Introducing Solids to Baby? Here's What I Learned About Baby's First Foods
Brooke Slade
Starting solids can be so intimidating! There’s so much information, so many mommy-bloggers with tips, so many experts with opinions…it can become quite the overwhelming process. That said, as a non-expert and fellow mom-just-out-here-trying-to-figure-sh!t-out, I wanted to share a few sources and a bit of my experience in hopes that it will help you navigate this developmental stage.
The two most helpful things that I learned…
1. During this time, baby is simply learning the motor skills and internal functions of eating and digestion. So, encouraging lots of hands-on experimenting and not worrying about nutrient intake is KEY. At this point, baby is still getting the majority of their nutritional needs met via breastmilk or formula. Think of the intro-to-solids stage as “eating practice” for the real deal (around 12 months or so).
2. When introducing solids, you are also testing out what baby “likes,” noting what they may have aversion/allergy to (hopefully nothing!) and encouraging them to build a healthy relationship with food.
Two links that helped me with simplifying all of the information out there about introducing solids…
A Guide to Starting Solids (love this site— def a great resource, their newsletter has been helpful to me too!)
A few takeaways from my personal experience:
Don’t feel bad if you can’t make everything yourself or make it how “experts suggest.” For example, some sources say we should steam all of the baby’s food and to do so after buying all fresh organic options, cleaning them yourself and doing this every…single..day so that baby get the freshest nutrients. NOPE. I didn’t have time for this * shrug * …as most new moms don’t. It’s 100% okay to steam and puree baby’s food in one big batch day and then pop the food into the freezer (I suggest using a silicone ice tray, the portions are perfect for a new eater) and allow them to thaw overnight when you want to use them. Otherwise, you’ll be cooking and pureeing every day (on top of everything else!).
I also suggest adding spices early on, so that baby is familiar with different tastes and is open to eating what you eat, later on. So, stick to flavors that you cook with regularly at home, for example, adding a little cumin to carrots or onion powder to peas, to give baby an idea of what real food tastes like. My sister-in-law (and mom-care coach extraordinaire) Kelly Newsome Georges, taught me this. She introduced spices to her children when introducing solids and they are super-star eaters with healthy appetites for a variety or fruits, veggies and bold flavors.
Adding a little breastmilk to foods will aid baby in gaining familiarity with the tastes of solids. Since baby is used to chowing down on breadstmilk (or formula), using these milks as the base for feeding can be helpful. When introducing solids to my little, I added 2-3 tablespoons of breastmilk to each serving of food. I definitely noticed a difference in her willingness to eat when there was milk present versus just berries or just bananas. After some time, we were able to remove the milk altogether and she enjoyed the foods as she was, now, familiar.
Mamas & Mamas-to-be, I hope this share helps! Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments— do you have anything to share on introducing infants to solids?