Tips, Tricks + Recipes For Introducing Solids To Babies

Ready to introduce new foods, flavors and textures to your little one? Are they showing signs of readiness? Congratulations! It might be time to start your baby on solids.

But with all the conflicting advice out there, it can also feel overwhelming and uncertain. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to give you the tips, tricks, and recipes you need for introducing solids to babies. 

Before You Get Started

Research says that when it comes to introducing solids to your little one, 4-6 months is the ideal age. Developmental readiness signs differ for each child, to see if your child is ready to begin eating solids, check out our blog post - Feeding Baby: The New Guide to Introducing Solids. 

When you’re ready to begin introducing solids to your little one, it should only be as a complement to breastmilk or formula, not as a replacement. Breastmilk or formula should act as their primary source of nutrients and calories through their first year. 

Now that we’ve got these basics out of the way, let’s dive deeper. 

Best Solids To Start Feeding Your Baby

There are different foods and methods parents can easily use to start introducing their children to solids. Here are some of our favorites!

Traditional Purees

Spoon-feeding purees is one of the most common ways to start introducing solids. This is often followed by more lumpy mixtures and softer solids. 

There is also no evidence that solids should be introduced in a specific order, such as vegetables before fruits. Instead, just focus on introducing a variety of new flavors and textures to add nutrient diversity into their diet. 

Introducing Allergens Early 

4-6 months is the critical window to start introducing infants to potentially allergenic foods along with other complementary foods. 

Introducing common allergens regularly, like peanuts, egg, cow milk products, tree nuts, wheat, crustacean shellfish, fish, sesame, and soy, ensures diet diversity and thriving tummies for your little ones as they grow.

Graduating to Finger Foods

As your child gets used to purees and shows excitement for trying new and diverse foods, finger foods can be introduced. Signs of readiness for finger foods include your baby bringing their hands to their mouth and showing interest in what you eat.

Choose soft foods your baby can mash with their gums or tongue, like chopped-up fruits, pasta or cheese. As your baby gets used to feeding themselves, you can try foods with firmer textures. 

Our Favorite Tips

Here's a rundown of all our favorite tips to help guide you on your baby's feeding journey.

• Try new foods when your baby is not overly hungry to avoid frustration on both sides
• Help your baby develop healthy eating habits and avoid food with an excess of sugar or salt. 
• If your first attempt at feeding purees or solids does not go well, that’s okay! Give it a few days of rest and then try again. Don’t force them to eat anything they have rejected
• Baby-led weaning is another popular approach that avoids spoon-feeding. Do what feels right for you and your family!
• Don’t know what to feed your little one? Steamed vegetables, soft fruits, shredded cheese, plain yogurt, scrambled eggs, and avocado are always good options. 
• Encourage your baby to try different flavors, textures, and tastes. This is an important step in building a diverse, adventurous eater.

The most important thing to remember when introducing solids is that it is going to take time! Your child will not like everything and will have good and bad days. 

That’s okay! Babies can reject a food fifty times before they accept and like it. All that is important is that you keep experimenting and trying to introduce new foods.