By: Kyle Mutch, M.S., CCC-SLP

Welcome grown-ups! You’ve navigated your child’s feeding journey through breast feeding, latching, pumping, formula, bottles, nipples, and now you’re ready to start your baby on solids. This blog post is designed to get you started off in the right direction. We want to set your baby up for success while providing a nutritious meal to support their growth, health and development.

Why we recommend starting solids before the age of 1:

  • Establishing a long-lasting relationship with food – It’s enjoyable to eat! It’s a messy, sometimes scary process, but we want meals/snacks to be a happy place for your baby. Together, you’ll help them experience new foods, textures, and flavors and gradually how to understand their body better (e.g., how it feels to be hungry or full).
  • Family bonding – Mealtimes foster family bonding. Try to minimize distractions and enjoy the time together. Additionally, meals together can positively impact social skills and self-esteem.
  • Oral-motor development – Typically, we don’t need to teach these skills but rather provide opportunities. Solid foods create the opportunity for babies to master the coordination of their mouth, lips and jaw (e.g., figuring out how to close their mouths on a spoon or move food around to chew).
  • Sensory development – Touch and smell alert! During mealtimes, they’ll explore different temperatures, sizes and shapes and what it feels like to have food on your hands and faces. They’ll also explore all the smells to help them determine what’s safe or maybe what they’re not ready to eat yet.
  • Nutrition – Breast milk or formula are where most of your babies’ calories come from, but solid foods can help with Vitamin D and iron intake.

How do I know if my baby is ready?

  1. Your baby’s digestive system is most ready for solids at 6 months of age. The optimal window is between 5.5-7.5 months.
  2. Look at motor signs to determine if your baby is ready for solids. Ideally, they can sit up on their own.

Feeding Development:

*Solids are offered between 30 minutes to an hour after breast/formula feedings. These are still their primary source of nutrition.

6-9 months – All about exploring and experimenting with foods. Exploring > consumption. Offer solids 2x per day.

10-12 months – Focus on increasing the variety of foods to gradually move towards a table foods diet. May drop a bottle or more from their feeding schedules during this period. Babies should consume approximately 1 tablespoon per meal. Try to have them experiment with as many foods, textures, colors, flavors are possible before the age of one, because it is typical for kids to get pickier around that age. Offer solids 3x per day.

Prepare yourself with the right tools:

  • Chair – We need an upright seated position for solids. Ideally, with a footrest for stability. The Tripp Trapp remains the gold standard, mostly for the adjustable footrest.
  • Spoons – Experiment, especially with cautious eaters! Look for ones with a small, shallow bowl to make it easier for them to close their mouths on. Have a few on hand because they will most likely end up on the floor.
  • Mesh or silicone feeders – These are amazing for helping babies explore flavors and develop chewing patterns without the choking hazard.
  • Bib and splat mat – These will save you time with cleaning up.
  • Plates/bowls – Look for the ones with sides and non-slip can help decrease frustrations and mess.

Getting ready:

  • Before you even introduce food, get your baby acclimated and comfortable with the chair and utensils. Set up your baby in the chair how you typically would for a meal a few times before you start with solids.

Safety first:

  • Make sure your child is seated upright.
  • Be careful when experimenting with solids and introduce new foods slowly.
  • Start with peeled and well-cooked fruits and vegetables.
  • Stay away from common choking hazards: whole grapes, nuts, seeds, raw veggies, popcorn.
  • Do not force feed your child.

Minimize distractions and make sure you can always see them. The most dangerous choking is the silent choking.