Introducing solids to your baby

Posted On July 19, 2017

If your baby is almost 6 months old then you might be thinking of introducing solids by now. If you don’t know how to then it’s alright I was there too. Let me offer you some suggestions that worked with me in my days. However, it’s important to see some signs in your child to confirm whether they’re ready or not. The basic signs are:

Can sit up on their own without any support
Shows interest in what you’re eating by imitating chewing actions
Can eat well without pushing the food out of the mouth also called “tongue thrust reflex”

These are some of the signs that experts suggest which you have to look out for. Other than that, breastmilk/formula milk is the primary source of nutrition for your baby.

So, introducing solids is just to make them familiar with various tastes and texture of the foods so that they get used to it later. However, make sure not to overfeed because their digestive process has not been fully developed yet.

Only a tablespoon of vegetable/fruit puree once a day after breastfeeding/formula feeding is recommended at the early stage of starting solids. However, keep in mind that you are not force feeding and only rushing to finish the plate.

Let them explore the texture and the taste of the food. Wait until they’re ready for another spoon. If they don’t like it, it’s alright.Try next day or another to make it habitual. By force-feeding, it not only discourages them to try again but also stops them to make an effort later.

I introduced my daughter solids at around 5 months old to check whether she is ready for the solids or not. I gave her homemade carrot puree to start with. She rejects it totally after few tries and showed no interest at all.

Then I decided not to continue with it. When she finally learned to sit up on her own at around 6 months and began to show interest in what we’re eating, then I offered her homemade cereal.

Surprisingly, she liked it and ate it all. For the change, I’d even mixed various homemade fruit purees and sweet vegetables like butternut squash, sweet potato, parsnip in it for the extra richness and flavour. She liked it even more. Check out how I made her homemade fruit cereal here ‘Homemade Baby Cereal‘.

From then, I continued to offer her solids once a day including varieties of fruits and vegetables in her meal. Gradually, I introduced her 2 meals a day and then 3. However, her portion size remained very small throughout.

So, all you have to do is to offer them solids every day at the same time so that they know what’s coming. If it doesn’t work, try mixing them with breastmilk/formula milk.

Therefore, if you’re deciding to start solids then it’s mandatory to prepare yourself first. Be wise and invest your money into some good kitchen appliances and baby products that’ll come in handy.

You can even write down your plan and create your own recipes that you think your baby might like. This way you can stick to your plan and dedicate yourself to it. So, buy enough groceries for the week to save yourself some time.

Have it all and make your own recipe for the week. If necessary, write it down. It encourages you for the commitments that you’ll need for coming days. Don’t feel down or pressurized if your child rejects it. It’s the learning process for both of you so take it lightly and go with the flow.