Introducing food to your baby is exciting...and scary! We are starting our 6-month-old with homemade purees with a goal of transitioning to baby-led weaning after fine motor skills are more refined. We compiled our research and things we wish we knew to help you make an informed decision.

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Starting Your Baby on Solids

_{Everything You Need to Start Solid Food with Baby}

Introducing solid foods to your baby is a significant milestone, but with so much conflicting advice out there, it can be confusing. Let's break it down and explore the different approaches to help you make an informed decision that’s best for your baby and your family.

When is Your Baby Ready for Solids?

Most healthy, full-term babies are ready to start eating solid foods around 6 months old. Before diving in, ensure your baby has reached these key developmental milestones:

• Sitting: Baby can sit with minimal support.

• Head Control: Baby can hold their head upright and steady while seated for about 15 minutes.

• Reach & Grab: Baby can pick up objects and bring them to their mouth.

• Interest: Baby watches you eat, mouths for food, or leans in for it.

Babies showing these signs are ready to explore solid foods. Although some pediatricians previously advised starting with rice cereal and purées around 4 months old, this advice is outdated. The American Academy of Pediatrics, National Institutes of Health, and World Health Organization all recommend waiting until your baby is around 6 months old. Studies have shown that starting solids before 4 months can lead to unhealthy weight gain in infancy and childhood.

Three Approaches to Starting Solids

When it comes to feeding babies, there are three approaches: Baby-led weaning, spoon-feeding, and combo feeding. Each method has its pros and cons, and the choice is deeply personal and can vary across cultures.

Baby-Led Weaning

Baby-led weaning (BLW) skips purées and spoon-feeding, allowing babies to self-feed from the start. This method promotes independence, as babies control what and how much they eat.

Pros:

• Independence: Babies learn to eat on their own.

• Development: Helps develop motor skills.

• Appetite Control: Babies learn to stop eating when full.

• Ease: Babies can eat what the family eats.

• Variety: Exposure to different textures and flavors reduces picky eating.

• Cost: No need for special baby foods.

• Family Meals: Babies join family meals.

• Dining Out: Easier to eat at restaurants.

• Fun: Babies enjoy exploring different foods.

Cons:

• Mess: Self-feeding can be very messy.

• Food Waste: Expect some food to end up on the floor.

• Gagging: Gagging is common initially.

• Initial Consumption: Food intake might be low as babies learn to eat.

Spoon-Feeding

The traditional approach involves the parent spoon-feeding puréed or mashed foods. This method keeps the parent in control of feeding.

Pros:

• Clean: Less mess compared to self-feeding.

• Time-Efficient: No need for special food preparation.

• Less Waste: Most food ends up in the baby’s mouth.

• Consumption: Babies may eat more immediately.

Cons:

• Dependency: Babies rely on the parent for feeding.

• Oral Development: May lead to challenges with varied textures later.

• Appetite Control: Babies have less opportunity to regulate their appetite.

• Nutrition: Easier to over-feed with purées.

• Picky Eating: Less exposure to different textures can lead to preferences for smooth foods.

• Family Meals: Babies don’t eat what the family eats.

• Cost: Puréed foods are often more expensive.

• Environmental Impact: Processed baby foods have a larger carbon footprint.

• Less Fun: Babies miss out on exploring food.

Combo Feeding

Combo feeding combines spoon-feeding with self-feeding, offering a balanced approach.

Pros:

• Independence: Babies practice self-feeding.

• Consumption: More food gets in the baby’s belly.

• Less Mess: A middle ground between clean and messy.

• Family Meals: Babies join family meals.

• Development: Babies develop motor skills.

• Variety: Exposure to different textures and flavors.

Cons:

• Confusion: Babies may not understand the different feeding methods.

• Appetite Control: Less opportunity to regulate their own appetite.

• Time & Mess: Requires both spoon-feeding and dealing with some mess.

Conclusion

Feeding your baby is a personal decision, and what works best for one family may not be ideal for another. Whether you choose baby-led weaning, spoon-feeding, or combo feeding, the goal is to make an informed decision that meets your baby’s and family’s needs. Always consult with your child’s healthcare provider if your baby has any underlying medical or developmental conditions.

Enjoy this exciting journey of introducing your baby to the wonderful world of food!

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Starting Solids Guide

Rather than highlighting only one relevant product, we created an Amazon storefront list for you to explore a few products we recommend. Getting a few of these things will make the process and experience more fun and less frustrating.

Initially, you will need to decide which style of introducing solids you prefer. The tools you’ll need vary slightly from bowls that lock in place or spoons for puree. No matter which way you introduce solids, you’ll need your baby in an upright position. A chair that provides adequate support and encourages good sitting habits is your friend. We really like the upseat with baby on our kitchen counter. Later when she eats with us during dinner we may move to a high chair at the table.

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If you’re anything like us, you probably discovered that many of the items on your pre-baby registry weren’t essential. That’s why we’ve worked diligently to compile a list of our fan-favorite baby products for the first year, organized by developmental phases for your convenience.

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We decided to compile The Ultimate Living Parenting Guide & Free Resource List for you to explore at your own pace. It is full of everything from free resources to courses, books, podcasts, and online content all centered around better parenting.