How to start your baby on solids

Breastmilk or formula remains a significant source of nutrition for the first year. Milk feeds precede complementary foods until 8-9 months of age, after which time food can be given first.

Tips on starting solids

Whatever feeding approach you use for starting solids, start with one meal per day and offer a new food every two days. This ensures that any reaction to a particular food can be identified.  Once you have successfully introduced a food into your baby’s diet, continue offering the food regularly to maintain familiarity and tolerance to potential food allergens.

Every baby is different, and some may only take 1 spoonful when first starting solids, while others may consume ¼-1/2  cup.  Use a shallow silicon spoon specific for babies, and ensure your baby is well supported in a high chair.  Use rolled up towels or other padding around your baby’s hips for support, if needed.  Follow your baby’s cues for readiness to add in a second daily meal, which may be in 1-3 weeks’ time.  When they’re ready, add the third daily meal.

Use a large plastic mat under your baby’s high chair to catch any mess. It is important to allow your baby to get messy through food exploration, which may include rubbing food in their hair!  Food exploration teaches your baby about the sensory properties of food such as smell, touch, and taste.  This is an important part of learning food acceptance and can help to avoid future food fussiness.  Leave any cleaning up or wiping of your baby to the end of the meal. Also avoid scraping spoons across your baby’s sensitive lips.

How can I tell when my baby is finished eating?

Be watchful for your baby’s cues that show when they have finished eating. These may be turning their head away, clamping their lips shut, pushing or throwing food or spoon away, or becoming upset.  Babies have a unique ability to sense their fullness and needs. Being responsive to your baby’s cues can avoid over-riding this.  The Division of Responsibility by Ellyn Satter describes responsive feeding as follows:

The parent/caregiver determines where, when, and what food is offered.

The baby or child determines if they will eat and, if so, how much.

See link below for further information.

Foods to avoid giving your baby when starting solids

For health and safety reasons, there are several foods that need to be left out of your baby’s diet, which are:

• Salt – due to your baby’s developing kidneys. Avoid processed foods and adding salt to your baby’s food until after 1 year of age.
• Sugar – to avoid risk of dental cavities and creating preference for sweet foods which may have long-term health consequences.
• Honey – due to the botulinum toxin it may contain. This can cause infant Botulism. Honey can be safely given after 1 year of age.
• Whole nuts – due to choking risk. Use nut butters and pastes or nut flours instead. Provide whole nuts only from age 5 years.

All other texturally-appropriate foods can be given. Furthermore, there is strong evidence that exposure to potential food allergens from 6-12 months of age onwards can reduce risk of acquiring food allergy. Therefore avoid witholding food from your baby’s diet unless there is a medical or other important reason.  If your baby needs to exclude foods from their diet due to allergy, it is important that you consult a Dietitian to ensure they are getting a balanced diet that supports optimal growth and development.

What about their poo?

Starting solid foods can change the consistency of your baby’s poo, and some babies may experience difficulty passing poo.  Gradually increase your baby’s fibre intake, progressing from their initial iron fortified baby rice cereal and white bread to wholemeal bread and oat cereal or Weetbix. When increasing fibre in your baby’s diet offer extra fluid using a sipper cup of water.  If your baby has ongoing difficulty passing poo, consult their GP.

Further reading

This is my second article on starting solids, you may wish to read the first: https://littlepeopleeat.co.nz/?p=688

Here is Ellyn Satter’s address if you wish to read more about the Division of Responsibility: https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/satter-feeding-dynamics-model/

This article was written by NZ Registered Paediatric Dietitian, Fiona Hall. It is intended to complement but not replace information from a medical professional who knows your child.  If you have any concerns regarding your child’s health, please consult their medical professional.