Does your baby seem way more ready than you are? They’re begging for the food off your plate, but you’re so nervous to let them have it. I know I was. While there’s no right or wrong way to introduce solids, here are the top 5 tips that I found the most helpful.
If you’re looking for my list 8 Middle Eastern Meals for Babies and Toddlers find it here.
1. Take a Course
When Lulu was 6 months, I knew I wanted to use baby led weaning, but just about every other resource on the Internet was very basic in their approach, with steamed sticks of carrots, broccoli florets, avocado pieces, etc.
I love Solid Starts’ multicultural and evidence-based emphasis (this is 100% not sponsored, I’m just truly a fan of their initiative). Registering for their course was a no brainer. They go through everything from readiness, safe eating environment, high chairs, what to expect at the table, gagging vs. choking (so important!), basic swallowing anatomy, infant rescue, allergens, schedules, and so much in between. Knowledge is power, and the course gave me everything I needed to start solids with confidence.
I followed their First 100 Days guide loosely, while also incorporating some of our regular meals, modified. Their (free) First Foods database (also an app!) is an incredible resource which I still consult at least several times a week.
2. Focus on Exposure, Not Consumption
Before sitting down to the meal, repeat after me: it is 100% okay if baby does not eat. Say it over and over again until you feel it in your bones.
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of worrying about the quantity of food baby eats. The traditional, purée-led approach to solids conveniently packages 4 oz jars, and isn’t it so satisfying when baby just finishes the jar?
Here’s the thing, before 12 months, your baby’s primary source of nutrition is going to be breastmilk or formula. They didn’t like the oatmeal one morning and seem hangry? That’s ok, give them a bottle a bit later. Decided they weren’t in the mood for avocado? So be it.
This allows for 2 things: it allows us to continue offering a wide variety of food, even if baby doesn’t want it. It also gives us practice on not pressuring our child. In toddlerhood, some food refusal is inevitable, and pressuring, even if well-meaning, will only make them double down, which can cause so much stress at the table. If you are 100% okay with them not eating something, everyone will be much happier in the long run.
Additionally, the sensory experience and skills gained from exposing your baby to a variety of food is incredibly beneficial, and has been proven to prevent picky eating later on.
It’s helpful to learn baby sign in this case: “more,” and “all done.” It takes a few months of practice, but allowing your baby to communicate whether they want to eat more or not provides so much trust, reciprocal communication, and bonding at the table. When baby indicates all done, either by signing, feigning interest, trying to take off their bib, singing, etc., clean up and move on!
3. Modify What You’re Already Eating
I recommend modifying your food for a few reasons. First, it’s convenient. Second, it exposes the baby to your style of eating, making them part of the family dynamic. And third, it makes ignoring consumption way easier, because if your baby doesn’t eat, mix it in with your food. Here are a few ways to modify baby’s food:
Omit salt. Large amounts of salt is dangerous for babies. Salt toxicity, however, rarely comes from salting home-cooked food. It mostly occurs with medical error (i.e. excess sodium in newborn IV) or child abuse, so it’s not much for us to worry about.
There are 2 other theories to omit salt: taste preferences are developed early in life, so it can lead to favoring high sodium foods, and possibly poor health outcomes. Babies can also develop hight blood pressure. The science on these is not 100% (i.e. it’s hard to measure long term health outcomes).
Since babies don’t need more salt than what’s already in breastmilk and formula, I like to err on the side of caution. I remove a portion for baby before salting my own meal and generally stay away from high-sodium food. But, little bits, like if you’re out to eat, or grandma snuck bites of her own food, is probably fine.
Think BIG. 6-8 month olds can’t pick up small food because they haven’t yet developed the pincer grasp. Big food also decreases the risk of choking, because they have more awareness of the food item in their mouth.
Omit sweeteners. Humans are primed to like sweet things. You want your baby to get accustomed to naturally sweetened food. It’s advised to avoid honey until at least 12 months due to botulism risk.
Introduce allergens 1 by 1. The suggestion to introduce ALL food a few days apart is dated. Soy, dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, wheat, fish, and shellfish should be introduced 1 at a time until it’s established there’s no allergy. A reaction usually occurs within a few hours, not days. A study in 2015 related to peanut allergies demonstrated that repeated and regular exposure helps prevent it by 80%. Milk and eggs work similarly. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there is no reason to delay introduction of allergens.
4. Get Messy!
This is going to be harder for some than others, but allow your baby to explore the food. The mess is temporary, and there are a huge number of developmental and sensory opportunities with playing.
To mitigate the cleanup, you can get a splat mat off Amazon. I really love Bapron bibs because they’re soft, wearable, and don’t have sleeves, and she’s usually undressed underneath. In the colder months, we use inexpensive footie pajamas that are designated for eating, and take them off at the high chair. We leave baby shampoo at the kitchen sink and wash there.
5. Eat Together
I know, eating with your baby for every single meal is not realistic. Try to set aside 2-3 meals a week. Modeling eating skills (i.e. biting, chewing, utensil use, etc.) and showing your baby that you’re all eating the same thing is so beneficial. From personal experience, I find that Lulu is much more willing to taste something new if she sees that we’re eating it. Even sitting with your child and taking a few bites of food provides incredible benefits.
Did you start your baby on spoon-fed purées, and you’re looking to transition to finger foods? I can’t speak personally to it. Solid Starts has a resource on that too.
*The content on this site is meant for informational purposes only, and is not meant to replace direct medical advice from your doctor, healthcare professional, nutritionist, allergist, or expert in pediatric feeding or eating.