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Solids: Signs of Readiness & Getting Started
For the first 6 months of life, infants can get all the nutrients and energy they need from adequate feedings of breastmilk or formula alone. Eventually, the time comes to begin introducing foods to your little one.
Many parents are hesitant to start solids, or don’t know how to begin introducing foods. Not to fear, let’s break it down step by step.
The Ideal Timeline for Starting Solids
Unless your pediatrician has advised otherwise, our recommendation at Sleep Wise is to wait until six months to introduce solids.
Starting solids too early when the digestive system is less mature increases a little one’s risk of allergies, ear infections, and digestive problems. However, waiting too long to start solids certainly has some significant drawbacks as well.
The popular phrase “Food before one is just for fun” is not accurate. While it is true that until age one, liquid intake is absolutely the priority, and mealtimes can be a fun new “activity” for little ones, solids are an important supplemental form of nutrition for older infants. Specifically, solids allow babies to get great sources of zinc and iron.
Signs of Solids Readiness
Babies are ready to start solids when they can sit up alone without assistance, pick up food, and are showing an interest in others’ meals. Ensure the tongue thrust reflex is no longer apparent. Look for a combination of these signs.
When making the decision to begin introducing solids, observe your baby to identify signs of readiness:
✓ Watching others eating and showing a keen interest in what they’re doing
✓ Grabbing objects and put them into their mouth
✓ Copying others when eating
✓ Mimicking the chewing action
✓ Seeming hungrier than usual
✓ Sitting unsupported for a several seconds
2 Methods to Get Started
The two main philosophies from which to choose to introduce solids are baby led weaning and traditional weaning. In baby led weaning, babies feed themselves, control how much they eat, and have the freedom to stop when they are full. Pediatric nutritional experts have shared that this approach helps with healthy sleep habits.
In traditional weaning, babies are spoon-fed purees with a more gradual introduction to table foods. This allows a baby a slower adjustment to new forms of intake. There are pros and cons to both approaches, but either one can be successful for your little one’s feeding journey.
Common First Foods
Vegetables are often great first foods with either approach. Evidence indicates that introducing vegetables as a first taste frequently improves the acceptance of vegetables as well as other new foods later in life. Introduce your baby to many vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli, spinach, butternut squash, green beans, sweet potato, avocado, parsnip, potato. Next, you may wish to introduce the starchy foods: potato, lentils, or even beans. Then, begin to introduce a variety of fruits, such as banana, pear, mango, apple, peach, apricot, melon, nectarine. Finally, your infant will be ready for meats and other sources of proteins. For your baby’s safety, do not offer any honey within the first year of life.
How and When to Increase Meals
Start solids slowly with one meal per day. Begin with the awake window that is trickiest to keep your baby content. After a week or so, introduce a second meal. After 3-4 weeks of solids, offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner at 7 months old is the standard recommendation. Although times are more flexible, we generally recommend offering solid meals roughly one hour after the liquid feeding in each awake window. Repeated exposure with diligent practice is key to success over time.
Some babies pick up on solids right away, while others definitely go through a significant learning curve. Stay the course. Learning to eat is vital for all of the infancy months and toddler years ahead as well!
Most importantly, avoid using pouches for repeated meals. While the convenience is hard to beat, they are best reserved for occasional on-the-go meals and not for exclusive daily use. Your child’s ability to practice leading food to the mouth, chewing, and swallowing is vital. The parts of the mouth that are used to suck down a pouch don’t develop the muscles used for chewing foods and eating from a spoon. Humans need to manage, propel, and chew food, so diversified textures advance these skills.
Some pediatricians may still recommend one food for a few days before introducing another to monitor for any reactions. Conversely, most physicians today advise that a variety is best, encouraging families to introduce many foods, including potentially high allergen foods early and often to avoid long-term allergies. We default to each family’s pediatrician for nutritional advice.
Solids & The Impact on Sleep
If your baby is over 7 months old, it is important to provide three solid food meals a day to get some healthy sources of fat and protein in his solid food diet. A lack of fats and proteins can very commonly lead to sleep issues, such as short naps, overnight wakings, or early morning wakings. This is true even for little ones great at taking full liquid feedings.
Lingering early mornings are one of the most common issues that arise when the quantity or quality of solids are suffering. Further, pouches are often linked to untimely bowel movements interrupted sleep.
Adding in Table Foods
After the first nine months of life, families who chose to begin with purees should be more intentionally incorporating table foods. Table foods are any foods that your child is already eating that have not been pureed. Allow infants to adapt to diverse textures, experience new tastes, explore using silverware, and have plenty of opportunities to chew foods prior to the first birthday. This will also aid in the transition to prioritizing solids and weaning liquids as toddlerhood arrives.
When possible, take the time to eat together as a family. Talk, interact, and smile lots! Make eye contact during meals often. This helps your little one learn what to expect for mealtimes as well.
Relax, and enjoy the delicious (ok, and messy… be prepared for that!) new adventure.