Hi everyone. I’m Melissa and welcome back to Cloudmom. One of the most overwhelming things to figure out as a new parent is how to go about introducing solids to your baby. Over the course of feeding six babies, I’ve learned some strategies that have made the introduction of solids a lot easier for me with my sixth baby than it was with my first. In this article and my video, I’m going to walk you through the ins and outs of starting solids with your baby so that you’ll know how to handle many of the challenges frequently posed by this important milestone.

How Do You Know if Baby is Ready for Solids?

If you’re expecting or the parent of a newborn, you’re most likely asking yourself “How do I know if my baby is ready for solids?” In addition to observing whether your child shows interest in actual food — perhaps by signaling towards your plate or watching you eat — certain developmental milestones generally indicate a readiness for solids.

Signs Baby is Ready for Solids

America’s Center for Disease Control (CDC) explains that a baby who exhibits some of the following behaviors is showing signs of readiness for solid foods:

• sits up alone or with support
• can control their head and neck
• opens their mouth when food is offered
• swallows food rather than pushing it back out onto their chin
• brings objects to their mouth
• tries to grasp small objects, such as toys or food
• transfers food from the front to the back of the tongue to swallow

Note that your baby does not need to exhibit each of these behaviors to be ready for solid foods. My sixth baby Bracey, who was born prematurely, did begin eating solids when he was 6-months-old, yet he was not yet able to grasp objects nor to bring objects to his mouth. Also, note that babies will inevitably push some food out of their mouths as they learn the technique of eating. 

What Behaviors Do Not Indicate Readiness for Solids?

Contrary to popular belief, when a baby have frequent awakenings, do not appear satisfied after milk feedings, or put their fist in their mouth, they are not necessarily ready for solids. They are just hungry! 

Is my Baby Gagging or Choking?

You might notice your child gagging when they start to eat for the first time. Gagging is a normal reflex that occurs when babies try to ingest too much food at once. When babies gag, their eyes will water, they might push their tongue forward, they could turn red, or they might make a retching movement.

Whereas gagging tends to be loud, choking, on the other hand, is quiet and occurs when a piece of food is blocking your baby’s airway. If your baby is choking, you need to take immediate action to get the food out of the way to make sure your baby can breathe. Check with your doctor but it’s generally recommended that you shout for help, and, while supporting your baby’s chest and chin, give 5 short blows between the shoulder blades. 

Does my Baby Need a High Chair?

Since choking is a serious hazard, always stay with your baby when they are eating, do not allow your baby or toddler to walk around while eating, and take a baby CPR class. Also, as soon as your baby can sit up unsupported, place them securely strapped into a high chair.

What Kind of Baby High Chair Should I Buy?

The IKEA ANTILOP high chairs are popular, simple, and light and you can buy inserts for them to make your baby more comfortable. Stokke’s Click High Chair likewise has a light, simple, and easy-to-clean design. The classic Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair comes with a comfy new baby insert and can graduate to your toddler. Make sure your high chair is safe, sturdy, and easy to clean.

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What Solid Foods Should I Introduce to My Baby First?

Before you begin to introduce solid foods to your baby, check with your doctor to confirm what diet they recommend. The guidelines regarding first baby foods vary to some extent internationally. Pay special attention to these guidelines for first baby foods if you or someone in your family has a history of food allergies.

What is the 3-Day Rule for Starting Solids?

In the US, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP), and the Mayo Clinic recommend introducing one single food at a time and waiting three to five days before introducing other foods so as to be able to ascertain any food allergies immediately.

That said, certain American pediatricians and doctors in other parts of the world recommended introducing a wider variety of combined, pureed foods from the beginning. My 6th baby Bracey, who was born in Spain, had a varied diet of fresh foods from day 1 and it worked great. 

What First Foods Can I Give to Baby?

Rice, multi-grain, and oatmeal cereals are fine (try mixing these with breastmilk or formula to make them nice and liquidly) as are fruit and vegetable purees and, if your doctor agrees, certain proteins (make sure all bones, which are choking hazard, have been removed), like pureed meats, eggs, and tofu. Try as much as possible to give your baby fresh foods that you cook and puree. You can try making these once a week and freezing them.

What Texture Should Stage 1 Baby Foods Have?

The key thing to remember with first baby foods is that they need to be soupy. Try mixing in formula or breastmilk with your foods to make them very liquidly. Over their first year, your baby will graduate to lumpier foods, chunkier foods, and then to eating small pieces of foods on their own. 

Baby-Led Weaning Starter Foods

Baby Led Weaning (“BLW” for short) refers to the philosophy of skipping pureed foods altogether and offering your baby long pieces of very soft foods that they can eat on their own. The idea is that your baby is exposed to a greater range of foods from the beginning, which will make them a more adventurous eater over time, and that they will develop autonomy with their eating.

Here is a list of baby-led weaning foods that you could start with. Cut the pieces long, make sure they are very soft, and make sure to sit with your baby while they eat. Although some sources recommend meats and bread at this point, I personally would stick with soft fruits and veggies because you want to be very careful that your baby does not swallow a big piece of food at this stage. Review this diet with your doctor!

• Avocado slice 
• Slice of steamed zucchini without peel 
• Soft green beans 
• Soft broccoli 
• Pear slice 
• Slice of banana 
• Hard-boiled egg 
• Very soft slice of boiled chicken.

Your baby will be able to knaw at the chicken, and you want to be sure to be right next to them making sure they do not swallow. I did not practice baby-led weaning, and did not give finger foods to my children until later, because the purees worked great for us.  

Baby Rice Cereal and Baby Oatmeal Cereal

When it comes to selecting your baby’s first cereals, vary the type of grain and opt for organic brands, if you can. Doctors now recommended offering a range of grain cereals from the beginning. 

Is Baby Rice Cereal Safe Before 6 Months?

Doctors generally recommend that babies not have solid foods before 6 months of age since their digestive system is too immature before this point. Whereas in the past doctors recommended starting babies only on rice cereal, now the recommendations have changed and it’s generally considered better to give a range of cereals and foods. This has grown out of concerns that rice cereal when given too consistently for too long a period can expose a baby to arsenic. 

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Can I Feed my Baby Cereal in a Bottle?

Since experts advise that babies get accustomed to learning how to eat solid foods and also want to avoid over-exposure to rice cereal, it is not advised that you put cereal into your baby’s bottle (as my mother apparently did with me back in the day!).

Diet for my 6-Month-Old Baby

Bracey’s Spanish diet differed drastically from the one-food-at-a-time strategy I followed with my older babies. Here’s the diet we followed. If you’re giving your baby formula, plug that in where you see breastmilk below.

• Breakfast – breastmilk
• Lunch – Breastmilk followed by 5 ounces (150 ml) of pureed chicken, green beans, zucchini and carrot
• Afternoon Snack – Breastmilk followed by a mixture of ¼ pear, ¼ banana, and ¼ apple pureed fresh
• Dinner – breastmilk followed by breast milk mixed with corn or rice cereal.

Food List for 6-Month-Old Baby

So based on Bracey’s diet, here is a suggested food list for a 6-month-old baby. Remember that your doctor might be fine with a variety of other foods and that in the U.S., a variety of cereals are recommended from the get-go. Here are the baby foods we began with:

• Green beans 
• Zucchini
• Carrot 
• Pureed chicken 
• Pear 
• Banana 
• Apple 
• Corn cereal 
• Rice cereal 

Note that my doctor did suggest just gluten-free corn or rice cereal during the first month, and then encouraged the introduction of other grains (which is different from the American recommendation of varying cereals during the first month). 

We followed this diet during Bracey’s 6th month and it worked great. This experience left me wondering whether my older kids would have been less picky if they had started with this varied, rich diet of only fresh foods. 

Food Allergies and the Introduction of Solids

If your family has a history of food allergies, gluten or lactose intolerance or sensitivity, or other food-related conditions, speak with your doctor. Your doctor likely will advise that you follow the three to five-day rule, beginning more cautiously with a less varied repertoire of foods.

This will mean that each day, you introduce one type of vegetable or fruit for three to five days to ensure your baby does not have a negative reaction, before mixing these and eventually adding steamed and pureed meats like beef and chicken. Later on, of course, you will move on to lumpier mixtures and finger foods. 

Should I Expose My Baby to Common Allergens?

Recent research indicates that babies who are exposed earlier to certain common allergens develop the ability to process them. Discuss the latest research with your doctor.

How much Solids for 6 Month Old?

Your baby needs a small quantity of solids in the early weeks and months, some sources say as little as two teaspoons in the first month, although my 6th baby was advised to eat three small meals (see above). Review the appropriate quantity of food given your baby’s weight with your doctor.

Don’t sweat amounts of food in the early weeks and months since for the first year of life, breastmilk or formula remains the most important part of your baby’s diet. Rather, look at the introduction of solids as your baby’s chance to practice with different tastes and textures.

How Do I Know My Baby Has Eaten Enough Solids?

When your baby turns away, begins to push food out of their mouth, or clamps their mouth shut, you can safely assume that they are full and have had enough to eat. 

Solid Feeding Schedule for 6-Month-Old Baby

My biggest recommendation when it comes to when to feed your baby solids is to give the milk first. This way, the baby is satisfied, and happy, and won’t get so easily frustrated as you try to spoon-feed them the solids. For a handy breastfeeding, solid foods, and sleep schedule and a formula feeding, solid foods, and sleep schedule check out Month 6 of my Toddler Month-by-Month series.

How to Spoon-Feed a Baby when Introducing Solids?

While holding your baby upright in your lap, or while the baby is safely strapped into a high chair, place a small amount of food on the tip of a teaspoon or baby spoon and offer it to your baby. Wait for your baby to open their mouth, and slip the spoon in slowly. You can scrape it gently against the roof of your baby’s mouth.

Place small quantities of food in your baby’s bowl because this food will get mixed with saliva and you cannot store it for later use. Keep going until your baby appears to be full, as indicated above. One helpful tip is to feed your baby with one spoon but give them another one to play with since they will invariably grab the spoon and want to bang it and throw it on the floor!

Best Baby Spoon, Baby Bowl, and Baby Bib for Feeding

When it comes to selecting baby spoons, bowls, and bibs, there’s a lot to choose from. Bowls that stick against a surface can be handy. Bibs should be waterproof, easy to wipe down, and long. And spoons can be soft for little mouths or you can use a regular old teaspoon when you’re at home. 

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Baby Not Interested in Solids 

If your baby cries, shuts their mouth, turns their head away, or otherwise indicates a complete reluctance to eat solid foods, speak with your doctor. This happened with my first child and I was advised to wait another month. He simply wasn’t interested and by the way, he’s still my pickiest eater. If your baby has eaten solids previously but is not interested or refusing, they simply might not be hungry, they might have gas, or they might be suffering from stomach upset, so check with your doctor to make sure they get back on track. 

Best of luck with your baby, check out my video and show on Month 6 with your baby, and make sure to check out my video for more helpful tips!