Feeding Babies: What do I Do???
At one point in a baby’s life, they’re going to become interested in solid food. For parents, this can be a scary thought because how do you teach someone to chew properly so they don’t choke? And allergies (especially if anaphylactic allergies run in the family) can be scary to ascertain.
Confirm baby is ready for solid food (doctors recommend between 4-6 months, leaning towards 6 months). The signs baby is ready is ready include:
—interest in food
—ability to sit mostly unassisted
—ability to hold head upright and steady for about 15 minutes
—can reach and grab for items and bring it to their mout
Take an infant/child CPR and First Aid Course. Make sure it’s from a recognized organization, such as The Red Cross or the American Heart Association! This will help to differentiate between choking and gaging. Gaging is normal and actually healthy, but can look dangerous. You will also learn what to do if your baby does actually choke.
Purees or Baby Led Weaning? These are the two main schools of thought for helping a baby learn to eat solid food. You can also do a combination, which is basically what we did. Many people feel more comfortable starting with purees because they’re soft and thus harder to choke on. With Baby Led Weaning, the baby eats what the rest of the family is eating, cooked in age-appropriate manner and cut appropriately.
Some resources:
The Blended Diet: A Practical Guide for Parents offers an in-depth guide to making your own blended food for your baby, rather than buying pre-made jarred or pouch baby food.
https://solidstarts.com/ has a database of baby-safe foods, showing how to prepare each food based on baby’s age. There are also recipes, courses, and articles related to babies and toddlers eating . As both a website and app, Solid Starts has free and paid versions.
When B.G. first started to eat at just over 5 months, we prepped and froze some foods that were easy for her to eat, like mashed beans (make a bunch of beans, mash with breastmilk/formula, and freeze in an ice cube tray for easy access) and steamed carrots. As she became more comfortable eating, and also ate more food, and we became more comfortable with her eating, she really did just start eating whatever we eat.
Tips:
Babies should not have honey due to a risk of infant botulism
Limit salt and sugar (some people go hard-core with this and say NO SUGAR OR SALT, but personally, I think moderation is the key to most things in life).
When babies start solids, they can start with water
Let baby feed themselves. I think I fed B.G. about three times with a spoon before she just wanted to do it herself. Put pre-loaded spoons or finger food onto the high chair tray and let baby go!
Be prepared for a mess. Fingers, face, clothes, the floor. Of course, you use a bib, but it doesn’t catch everything. Babies toss food on the floor. They think testing out gravity is fun, I guess.
Sometimes, B.G. eats a lot and then there are times (like tonight) where she was so tired, she had about two bites and then cried for her bottle, because she was too tired to eat.
Let baby play with food, especially in the beginning. It helps them feel comfortable in their highchair and helps them adjust to new sensory experiences.
Don’t be afraid of seasoning! B.G. loves garlic, curry, cinnamon, basil, mint, vinegar, even a little pepper.
In general, feeding a baby is a lot less stressful in theory than in practice. At 13 months, B.G. is a good eater!
Thanks for reading!
💜
Laura
