The Sweet Spot of Starting Solids
Around 6 months of age, give or take a few months for each baby, is the ideal time to start solids. Current guidelines recommend starting at 6 months but 4 months may be appropriate if your baby is showing signs of interest and ability below.
You don’t want to start too soon if baby isn’t ready (or more importantly, their gag reflex) and you don’t want to wait too long either and have to worry about food aversion. Starting too soon can be dangerous (choking hazard!) and her digestive system might not be ready.
Waiting too long can leave baby with more picky eating tendencies. Iron-deficiency anemia *can* also become cause for concern when delaying solids as the original iron stores can last up to 6 months. I say *can* because not all babies will go on to develop IDA even when all or the majority of their diet is breast milk, up to 9 months, for example. This is why it is recommended to start with iron-rich foods (but which ones? Keep an eye out for a post later on this!).
Interest in Your Food: Is baby watching you eat with eyes that seem to say “May I have some”? Does she open her mouth when food is near? Showing interest in solids is a good, first sign.
Head Control: Baby should be able to sit upright and on his own with limited support and good head and neck control.
A Spoonful of Solids Makes the Food Go Down (in the most delightful way! Am I the only one singing the Mary Poppins song?): Baby can keep all, or most, food in his mouth and swallow food safely. Do not feed baby solids or purees from a bottle and avoid from a jar- spoon fed from a bowl is ideal (just like her parents do!).
Baby is Big Enough: Has baby doubled his birth weight? Does she weigh at least 13 pounds?
Unsatisfied sleep and hunger: Is baby waking up too frequently at night? Does she just not seem satisfied with her milk or formula? His tummy may not be full enough and may benefit from solids which take longer to digest.
I hope you enjoyed this brief post on starting solids. My twins are currently 2.5 months old and one is already staring at food when I eat so I am already looking to the future. I’ll try to update with pictures when we do start this adventure!
Please stay tuned for future posts related to feeding baby solids such as: Baby Led Weaning, Developing a Healthy Relationship with Food (important even in the first months!), Feeding Guidelines (portion sizes, allergies, which foods to start with) and more.
Yours in Health,
Julie Wallace, RD, LD, CSP
Dietitian Nutritionist specializing in Pediatric Nutrition