Introducing food to your baby is exciting…and nerve wracking. And while there’s no “right” way to start your baby off on solid food, here are 10 tips to get you going:
Create a safe eating environment. This means a proper high chair that is totally upright and fitted with a footplate. Aim to also create a quiet, calm room free of sudden noises that may startle your baby.
If you are spoon-feeding, try preloading a spoon and handing it to your baby. Many babies will self-feed, even with spoons, from day one. Avocado, ricotta cheese, and Greek yogurt cling to spoons nicely!
Go big. If you are doing baby-led weaning (self-feeding), opt for large pieces of food that are easy for your baby to hold. Move down to smaller pieces of food when your baby’s pincer grasp develops (around 9-12 months).
Educate yourself on the difference between gagging and choking. Gagging is normal and all babies will gag during their solid journey (and many will gag for weeks as their tongues learn the feel of solid food.)
Introduce allergens early and often. The evidence is strong, particularly for egg and peanut, that the early introduction and sustained exposure of these food allergens has the potential to help prevent those food allergies developing entirely. For more information, use our free First Foods® database on how to prepare each allergen safely for your baby's specific age.
Know what foods are off-limits: For example, honey (which can cause infant botulism), undercooked eggs, meat and fish, raw milk cheese and foods with added sugar are not appropriate for babies. For a full list, see our guide 25 Foods Never to Serve Babies.
Hold the salt: Don’t add salt to baby’s food and buy low sodium products. Early and excessive exposure to sodium is thought to play a role in hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and more.
Pump the iron: Focus on iron-rich foods, as your baby’s iron stores from birth begin to deplete around 6 months old.
Get messy! Let baby play and explore, and yes, get messy. They will be happier eaters for it and getting messy affords fantastic development opportunities.
Explore a wide variety of food. Studies show that babies who are introduced to a wide variety of flavors and textures are less likely to become picky eaters. Check out our free First Foods® Database, which features hundreds of foods your baby can eat, all with step-by-step instructions for how to serve that food.
Happy eating everyone!
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