Successfully Starting Solids
My daughter turned six months old this month so we officially started her on solid foods! I was so excited to finally put all my tips and tricks that I share with other families into practice in our own life! I am extremely passionate about two main things when it comes to starting solids: 1) waiting for all signs of readiness to optimize success & 2) setting Baby up for strong foundation of good gut health and proper nourishment.
When it comes to waiting for all signs of readiness, this is important because if Baby starts solids before they are truly ready, you will miss out on the development of preceding foundational skills that will contribute to successful feeding later on (for example, postural control, chewing skills, oral motor skills, fine motor skills/coordination. etc.). I’ll explain what I mean by this by expanding upon what the signs of readiness actually are. In no particular order, these are four main skills that Baby should demonstrate and/or be able to do before you start solids with them (typically around six months of age, but it’s more important for all of these things to come together than the specific date on the calendar):
Ability to maintain head control and sit upright without support, or with minimal support from their high chair, for the approximate duration of a meal (ideally 10+ minuets). If Baby cannot maintain head control in an upright seated position (regardless of their age), they are definitely not ready for solids! Proper postural control in a seated position is important for optimal digestion, as well as for fine motor control to actually be able to eat. You can practice this skill with them sitting in their high chair with you at meals before you even introduce any foods! If you are concerned about your child’s gross motor skills and their ability to maintain a seated position for an extended period of time, seek out an Occupational Therapy or Physical Therapy evaluation.
Baby shows interest in others when they are eating and reaches/looks at their food. This indicates that Baby is motivated by the food and ensures they won’t feel ‘forced’ into eating; which would likely lead to resentment, aversion, etc. The longer you wait to start solids, the more this interest should grow, and I find that between 6-7 months is the peak interest timeframe. The best way to increase your child’s interest in this area is to include them at mealtimes even before they’re actively participating in eating.
Ability to reach for, pick up, and bring objects to the mouth/midline with both hands, in a semi-controlled manner. Whether or not you choose to do strict Baby Led Weaning, this is an important skill for starting solids. If Baby is not bringing their hands or items to their mouth, then they are not going to be able to figure out how to self-feed, and working on self-feeding early on will benefit in the long-run because baby will have gained independence with feeding earlier, which means less work on the parents part! If you are concerned about your child’s fine motor skills and their ability to bring items to midline, seek out an Occupational Therapy or Physical Therapy evaluation.
Baby shows emerging skills to imitate and make chewing motions with their jaw, and does not have a hyper-sensitive gag reflex. The ability to chew is obviously very important for eating, and it’s not expected for infants at this age to actually be chewing their food, but it IS very important for them to learn the skill and develop the muscles to do so. This can be accomplished by imitation, mirror feedback, using long/rod-like teethers (these are actually my top type of teether I recommend because they also work on moving the gag reflex further back in the mouth, which will also help to decrease gagging when starting solids), the Myo Munchee, as well as by presenting Baby with ‘food teethers’ - think thick carrots, sprigs of asparagus, a cleaned meat bone, and other things they can safely munch on that won’t carry any choking risk. If baby does not demonstrate these skills, a comprehensive oral motor evaluation might be warranted.
Please remember that eating is largely a sensory experience early on. Until the age of one, Baby’s primary source of nutrition should still be coming from breastmilk or formula. I don’t agree with the “food before one is just for fun” tagline, because Baby is developing oral and fine motor skills, expanding their palate and taste preferences, modulating tactile, oral, and gustatory sensory input, and joining in on family routines when you start solids. These skills are more than “just for fun”, but the saying still applies for when I’m working with parents to help them not stress about the actual amount baby is consuming, because it likely won’t be very much. It will be messy, Baby will do a lot of playing, and might not consume the quantity of food you are expecting them to, but it’s all part of the experience!!!
Now for the second thing I’m passionate about when starting solids: creating a strong foundation for gut health and immune health long-term. I think, all too often, parents are presented with kid foods that are marketed really well, but are not the best for optimizing nutrition (think puffs, teether crackers, cereals, pouches, etc.), and optimizing nutrition for Babies with such impressionable digestive systems is CRUCIAL. Choosing nourishing foods to introduce your baby to should be normalized! Heck, my daughter’s first foods were bone broth, egg yolk, and bone marrow butter! In my Successfully Starting Solids Package, we will go over specific nutritional aspects to consider and present when starting solids in months 6-8, and I have seen incredible results with families. We focus on foods from nature with high fat content (since Baby’s brain is still developing so rapidly and thrives on high quality dietary fat), heme-iron (meat, liver, etc.), and adequate probiotics (sauerkraut, raw dairy,netc.). If you are interested in being supported on this part of your parenting journey, I would be honored to help you! Just Contact Me with your concerns and we can discuss working together! Starting solids should be a fun, and low-stress experience for you and Baby! Let’s get you both enjoying it :)
