by Hila Bahari
Your baby is just around 6 months old and you are thinking about starting solids?! The most common questions I get are:
What should I give my baby to eat first?
Is there a feeding schedule for a 6 month old?
What should I buy for feeding my baby?
So let's go over these questions one at a time and help get you some more clarity.
What should I give my baby to eat first?
When it comes to starting solids, the "newer" way of feeding is starting with pretty much anything you like. I personally like going with something easy for the first couple weeks so the baby can first get used to the idea of eating. Why easy? I don't think its necessary to go through the hassle of preparing foods when you don't even know if your child is willing to try it. Sometimes it takes a few weeks or even a couple months for little ones to get used to the idea of solids and to begin taking real bites.
Avocado, squash, sweet potato, lentils, carrots are all great options to start with. You can click HERE to learn more about the different feeding methods and pros and cons of each.
Remember: when you are first starting solids, the expectation should be to get your baby comfortable with the food. Is your baby willing to touch it, play with it, and expose themselves to different textures? Even if your baby isn’t eating yet, the sensory benefit of food exposure is great and very beneficial.
Myth: IF YOU GIVE YOUR BABY FRUIT AS A FIRST FOOD THEY MAY THEN DECLINE OTHER FOODS.
Incorrect! No evidence exists in the literature to support this, especially if you as a parent are mindful of introducing a wide variety of flavors from the start. If you think about it, breast milk and formula in and of themselves have a sweet flavor so your baby is already used to that. Don’t worry if your baby doesn’t take to a particular savory vegetable the first time you try it. Offer it again at a later time, exposure is key.
Is there a feeding schedule for a 6 month old?
There is no "right" amount of meals per day rather this should serve as an idea of what works best for most babies. The goal is to keep serving your baby breastmilk or formula first and only after that offer solids.
Generally speaking, you want to start offering/introducing the food about 30 minutes after a milk feeding. The morning time is most advised for allergy reasons. If your child does happen to have a reaction to anything, you will be able to address it earlier in the day best.
What should I buy for feeding my baby?
This is one of my favorite questions because I myself also wondered this and added many, unnecessary, tools to my registry way before I learned much about feeding babies. My best advice is to educate yourself first about the method you would like to feed your child and understand how feeding tools help shape their eating habits more often than not.
So what should you look for?
Safe feeding items that you would be comfortable with your child holding and eating with unattended
Utensils that promote self feeding
Dawn Winkelmann, Speech Language Pathologist & Feeding Specialist for EZPZ has worked closely with the company to create the perfect feeding items for littles and further explains how each product is beneficial in its own way.
Let's talk about the Tiny Spoon, my favorite and most recommended item for starting solids. The spoon was designed for starting solids, to help baby work on hand eye coordination and be able to self feed. The spoon is made perfect for little hands and a little mouth.
My second favorite Item when starting solids is the Tiny Cup (2oz) that Dawn created. This has helped my kids master drinking from a cup independently before the age of 1.
"Learning to drink out of an open cup is an important developmental milestone, and the Tiny Cup helps baby transition from bottle to cup. Open cup drinking supports healthy oral and speech development, aids with teething, helps baby learn to have a strong swallow and can decrease tooth decay." - Dawn Winkelmann M.S, CCC-SLP
You might be thinking the 2 oz is very small, but it really isn't. A child starting solids should not drink more than that with their meal or at a time. Remember, we want to fill up those bellies with milk first until they turn 1.
You can later graduate to the 4oz cup and have your baby drink their milk from it as well. this cup is recommended for age 12 months + at which age children will begin drinking less milk as the recommended amount is about 4oz per feeding.
If you would like to learn more about starting solids I also co-wrote a "Starting Solids, Guide for beginners" with Caroline Weeks, a Licensed, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who specializes in pediatric medical nutrition therapy. You can grab the guide HERE.
XOXO
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