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You have finally mastered your baby’s routine. You know when your baby wakes up, when they need to eat, when they need to sleep, and what each cry means. You are an amazing momma! However, you know by now as soon as you master a routine, something is bound to change. We are talking about starting solids!
Your baby is 4 months old now and you are asking yourself how and when to start solids. Starting solids is exciting and so rewarding, but also a little nerve-wracking. This is another monumental moment for your baby and you. However, it will most definitely change your routine.
How do you start developing the best feeding schedule for starting solids? You must first understand when your baby is ready, the best way to start, and how many times a day you can expect your baby to eat.
Let’s start with these questions and by the end, you will be able to make the perfect feeding schedule for starting solids!
Grab these templates and get started making your perfect feeding schedule for starting solids. You have conquered so many milestones and you have all the tools you need to conquer this one as well!
What Are the Signs That a Baby Is Ready for Solids?
You will see and hear that anything from 4 to 6 months is the right time to start solids. However, age is truly not what is important. Don’t try to get your baby involved in their first race. There is no medal at the end, just some messy floors and cute pictures.
It is most important is to understand and recognize the cues that your baby is ready to start solids. So, what are the signs that your baby is ready? The American Academy of Pediatrics lists these:
Can sit with support
Can hold their head straight up when sitting
Can turn their head toward or away from food
If you are attempting to introduce solids and your baby continues to turn away from the food, stop and try again in a week.
Is interested when other people are eating
Opens their mouth when offered a spoonful
Can take food from a spoon and swallow
A normal reflex for babies is tongue thrust. This is when they stick out their tongue preventing them from choking. This reflex is meant to go away when they are ready for solids. If your baby continues to take the food but then spits it back out, this may signal that they are not ready and you may want to try again in a week.
Has doubled their birthweight
If your baby is showing most of these signs, go ahead and buy those cute bibs and the perfect feeding set and see what happens. You may find that you start and your baby isn’t ready. That’s ok because you can always try again. It may be a complete success next time. Your baby is growing so quickly and learning so much.
Can You Introduce Solids Too Quickly?
This is a personal question focused on your baby. Pediatricians are recommending parents avoid delaying starting solids. This is to allow your baby to have an earlier exposure to limit possible allergies. There is research suggesting that introducing solid foods sooner limit the chance your baby will develop an allergy.
However, it is also important not to rush your baby and always make mealtime enjoyable. When deciding to start solids you should first focus on your baby’s cues. If you are ever worried that you are not seeing the signs in your baby or they are not showing interest, you can always talk with the pediatrician.
What Is the Best Way to Start Baby on Solids?
The best way to start solids is your way. Your baby decides how this new milestone will go. You have probably noticed by now that your baby is the one that decides how most things go. There are a few points to note, but let your baby take the lead.
You can start first by having only one meal a day to test out your baby’s skills. You can try to incorporate this meal for breakfast or lunch. You can have this meal before or after a bottle or breastfeeding session. Use this time only to experiment with your baby’s new skills and get them excited about this awesome new milestone.
From there, you will find when baby is most interested in eating. Maybe they are more lively and hungry in the mornings, maybe in the afternoon, and it is rare but maybe in the evenings. Whenever your baby is most alert and happy start a routine of just one meal.
Once they are fully invested in this new yummy food, incorporate a second meal. By then you will have this feeding thing mastered and your baby may just be ready for 3 meals with the family. The best way to start baby on solids is by taking it slow, letting your baby take the lead, and always enjoying every moment.
What Solids Should You Introduce First?
For the longest time, there has been a debate on whether it is best to introduce fruits or veggies first. This debate will likely never end. However, one thing that seems common is that it is always best to introduce cereal first. This cereal should be a very thin consistency and be able to run off the spoon. It has great health benefits, but it is also great when first introducing solids.
Find an iron-rich cereal and mix it with formula, breastmilk, or even water. Keep it simple at first and avoid mixing in bananas, applesauce, or juice. Cereal is great to supplement for your baby’s normal drop in iron and to test out your baby’s readiness for solids.
Now, there is no proven study that shows introducing fruits before vegetables sets your baby up for a life of craving sweets. However, most mommas choose to avoid this possibility and introduce vegetables first.
When introducing vegetables, try to start first with those that have a more bland taste, such as carrots. Then introduce some with a stronger taste such as green beans.
When introducing fruits, ensure that it is soft and can be easily mashed and digested, such as bananas or applesauce.
With fruits or vegetables, it may take up to 10 times before your baby begins to show they like this new food. Repeat exposure is so important in a successful feeding journey as your baby is not only changing what they like daily but also fighting the chance of possible allergies.
It is also a great idea to stick with a new food for 2-3 days. This idea originally was adopted to better pinpoint allergic reactions your baby might have. However, there is new evidence stating that this is not as important as once was believed.
It is now old news that you have to be strict about waiting days between introducing foods. However, this technique does keep it easier for you to remember what you have already introduced and how your baby reacted to the food. Did they like it? Did they hate it? Do you need to focus on reintroducing this food next week?
What to Avoid
Some foods should not be introduced to your baby during the first year and those are:
Honey
Cows milk
Choking Hazards. What To Expect list these things as choking hazards
Uncooked raisins
Whole peas (unless they are smashed)
Raw, firm-fleshed vegetables (carrots, bell peppers)
Raw, firm-fleshed fruit (apples, unripe pears, grapes)
Large chunks of meat or poultry
Popcorn
Nuts
Hot dogs
When to Start Finger Foods?
Once your baby has mastered the beginning of solid foods, you can begin to expand the menu and introduce finger foods. You and your baby choose when to start finger foods, however, like with most things, there are developmental milestones that must be reached for them to be successful.
Your baby must have mature chewing and tongue patterns to control the food. They also don’t have to have the pincher grasp yet, but it does make it easier and that normally doesn’t come until 7 months. You can choose anytime during introducing solids to add some finger foods on their tray and see what they do with it. As always, listen to your baby’s cues.
Here are some ideas for your baby’s first finger foods from The Bump:
Puffs and dry cereal
Teething biscuits and lightly toasted bread
Scrambled eggs
Soft fruit
Avocado
Pasta
Tofu
Cooker vegetables
Cheese
Beans
Homemade muffins
Meat
Fish
How Many Times a Day Should You Feed Your Baby Solids?
This will defer depending on when you and your baby decided to start solids.
If you started at 4 or 5 months
Start with 1 meal a day to test out your baby’s skills, ensure they are ready and get them excited about this new adventure.
At 6 months you can expand to 2 meals a day
At 7 months they may be ready for 3 meals a day
If you started at 6 months
You can choose to introduce one meal a day or jump to 2 meals a day at your baby’s most alert times.
At 7 months they may be ready for 3 meals a day
As your baby grows, so will their appetite. At 4-6 months, their meals should be 2-4 tablespoons. At 7-12 months, their meals should be the size of their fist. Although this is a good rule to go by, keep in mind that your baby will have on and off days. Sometimes they will be more interested in the bottle or breast, and some days they will be more interested in their new solid foods. This is normal and is expected, so don’t get too worried if your baby has some off days.
Also, during this time you should still be breast or bottle feeding. You are adding solid meals to your already established feeding schedule. You then can decide when it is best to wean from the bottle or breast.
Now You Can Make the Best Feeding Schedule for Starting Solids
Now you know when your baby is ready, the best way to start, and how many times a day you can expect your baby to eat. You have all the information you need and now it’s time to create a new schedule for you and your baby.
Every momma and baby will have their own unique schedule. You decide to start solids as a breakfast, lunch, or evening meal. You decide to bottle or breastfeed before or after a meal. There are endless possibilities and therefore I have created some templates you can use to create a schedule that works for you.
Grab these templates and get started making your perfect feeding schedule for starting solids. You have conquered so many milestones and you have all the tools you need to conquer this one as well!
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