say no. "Give a baby just so much food," says Allen. "Then substitute water." Your doctor may even decide it's time to make the switch from formula or breast milk to whole milk. Failure to curb infant over-eating may result in adult obesity. 11 False Some foods - such as green peas, peanuts and raw carrot slices - are dangerous for baby. Though small, they're hard and can easily get caught in a baby's throat, cutting off her air supply. Give your baby soft finger foods - bite-size pieces of chicken, chunks of cooked potato, and ripe banana.