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- In this video,
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I'm going to teach you
everything you need to know
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about starting solids with your baby
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including how to know
when your baby is ready,
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the different approaches
to starting solids,
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as well as what you need
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and of course, how to actually do it.
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Now, starting solids
before four months of age
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is not recommended.
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And that's because breast
milk is the best food
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for your baby and can supply
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all of your baby's nutritional needs.
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If your baby is not receiving breast milk
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or isn't interested in breast milk,
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then infant formula is the
only other suitable option
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for babies under 12 months of age.
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Also, when a baby is
under four months of age,
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their swallowing is unlikely
to be coordinated enough
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to manage semi-solid food.
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And their digestive system
may not be mature enough
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to cope with the solid food.
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Studies have also found that
there is an increased risk
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of allergies when solids are started
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before four months of age.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics
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and the World Health Organization
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recommend waiting until your baby
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is around six months of
age and showing signs
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of readiness before introducing solids.
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The signs that your baby is
ready to start solids include
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your baby can sit with support.
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They are able to hold their head upright
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and steady for a duration of a meal,
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so they have enough head control.
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And they're also aware of
their hands and fingers
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so that they can actually
participate in feeding
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which is something they can generally do
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at around six months of age.
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However, at this age, their
accuracy is going to be poor
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and they're still going to find
it really hard to drop an item.
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So self-feeding at
around six months of age
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is going to be messy
and slightly difficult.
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Another key sign for readiness
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is that your baby is interested in food.
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So your baby will be watching
intently when you eat food.
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So they may watch the food go
from the plate to your mouth.
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They may start to reach for that food
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and they're opening their mouth
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when food actually approaches them.
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And the last readiness
sign, which is helpful,
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it's not a must have,
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is that your baby has a
reduced tongue thrust reflex.
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So the tongue itself does
not push the food out anymore
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as soon as it enters the mouth.
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And this ensures
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that the food can
actually stay in the mouth
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and move back to be swallowed.
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So when your baby is
doing all of these things
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that's an indicator that they have
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the foundational skills needed
to safely explore solid food.
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Once you know that they are ready,
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you're probably going to start to wonder
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about which method you should use.
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Now, there are three general
approaches to feeding,
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there's the baby led-weaning
approach where the infant
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is offered thick finger
size pieces of food,
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which are soft and easily squished.
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And the baby independently
places that food
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in their mouth from day one.
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And so basically in this approach,
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you bypass purees and mashed-up food.
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Then you've got the
spoon feeding approach.
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So this is the more traditional
approach to feeding babies
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where the parent is in total control.
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So the parent actually holds a spoon
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and brings it to the baby's mouth.
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And the food served
initially are typically puree
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or mashed food.
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And then you have the
combo feeding approach.
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That's a mix of spoon feeding
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and self feeding with finger foods.
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Now, there is a lot of debate
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between people who advocate
for the different approaches,
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but all of these approaches
are perfectly acceptable.
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So I think the important thing is
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that you actually choose the approach
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that you are most comfortable with.
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When you get started,
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the first thing you need is
somewhere for your baby to sit.
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Now for some parents,
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they may actually sit
their baby on their lap,
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but this is actually
not my preferred option
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because when you first
start solids with your baby
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it is really important for them
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to actually see you eating food.
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You need to model that food is safe
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and how to actually eat it.
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And you also need to watch
your baby for cues of fullness
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as well as safety when they're eating.
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And you simply cannot do this
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when they're sitting in your lap.
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Instead, I highly recommend
using a high chair.
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Now I have lots of videos on
my channel on high chairs.
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So if you want more information
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on the best high chair to buy
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and how to set up high chairs,
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then make sure you check
out those videos after this.
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In addition to a proper high chair,
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you'll also want to purchase an open cup.
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So it's really important
that you get a small open cup
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that won't break or shatter
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because your baby will
accidentally drop it all the time.
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You'll also want to get
some bowls and plates.
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Now, if you are going to do
that self-feeding approach,
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then bowls or plates that
have a rim actually work best.
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And it's often helpful to get bowls
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or plates that will
actually suck to the table
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because that will limit the ability
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for your baby to
accidentally throw the plate
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or the bowl off that tray or that table.
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And if you're going to use
that spoon feeding approach
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or that combination approach,
when you are using a spoon,
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make sure it's a small
spoon with smooth edges
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and the bowl itself is shallow
and made from a silicone
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because this will ensure
that when your baby
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does bite down on the
spoon, it doesn't hurt them.
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And the shallow bowl will ensure
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that when they actually close
their lip to clear the food
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off the spoon, they can actually clear it.
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Whereas if it's a deep
bowl, it is really hard
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to initially clear that
food off the spoon.
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Now, something which is often a big issue
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for parents when they're
starting solids is mess.
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So here are a few tips to
actually minimize that mess.
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Firstly, you might want
to purchase a splash mat
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that can go underneath that high chair
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or the chair that you're using,
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just to ensure that it's
easier for you to clean up.
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You might also want to invest
in some bibs or smocks.
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I like the smocks
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because they go over the
top of the baby's clothes
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and keep them clean.
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Now, if you do decide to use a bib,
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you want to make sure that you get bibs
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that have a Velcro tab at the back
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because this will ensure that
you just undo that Velcro
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to remove that bib from your baby
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once they're finished eating.
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And this will ensure
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that they don't get
accidentally covered with food
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which will happen if you get a bib
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where the bib is joined at
the back and to get it off,
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you actually have to
pull it over their face.
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And this will result in the
food going over your baby's face
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and they'll experience that wet feeling
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and that can become distressing
and put them off meal times.
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And another thing you're
gonna want to buy is lots
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and lots of washcloths.
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Now, when you are using these washcloths,
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please make sure that you do not
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constantly wipe your baby's face
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with the washcloth during the meal.
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Only use these to clean
your baby, following a meal.
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And when you are doing it
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make sure you do it with a firm stroke.
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And this will ensure that your
baby doesn't get turned off
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by that constant cloth
going across their mouth
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which can be just plain irritating.
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Also, you want to avoid
falling to the trap
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where you're constantly
scraping your baby's chin
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to clear the excess food
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because this is also irritating,
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can turn them off having solids.
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Now, if you want to know exactly
which products I recommend
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for meal times, make sure you get
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my free meal times essential list
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by clicking the link in
the description box below.
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So your baby is ready
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and you have the high chair
in everything you need,
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it's time to start introducing solids.
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So initially you want to offer your baby
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solid food once a day.
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And that solid food should
initially be offered
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after a milk feed or at a separate time.
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You don't want to do it at the same time.
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It isn't until nine months of age
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that you actually change that around
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and you offer the food before
the breast or formula feed.
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Now, when you're choosing a time of day
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to introduce your baby that solid food,
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you want to make sure that
you choose a time of day
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when your baby is quiet and relaxed.
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So typically the afternoons
are a bit hectic for everyone.
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Babies are a bit more whingy,
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so maybe in the morning or midday is best.
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And you may like to choose a time
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when you actually have someone with you
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because it can be a little
bit stressful at times.
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And a really important point is
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that you want to minimize distractions.
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So that means you need to
turn off TV and devices,
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so your baby can focus on the mealtime
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and you can focus on that mealtime.
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And initially you'll just
start with one teaspoon
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of food or just a piece of food.
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And you'll gradually
increase the amount of food
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you're giving your baby
according to their appetite.
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Now, this is often very
concerning for parents
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because they often worry that
the baby isn't eating enough,
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but babies are very
responsive to their own needs
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and feelings of hunger, and fullness.
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When your baby shows you those early signs
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that they're full by just
turning away from the food
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or showing you that they're
no longer interested
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in the food, then it's important
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that you stop giving them the food.
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You do not want to force-feed them.
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As a parent, remember, it's
just your role to choose
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where to eat the food,
what food to give them
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and at what time,
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but it's your baby's responsibility
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to choose how much of that food will eat
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or if they'll eat it at all.
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It's also really important to remember
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that learning to eat is actually a process
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and it can take your baby
sometime to get the hang of it.
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And your baby's appetite will vary
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from meal to meal and day to day.
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Remember their stomach is only the size
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of their clenched fist.
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So they don't actually need a lot of food.
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As long as your baby is
developing and growing well,
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then it is highly likely
that they are eating enough.
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But if you want to make sure
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that your baby absolutely loves food
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and doesn't become a fussy eater,
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then the next thing you want
to do is check out this video
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where I cover seven must-know tips
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which will help to make sure
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that your baby absolutely loves food.
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Thanks for watching.
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And I'll see you next week
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where I'll share more
parenting tips and tricks.
