Introducing Solids

Most babies are ready to expand their taste buds by six months of age.  Most new parents face this task with many questions and confusion.  How do I know if my baby is ready? What are the best foods to start off with? How do I feed my baby to encourage healthy eating habits?  All excellent questions that we will address in this step-by-step guide on how to introduce solids to your baby.

·         Signs of Readiness:  Most full term, healthy babies will be ready to start solids by six months of age. Remember that there is a range of normal. Some babies will be ready by 5 months and some not until closer to 7 months. Look for these signs of interest and ability to handle solids:

1.       Improved head and trunk control. A baby needs to keep their head and trunk up well to properly swallow.

2.       Interest in food. Many babies will start to watch you more intently as you are eating and may even start to reach out for your food.

3.       Chewing motions. Babies who are ready to start solids will mimic the chewing motions their parents make while eating.

·         Getting started: When you see signs of readiness your baby is ready to get starting tasting solids. Like most tasks your baby will learn best if you stick with a predictable feeding routine.

1.       Pick a convenient, consistent mealtime at breakfast, lunch, or dinner to offer your baby one meal a day to start.

2.       Make sure your baby is hungry but not starving when offering solids. We want babies to learn that we eat food when we are hungry. If their tummy is filled with milk not only, may they not be interested in trying the solids, but they will also not learn this important lesion. Most babies will start to be interested in eating about 30 minutes before they are due for the next milk feeding.

3.       Offer a small amount, about 1 tablespoon of food at the sitting. Food should always be offered on a spoon.

4.       Overcoming the tongue thrust reflex. All babies instinctively will thrust the tongue forward to extrude items placed on the tongue. In order to properly eat solids babies will overcome this reflex and push the food back with their tongues instead of out of the mouth. Some babies learn this quickly. For others it may take a bit longer to overcome this reflex. If you have spent ten minutes watching them push all the food out of their mouth you can stop the feeding session and try again the next day.

·         First foods: The rule book on this has been thrown out. Nearly any pureed food can be a first food. Here are some guidelines to get you started.

1.       Exclusively breast feed babies need a source of iron after 6 months of age. Iron rich first foods include iron fortified cereals, proteins, and dark leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale.

2.       Always introduce one new food at a time, waiting about 3-4 days before introducing a new food to assure no signs of a food allergy. Common signs of food allergy in babies include hives all over the body and vomiting and/or diarrhea within 30 minutes of ingesting a new food.

3.       Introduce savory flavors before sweet ones to encourage your baby to eat a wide variety of healthy foods.

4.       Don’t give up! It can take up to 10-15 sessions for your baby to develop a liking to a new food. Today they may crinkle their nose at the taste of carrots but if you stop offering carrots your baby will for sure never grow to love them.

·         Advancing their diet: Remember no two babies are the same and all babies will progress at their own pace.

1.       Follow their lead! When your baby wants to eat more, they will lean forward and have their mouth open. When they are full, they will purse their lips closed and may push your hand away. Respect these cues!  It helps to teach them to respect their bodies signals of hungry and satiety.

2.       Gradually increase to 3 meals a day over 2-3 months

3.       Bottle and/or breast-feeding sessions should and will decrease as your baby consumes more solids. A nine-month-old baby who eats 4-6 oz of solid food 3 times a day will take about 16-24 oz/milk a day.

4.       Do not introduce finger foods until approved by your child’s pediatrician.

5.       A cup of water may be introduced at 6 months of age. Avoid all juices and sugary drinks.

Introducing new foods to your baby is both exciting and nerve racking. Follow these simple steps to begin the lifelong journey of healthy eating!