How Should I Start My Baby on Solid Foods?

 Parents naturally worry about how their baby will cope with solid foods when making the transition from breast milk or formula. Within this article, we are covering everything you need to know about starting your baby on solids, what you need to know, and what you should avoid.

Babies should start eating solid foods when they are around six months of age. When your baby starts on solids, they’ll only require a small amount of food prior to their milk feed. 

Parents should not worry about how much their baby eats at first; the important thing is ensuring they’re used to strange textures and flavor, as well as how to move solids around their mouth and swallow safely. Your baby will get plenty of nutrients and energy from formula and breast milk.

However, there are some foods you should keep out of your baby’s diet, such as sugar and salt (plus gravy and stock cubes). Babies should avoid salty foods as they can cause issues with their kidneys, while sugar leads to tooth decay.

Tips for Starting Your Baby on Solid Food

Follow these tips to start your baby eating solid foods correctly:

Tips to get your baby off to a good start with solid foods:

  • Eating will be a new and challenging skill. Accept your child may struggle to adapt to foods and textures. Babies progress onto solids at their own pace. Give them plenty of encouragement and praise them when they do a good job.
  • Give them plenty of time to eat, particularly into those first few weeks.
  • Learn to go at your baby’s feeding pace. Follow their cue when they are full or if they are hungry for more. They’ll show signs when they’ve had enough, usually closing their mouth or turning away from the food. If you use a spoon, wait for them to open their mouth before feeding them. Never force your child to eat. Wait until they are hungry again if they are showing no interest.
  • Make sure you offer different types of foods, even if they don’t seem to like a particular one. You may need to try several times for your baby to try new foods or flavors. Some days they’ll eat plenty of food, while other days they’ll show little interest or refuse everything in front of them. This is a natural part of the feeding process.
  • Encourage your baby to interact and hold their food. Allow them to feed themselves using their hands if they indicate that they are interesting. When using a spoon, let your baby hold it and try to feed themselves.
  • Avoid any distractions at mealtimes, your baby should be focused on their food and not distracted by the television, tablet, etc.
  • Don’t be afraid to show them how to eat. Babies will mimic their parents and siblings. Eat as a family as much as you can and show them how to do it first hand.

 

Progress with Texture Gradually

Once your baby has been introduced to solid foods, try to switch from puree or blended foods to finger foods or mashed foods as soon as they are able. Firmer foods help them figure out chewing techniques and how to move solids around the mouth. However, some babies take to mashed or finger foods straight away, though some take longer to get used to the strange texture and prefer smoother foods on a spoon until they are more comfortable.

Safety and Hygiene Tips

When introducing your child to solids, take extra steps to ensure they remain safe at all times. For example, parents should stick to the following advice:

  • Wash your hands when preparing your babies meals and keep your kitchen surfaces clean
  • Test hot food yourself before giving it to your baby
  • Peel and wash fruit and raw vegetables thoroughly
  • Avoid tough roods like raw carrots or apples until your child is older
  • Take care to remove pips, stones, or bones from your baby’s food
  • Chop round or small foods (such as grapes) into even smaller pieces

 

Parents should remain with their babies at all times when they are eating to make sure they do not choke. Importantly, choking is very different from gagging; babies often gag when trying solid foods for the first time. This is because their bodies instinctively regulate the food they can chew and swallow at a time.

If your baby is gagging, you may notice the following signs:

  • Watering eyes
  • Pushing their tongue forward
  • Pushing their tongue out their mouth
  • Retching or vomiting

As you can see, there are numerous things to consider when introducing your baby to solid foods. However, with the right level of patience and knowledge, you should be able to successfully incorporate solid foods into your baby’s diet.