Starting Solids
The journey of incorporating solid foods into your baby’s diet can be so much fun, as you get to include them in our family’s mealtimes, watch their hilarious reactions to different foods, and start to learn their preferences. Try to embrace the mess and take lots of pics/videos!
When to start?
The recommended time to start is around 6 months, but if your baby is showing readiness signs, you may start as early as 4 months
Readiness signs include:
Strong neck control so they can keep their head upright while eating (they don’t need to be able to sit fully unsupported though - the Bumbo Seat is a great early feeding chair that provides support. See full Solids Gear recs here)
Interest in food - opening their mouths or reaching for it when they see you eating
Grasping and bringing toys to mouth
It isn’t necessary for your baby to have teeth - they can use their gums to chew (their chewing molars don’t come in until after a year)
Expect baby’s poop to change to be more solid and formed (more like an adult’s)
Constipation can be common as baby’s system adjusts - the best foods to counter are “P” fruits: prunes, pears, peaches
How much do I feed?
Begin by just giving one or two “meals” a day and around 8-10 months increase to 3 “meals”; after a year you may add a snack or two (kids’ tummies are small so they get hungry frequently)
Below is a sample schedule for 6-7 month olds, and later schedules can be found here. But these are just suggestions to give you a ballpark - every baby’s sleeping and eating habits are different.
Meals may start off as small as a few tablespoons-worth, but follow baby’s lead if they seem hungry for more. Know that baby may initially react with a grimace, but may actually still be interested in more if you offer it.
Breastmilk or formula should continue to be the primary source of nutrition - in the first few months, the number of milk ounces should not decrease. Starting around 9 months, it will gradually go down as solid consumption goes up.
If your baby is really into solids and it’s detracting from their milk consumption, try to only give solids after they’ve already nursed or had a bottle
On the other hand, if your baby isn’t showing much interest in or appetite for solids, you can do solids first before milk. I also recommend
Breastmilk and formula are higher in calories and fat per ounce than many early baby foods (see list of common foods), so ensuring that baby continues to consume at least 24 oz of milk is important for hitting overall calorie goals
Some exceptions include banana, avocado, sweet potato, peanut butter, and whole milk yogurt, which are similar or even higher in calories than breastmilk/formula
If you like getting into the nitty gritty numbers, here are the total daily calorie ranges by age (source):
4-6 months: 500-650 calories
7-9 months: 600-750 calories
10-12 months: 700-850 calories
Since 24 oz of breastmilk or formula is around 500 calories, the majority of their calories will continue to come from milk, even as they eat more solid foods
What method to use?
There are two main philosophies around introducing solids
The more traditional approach of spoon-feeding purees
The newly popular “baby-led weaning” (BLW) approach, which involves allowing them to self-feed using whole pieces of food, to gain more independence, oral motor skills, and exposure to varied textures
I say “newly popular” but actually historically this is how all babies were fed until the commercialization of specific “baby food” jars and cans in the 1950’s
Many people have concerns about choking with BLW, but research - including a randomized-control-trial - shows it’s actually just as safe, if one follows proper guidelines (see my Tips for BLW page for more detail)
Solid Starts is also an amazing BLW resource - they have a directory of foods with suggestions for how to safely serve each food by age
There are pros and cons of each - my recommendation is to do a combo!
Purees are great when…
You don’t want to deal with a big mess, for instance when you’re at someone else’s house or in a rush
You want to get your baby critical nutrients, such as iron-rich foods (pureed spinach, broccoli, fortified oatmeal), since more food will actually make it into baby’s mouth compared to self-feeding with BLW
Someone else is watching baby (e.g. grandparent) who isn’t well versed in how to safely prepare food for BLW
If baby is dropping weight percentiles and your pediatrician recommends boosting calorie intake with more solids (research finds that spoon-fed babies consume more on average, though the difference diminishes by 9 months)
BLW is great when…
You’re teaching baby how to chew and manage different textures, use utensils and manipulate food with their hands - food at this age isn’t just about nutrition, it’s just as much about motor skills and curiosity
You’re having an adult meal that includes components that baby can try (vs. having to prepare something separate for them)
You have two adults around, if you are anxious about safety with choking (even though again, research shows there isn’t actually greater risk)
Check out my Tips for Purees and Baby Led Weaning for more detail and food ideas for each
Regardless of which method you choose, you will find that babies - like grownups - will have preferences and aversions. Even if there is a flavor baby dislikes, you should continue exposing them to it (even if they eat very little) because over time they may become more accepting.
Remember: you can’t control what baby eats, but you have full control over what he or she has the opportunity to eat
Babies can be very much influenced by group peer pressure since they are imitation machines, so eating the food alongside them can help. If you have friends with babies/toddlers who are good eaters, you can also do joint meals to inspire your baby.
Safety
Regardless of which method you use, the same critical safety guidelines apply
Close supervision is essential
Make sure someone is always watching your baby closely while they eat
Even though it’s best for baby to sit in a highchair, there may be times where you are holding baby in your lap - and therefore you can’t get as good a visual on them. Ask someone across the table to keep a close eye on them.
Have your cell phone charged and nearby in case of emergency
Recognize the difference between gagging and choking
Choking is terrifying but it is actually not a leading cause of death among babies/children (sleep/suffocation and drowning account for much more)
Even still, you should definitely take an Infant CPR class so you feel equipped to properly give back blows and chest compressions
Many people confuse choking with gagging. Gagging is normal and adaptive as babies learn to eat solids. Though it can seem scary, it actually prevents choking by stopping the swallowing reflex and bringing food forward and out of the mouth
The gag reflex is extra sensitive when babies are little, to protect them as they learn to chew and bring the right size pieces to their mouth - with time and practice, gagging will subside
| Gagging | Choking |
|---|---|
| Noisy - coughing, sputtering, retching sounds | Silent - not breathing or crying |
| Face may turn reddish | Face turning blue/purple, especially lips |
| Monitor closely but let baby work it out themselves - trying to pull piece of food out can actually make it more dangerous | Immediately begin back blows as the first step of infant CPR and call 911 |
Allergen Testing
Early introduction of common allergenic foods can actually help prevent formation of allergies, so have baby try all sometime in the first year (here’s a simple printable checklist, and a BLW example for each below)
Peanut (thinned peanut butter)
Egg (omelet strip)
Cow Milk (yogurt)
Wheat (toast strip)
Soy (tofu strip)
Treenuts (thinned almond butter)
Sesame (thinned tahini)
Fish (salmon)
Shellfish (chopped cooked shrimp)
The best practices for introducing allergens include:
Introduce the new allergen for a few days in a row since reactions don’t always develop immediately
Don’t introduce anything else new during this period, so that if there is a reaction, you can confidently attribute it
Introduce during breakfast or lunch so that you can monitor them, rather than dinner when they’ll be going to sleep soon
Have Children’s Benadryl or Children’s Zyrtec on hand in case of a bad reaction, but call your pediatrician before administering (these medicines aren’t intended for children under 2 years old, so doctor will need to approve and suggest dosage)
Avoid testing any new allergens while traveling, since you might not know the best/nearest hospital to go to if there is a serious reaction
Once you’ve confirmed that your baby can tolerate an allergen, keep exposing them to it regularly, since that has been shown to help prevent the formation of allergies. For example, continue to give peanut butter 2-3 times per week. Bamba Peanut Puffs are a popular way to continue with peanut exposure.
An allergic reaction would include some of the below symptoms:
Hives or rashes
Swelling lips, tongue or throat
Wheezing or sneezing
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or blood in poop
Your baby may be at higher risk of allergies if there is a family history or if they have eczema - if this is the case, ask your pediatrician about any additional precautions to take
Some people apply the system of intentional introduction and tracking to all new foods, not just allergies - go for it if you’d like but know it’s also perfectly fine to take a more casual approach to the other foods
Drinks
Breastmilk or Formula should remain the primary drink until 12 months, but starting at 6 months, it’s okay (but optional) to give sips of water during meals - this can help with constipation
Between 6-9 months, total daily water shouldn’t exceed 4 oz; from 9-12 the limit is 8 oz
Water shouldn’t be served in a bottle (too easy for them to drink a lot) - instead, this is an opportunity to teach using an open cup and/or straw cup (recs in the “gear” section)
For the open cup, it can be helpful to model for them how to drink it, since babies learn by imitation
When it’s their turn, you’ll hold it together to help guide into their mouths and tip it slightly
While it may sound counterintuitive, it’s better to fill the cup up higher so you don’t have to tilt it as much to drink (just make sure it’s a small cup)
Don’t serve cow’s milk as a drink until 12 months
While there’s nothing unsafe about it when it’s an ingredient in cheese or yogurt, it does not have as balanced a nutritional profile as breastmilk or formula
The fear is that babies will fill up on the cow’s milk and thus have less of the better milk
No juice until 12 months, and I’d avoid it for as long as possible even after that since it’s full of sugar (bad for cavities, sleep, etc)
