Now that your baby is started to show interest in the food on spoons and is sitting up, you might want to introduce solid foods. Knowing when to start, though, can be confusing, because if all the signs are there, your baby might not be ready yet. Introducing solid foods doesn’t have to be a door to anxiety. After reading this complete guide for introducing solid foods to your baby, you will have all the knowledge necessary to making the call.
Let’s get started.
1. Why you need to introduce solids
While you don’t want to start early, you need to start eventually—and there is a very good biological reason for that. Contrary to some beliefs, breastmilk and infant formula are not complete spectrums of vitamins and nutrients. During the first 6 months of life, your baby is uses iron stores that had been there since their time in the womb. However, these stores start to deplete rapidly around 5-6 months of age, meaning they need to get their iron from other sources, not just breast milk. While infant formula or breastfeeding shouldn’t stop until around 12 months old, solid food is going to quickly become the main source of iron for your baby’s developmental needs.
Therefore, introducing solid foods because inevitable.
2. Signs of readiness
Your baby is going to show you that it is time to start offering up some solids. The signs of readiness include being interested in what you’re eating, opening the mouth when food is offered, and the ability to move food around their tongue. Other signs include being at the age of 4 months or older, weighing at least 12 pounds, having good control of their own head, and being able to sit up.
If you try to offer a solid and your baby gags or seems disinterested, wait for a week or so then try again. Also, a baby that is too immature for solid food while actually thrust bits of food forward and out of their mouths with their tongue–if you need that visual of a sign.
3. Timing it right
Once you have decided to start introducing solids, the best time to try it is when both you and your baby are happy, well-rested, and relaxed. The reason for this is because, when your baby is cranky, hungry, or both, they are only going to want what satisfies their hunger.
Signs of a hungry and curious baby include:
- Perking up when you start preparing food
- Leaning forward when seated in a high chair, especially while you’re eating
- Opening their mouth when you feed them
- Moving their tongues around.
Signs of a disinterested baby:
- Pushing spoon away
- Clamping mouth shut
- Getting distracted
- Turning head away
Never force a baby to eat. That will reinforce negative emotions and give them an unhealthy relationship with food.
4. Amount and Texture
During the first few months that you are introducing solids, which is around 4-6 months of age, you are going to want to stick to purees. Goods like mashed potatoes, apple sauce, rice cereal, and scrambled eggs are all great first foods too.
Around 6 months of age, babies are able to handle various textures, too, since as minced meats, mashed vegetables, and similar.
Between 6-8 months of age, the main source of nutrition should still be breast milk or formula. In the middle of these feedings, you can give your baby things like:
- ¼ cup grains and cereals, twice daily
- 2 tablespoons fruit and vegetable puree, twice a day for both – excellent choices at this time include fruits like bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, and mashed peas.
- 1 tablespoon of animal protein puree, twice day.
During 6-8 months, you can also start introducing foods that may become allergies later on in life, such as soy, eggs, nuts, legumes, sesame, and wheat (gluten). According to a dietitian with Today’s Parent, this is necessary to reduce the risk of developing allergies, even if the child’s risk of food allergies is high (because you or someone else in the family has severe allergies). In the case of issues like gluten allergies in the family history, check with your pediatrician first.
At 8-10 months of age, your baby is now getting up to ½ cup of vegetables, ½ cup of fruits, 1 oz of meats and/or beans, and 1 oz of grains. Again, breast milk and infant formula is still the largest portion of nutrition.
Finally, at 10-12 months of age, you are transitioning away from formula if not weaned off it entirely. Your baby should be offered 3 meals and 2-3 snacks per day. You can provide them with 2 cups of dairy per day, with portions either ¼ or ½ cup each time. Also give your baby 2 cups whole grains, ¾ cup vegetables (puree no longer necessary), 1 cup fruits, and 1 ½ oz of meat or beans. Whole milk and water is also okay for your baby to drink. Stay away from sugary foods and drinks, like juice, which can cause irritated bellies and poor gum health.
As you can see, you are introducing various amounts and textures gradually, which helps give your baby an excellent flavor experience. They will soon start to develop their own likes and dislikes; but as they age, they will also be less picky about what they eat. One thing that pediatricians do agree on, though, is that the order of food introduced doesn’t really matter. As long as you are introducing a variety, you are introducing solids correctly—so don’t sweat it too much.
5. Know what to avoid
Now, while most food is eventually available to your baby, there are some foods that are prohibited until your child reaches a certain age.
Avoid the following:
- Honey until 12 months old
- Soy, goat, and cow’s milk until 12 months old
- Reduced-fat or low-fat dairy products until at least 2 years old
- Whole nuts and other hard foods until 3 years old, since these are choking hazards
- Unpasteurized fruit juice, milk, tea, coffee, and other sugar-sweetened drinks at all ages (these are unhealthy and can lead to stomach problems and weight gain)
- Do not add salt, pepper, or sugar until at least 12 months old
- Avoid processed or packaged foods with high levels of artificial sweeteners, salt, and fat, such as store bought cakes and cookies.
6. Tips for a hassle-free mealtime
Everyone has seen those videos where a baby is making a mess with their spaghetti. Except this to happen with your baby, too. And yes, it’s totally okay to allow for mess and play, because this is all part of the learning process.
Allow for exploration by introducing new flavors, textures, and colors as often as possible. This also helps build thinking and fine motor control skills.
During this time, you can talk and play with your baby for some personal bonding time.
For easy clean-up, you can place down a plastic sheet beneath the food tray so that way you can just pick everything up and wash it off without having to worry about wiping down the entire high-chair. You can also keep extra bibs handy by sticking an adhesive hook to the back of the high-chair, so you never have to worry about searching for bibs and wipes ever again.
Final Thoughts
Introducing solid food to your baby can be both an exciting and nerve-wracking time, because no parent wants to be met with spit-up, cries, or worse, disinterest. Now that you know the signs of readiness, have a general idea about when to introduce certain kinds of solid foods, and how much to give your growing baby, you have everything you need to know about this important milestone in childhood development and growth. Remember: there is no shame in consulting with the experts, your pediatrician, either. They will be able to check for things like food allergies and give advice if your child is having trouble transitioning from one type of food to the next.
Good luck and have fun!
