Food, glorious food.
We adopted the ‘baby led weaning’ approach to introducing solids with so much success.
Sienna has been a self sufficient eater since before she had hair!
It can be stressful for parents moving from breast/bottle to food… any new territory is scary right? But food is exciting, so don’t forget to make it fun!
My tips for introducing solids (with awesome advice from my gorgeous Aunt Doctor Maggie):
1. The time frame for introducing solids is pretty confusing, but start somewhere between 4 and 6 months. When baby is holding their head up, has lost the tongue thrust and is looking at food longingly… you’re probably ready. For Sienna this was 4 months.
2. Start with rice cereal, purely because it is really really unlikely to affect their tummies or give them an allergic reaction. We gave her breast milk on a spoon in the lead up to introducing solids, she loved milk so was happy however it came at her! This meant when I shoved that first mouthful of food in her gob it wasn’t a totally freakish experience (spoon and food). Baby steps eh?
3. Then move to mashed up sweet potato, pumpkin, potato, mashed banana - wait a few days between introducing each food to make sure they are ok.
4. Start to get creative. Keep up the mash/introducing new flavours and give them something to hold (a partially boiled carrot stick, a spoon), Sienna didn’t get any teeth until she was 10 months, she still managed to work out how to munch through pretty much anything we gave her though!
5. Make eating social. We like to eat together, so does baby! Make your lunch and eat with them! By 8 months Sienna and I were pretty much eating the same for lunch (hers without salt etc) - spaghetti bolognaise, quinoa salad, meatballs etc.
6. Don’t be afraid of mess. I like things clean, but I know that letting Sienna get intimate with her food means she has a wonderful relationship with eating now. She was REALLY messy for a few months and now will sit at a table with a spoon or fork and feed herself, a short and painful but worthwhile period.
7. Pretty much everyone I know says bub goes through periods of fussy eating. Teething, development, feeling a little off can all impact their eating. Don’t get spooked, just keep offering food and eventually they will get back on track. I always know even if Sienna is a little off her food I can get her to eat blueberries, raspberries and plan pasta with a little cheese - which is a relief to see something hit her belly even if she isn’t polishing off rogan josh curry that day.
Remember that food relationships are shaped this early. Make eating fun, nutritious and exciting and you will set your child up for life!