Before you rush to begin feeding baby food to your little one, here are some tips to ensure a positive experience for both you and your baby. The topic can be very confusing. Before you trade in your bottles and burp cloths for jars and bibs, have a chat with your pediatrician. Ask them to clearly explain their opinion on:
Signs your baby is ready for solids Order in which solid foods should be offered How much to feed at each meal How often to offer meals Safety precautions to follow
Your pediatrician should also be able to offer advice, answer any questions you have, and provide you with resources to support you on your feeding journey.
Several days before they start solids, let your baby take the high chair out for a test drive. Allow them to become used to sitting in the chair, and be sure that they can sit up with little support. Use a small plastic bowl and a plastic baby spoon, which is gentler on the gums compare to metal ones. To prevent spoon tug-of-war, give your baby a spoon of their own to play with during the meal. In the beginning, they’ll be lucky to get food into their mouth with their own spoon, so expect that you will need to do the bulk of the feeding. If you’re using baby-led weaning, your baby likely won’t use a utensil for food. Still, it’s important for your baby to play with utensils and get used to them. You can also offer them “Pre-loaded” spoons—spoons that have a small bit of puréed food already on them—that your baby can practice picking up and taking to their mouth.
Remember, so much of this is new to your baby! Food is really, really interesting to them and they want to explore it. Before you offer a new food, consider giving your baby some time to use their hands to explore (“play with”) the food. Place a little bit on their tray and allow them to explore. This will get them used to the smell, texture, and taste. Don’t worry—like everything else your baby gets into, the food will eventually find its way into their mouth. Time the feeding so that your baby is happy, alert, and at just the right hunger level—not too hungry, but not too full. You may wish to start the meal with just a small amount of infant formula or breastmilk to whet their appetite, and then move on to the main course. Part of starting solids is simply getting your baby accustomed to different textures and flavors. Remember that just seeing and touching a new food is an exposure that can bring your baby closer to accepting that food. This is a great practice for feeding toddlers, too. Reactions can also be delayed. Some pediatricians recommend waiting 2 to 4 days before introducing another new food. Although, this reduces the number of new food exposures your baby gets. It’s important to speak to your pediatrician about what they recommend for your infant. Keeping a simple journal of your feedings may help uncover a pattern should problems arise. Additionally, if making your own baby food be sure to know what to watch for with nitrate poisoning. Though it was once recommended that certain foods be delayed even longer for fear of developing allergies, that no longer is the case. Remember: your baby can’t speak up and say, “Enough with the puréed peas already!” It becomes essential for you as a parent to learn the subtle ways your baby communicates that they have had their fill. For example, it is likely time to end the feeding when your baby turns their head away, clamps their mouth shut, grows fussy, or throws food.
