There’s a lot of different opinions out there concerning the best times to introduce your baby to solid (non-breastmilk) foods. We’d like to take some time today to give our thoughts and recommend some tips and best practices to help you best onboard your little one to the world of solid foods. There’s a lot to consider, but we hope that we can help cut through the chaff of information available out there on the open web. As always, we value your thoughts and experiences, so please feel free to comment and bring your voice to the discussion.
When To Start Your Baby On Solid Foods
There’s an old adage that if you ask two doctors the same question you will get three opinions. People’s recommendations on introducing a child to solid food run the gambit, that’s for sure. Here is our recommendation. Please take this and use it as a rubric for your transition with your child. You can build upon it and change it according to the needs and abilities of your child.
If no night feeds and optimizing sleep are primary goals, we recommend onboarding solid food at around 5 months of age (definitely by 6 months). Babies at that age have a greatly increased appetite and at that time milk on its own just isn’t enough to satisfy that deeper hunger. This increased demand for calories can actually also interfere with your child’s sleep patterns as they tend to wake up if they are hungry and not fed enough before going down. Feeding your child enough can help you and her be able to sleep longer and more restfully. It’s a win-win!
Calorie Dense Healthy Whole Foods We Recommend
What to feed your child is just as important as when to start feeding them. Here are a few foods you can start with that will build a great nutritional foundation.
- Avocado
- Sweet potato
- Full fat yogurts -> Greek, sheep, coconut, goat
- Sardines (6 mo)
- Liver (Cooked. 6 mo & limit quantity to a few bites)
Tips For Getting Your Baby To Start Eating Solid Foods
- Purees can be fortified with healthy fats like grass fed butter or unrefined virgin coconut oil as well as breast milk to thin if needed.
- I tend to like the progression of a puree first, then chunky puree, then strips of food at around 8 months.
- NO new foods for dinner or on the weekend. This is to ensure that parents are able to see if there is a reaction. If there is, the pediatrician can be called (vs ER visit) and Benadryl can be given. So, only introduce new foods during the office hours of your pediatrician.
- Let babies feed themselves. Have a spoon for them and one for the feeder so that they can practice.
- If parents want baby led weaning, that usually starts around 7.5-8 months. They should plan for at least 1 night feed until solids are fully on board.
