Thoughts on Starting Solid Foods

In the world of introducing solid foods, there have been some big shifts in the seven years between my oldest children and my baby. The main change is that other than honey, there are now no foods that most children should avoid before they turn one. It used to be recommended to wait to introduce nuts, eggs, fish and other high- risk allergenic foods until after babies turned one. We now think that this may have inadvertently caused (in addition to other factors) an increase in food related allergies. If you have a strong family history of allergies, always discuss when to start certain foods with your pediatrician. Otherwise, all foods are a go! Note: honey should NEVER be given to babies under one due to the risk for botulism.

When to start solid foods: My older kids were so excited to feed their baby sister that we literally started the day she turned four months! Here is her sister feeding her bites of avocado. Clearly she is thrilled about it! Solids should be started between 4-6 months of age. You should consider adjusting for prematurity when making the choice when to begin. For example, if your baby was born at 32-weeks you should start solids at 6-8 months of life (or 4-6 months from your due date). The main indicator that your child is ready is that they have very strong head/neck/abdominal control. If they don’t have good core strength, they are more at risk for choking. Your child will have a well child exam at both four and six months of age so if you are feeling unsure if their core is strong enough to begin, ask your provider at those appointments.

How to begin: There are two main schools of thought on this. Some people follow a baby-led weaning approach which means that babies eat independently when they are ready. You can read more about baby-led weaning here. I chose to puree and spoon feed my kids because I had concerns about choking and because it felt easier and most comfortable to me. As is often the case with parenting decisions - either option is fine! Make the choice that works best for your baby and your family.

There are many options if you need a small blender. I had a baby bullet with my twins but honestly for the price, I didn’t feel like it was any better or more effective than my Hamilton Beach blender which is what I now use. This is a really fun and helpful book if you’d like some recipe ideas to get you going!

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What to start with: The main thing to remember is to only introduce one new food every 4-5 days so that you can notice if your baby has any reaction to a new food. For example, you may notice that certain foods cause constipation or a rash or increased gas/fussiness. I bypassed the cereal options with my kids because I felt like they weren’t very nutrient dense or flavorful. I also followed a friend’s advice (she has four great eaters so worth a try, right?!) and stuck with veggies and meats before introducing a lot of fruits. Fruits are much sweeter so I wanted my kids to get used to eating less sweet options first. We started with avocado, ground turkey/chicken, eggs (as long as you have no family history of allergies), peas, green beans, squash and sweet potatoes. After 1-2 months I added in some fruits (bananas, berries, cherries) but only after the veggies/proteins. I do use a mixed grain cereal as a thickener if purees come out too thin.

I’ve created a log that you can print here for free that allows you to keep track of what food you’ve introduced, how your baby responded to them and if you noted any possible food related reactions. This is especially helpful if you are alternating child care with your partner or have a nanny or other adult involved in their care.

Introducing finger foods: Babies are generally ready to try finger foods when they are crawling and/or when they have the hand/eye coordination to pick up small pieces independently. I chose puffs as our first finger food because I like that they dissolve in the mouth quickly and easily. In case the first round of finger foods didn’t go well, I liked that puffs were low-risk for choking. We then moved on to small bite sized pieces of soft foods such as steamed sweet potatoes or avocado.

In some ways adding solid foods makes meal times more complicated — extra chopping, pureeing and work! But it can also be a really fun time to involve older kids — most kids love helping out in the kitchen! Here’s to embracing change and chaos — two things I constantly am working on!