Introducing Solids to your Baby
When it came time to start feeding Weston solids, I felt a little overwhelmed. I probably made it a bigger deal than it needed to be, but I’m a mom, and that’s what I do. Between purees, baby-led weaning, when to start, eating schedules, and making sure he was getting enough, I was missing the days when all he needed was breast milk. If you’re like me and looking for an easy way to introduce solids to your baby, I hope this helps!
When to Start Introducing Solids to your Baby
If you ask people this question, you’re likely to get a whole array of different answers. The old school way is to start babies on solids around 4 months. Nowadays, the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends that you wait until 6 months of age before introducing solids to your baby. I think anywhere in that time frame is appropriate as long as your baby is showing signs of readiness.
What Foods to Introduce to Baby First
I think one of the reasons I overwhelmed myself when it came to feeding Weston was because there seemed to be so many rules that needed to be followed.
“You have to feed them cereal first.”
“Always start by introducing veggies before fruit or they’ll only want sweet foods.”
“Only introduce one food at a time, then wait a few days to make sure there are no allergic reactions.”
It was starting to sound like a lot of work and I was sure I was going to do it wrong. Guess what! It turns out that none of these “rules” actually need to be followed. You can skip cereal altogether. You can introduce fruits before veggies if you want (most babies are going to prefer sweeter foods no matter what order you introduce them… especially if their breastfed). And, sure, it’s great if you can spread out introducing foods to make sure your baby is safe from allergic reactions, but unless your family has a history of food allergies, this isn’t truly necessary. So, when it comes to what foods to introduce first, it’s really up to you!
Baby-led Weaning
If you’re a new mom, you’ve probably heard the term “Baby-led Weaning” at one time or another. Baby-led weaning is when you introduce you baby to solid foods from the start versus feeding them purees from a spoon. You give your baby soft, manageable sticks of foods that can be gummed down easily. Baby-led weaning has plenty of benefits. It’s easier on the parents because they don’t have to spoon feed, creates healthy eating habits, and lets baby explore food at an early age. You can read more about baby-led weaning here. If you decide you want to take the baby-led weaning route, I have loved this little guide from Family Style Nutrition that shares a four week meal plan, prep tips, and serving suggestions for little ones. It’s the perfect way to start off your BLW journey!
Pureed Baby Food
Of course, you can go the route of pureed baby food as well. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with spoon feeding your baby their fruits and veggies until they’re ready for bite sized table food.
How we Introduced Solids
When Weston was about 5 months old, we started feeding him cereal before bed. My parents are old school and kept telling me that he wasn’t sleeping through the night because I wasn’t giving him a bottle with cereal in it. (#1. He breastfed. #2. It’s recommended that babies don’t get cereal in their bottles.) But, as a momma desperate for some sleep, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give him a big ole’ bowl of cereal right before bed. To be honest, I’m really not sure it helped, but he seemed to like it, so it became part of our bedtime routine. At six months, we decided to try baby-led weaning. Shout out to all the parents that had success with this method, but it was not for me. Baby-led weaning includes a lot of gagging early on as baby learns to feed himself. This scared the daylights out of me. I tried this method for about three days, but once he gagged himself and vomited all over his highchair (and proceeded to stick his hands in it), I was done.
So, I moved on to homemade baby food (mainly because I’m frugal and I knew I could make it cheaper than I could buy it). I had been gifted the Baby Bullet and I loved it. It was easy to use and I really liked the little baby food containers that it came with. We started with pureed bananas, carrots, and peas. We didn’t make it but a few days before Weston started denying my homemade food. That’s right, he refused to eat mom’s home cooking (if you have a second, you can watch the hilarious video on my Facebook page). I continued to try to feed him at every meal (with little to no success), and took comfort in knowing that “food before one is just for fun.” Shortly after trying the puree route, I started giving him baby puffs to see if he was able to use the pincher grasp to get food to his mouth. It didn’t take long for him to get the hang of it, so I started feeding him soft, bite sized table food, and he loved it. By the time he was 7 months old, he was eating three meals of table food per day.
Mama’s Must Have Feeding Products
Baby Bjorn Soft Bib – I can’t say enough good things about this bib. It wipes down easily and has a little crumb catcher on the bottom to catch everything that doesn’t quite make it to the mouth.
Munchkin 360 Sippy Cup – This is by far the best sippy cup out there (in my opinion). We tried several cups before the Munchkin 360 and they either spilled or were impossible to drink out of. The 360 lid made it so easy for Weston to learn how to drink out of a sippy cup.
Munchkin White Hot Spoons – These spoons turn white if the food is too hot for baby. You have to have baby spoons, so you might as well get these since they go the extra mile.
Ciao Baby Portable High Chair – If you’re a family who is constantly on the move, like we are, I highly recommend the Ciao Baby Portable High Chair. We probably use this thing at least once a week (especially in the summer). It’s great for cookouts, holidays, traveling, and even just to use outside during the warmer months.
Divided Plates – I love these plates with the little dividers. It makes the meal look a little more fun to little eyes and encourages babies to try different things.
When it comes to introducing solids to your baby, here’s what you need to know. When you do it is up to you. How you do it is up to you. What you feed them is up to you (within reason… don’t make me get technical). You don’t have to listen to you parents, your peers, or any mom blog (hehe). Trust yourself mama, and enjoy this new milestone with your baby!
DISCLOSURE: Coffee and Coos is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. Always consult your doctor for medical advice.
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