Is Your Baby Ready For Their First Bite?
There is no particular age when your baby will be ready to start eating purées. They are all unique and develop at our own pace. Age is secondary to the signs your baby gives you as to their readiness to start solids. Paediatricians generally recommend introducing solid food around 4-6 months of age, below is a series of questions, if you can answer yes to most of them it’s more than likely your child is ready to start on solids:
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Can your baby sit up on their own?
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Has their weight doubled since birth?
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Can they hold their head and neck in an upright position?
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Does your baby reach for or eye your food while you are eating?
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Can your baby move food from a spoon to the back of their throat?
- Is your baby hungry more often and less satisfied after finishing their usual amount of breast milk or formula?
You may end up with a mix of yes and no answers, it’s no big deal. Take your time don't rush it. Start when the signs are there. At some point, your little one will be ready, and they will open their mouth to their very first taste of food.
6 Tips for Getting Your baby Started on Solids
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Start Slowly – Start by serving small amounts of food. We recommend one item at a time once or twice a day to see how they react. If they are reaching for more, then this is a sign to give them more. If they keep tossing it on the floor or refusing to open their mouths, try again in a couple of days. It may take some time before they are ready to eat entire meals.
- Be Patient – It may take some time for your baby to get into their eating groove. They might love the idea of eating but end up getting more food on the floor than in their mouths. Babies may even seem interested in food but then turn their heads away every time a spoon comes near their mouth. It can be frustrating, we understand. But be patient and keep on serving healthy foods.
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Eat as a Family – Whether it's purées or baby-led weaning, eating as a family promotes healthy food habits right from the beginning. Eating with your baby shows them how to bring food from a plate to your mouth, chew, and swallow. And when babies see the other people they are with eating the same thing as they are, they are more likely to eat it!
- Mix It Up – Please do not take all of our flavours and serve them to baby all at once and for every meal. Sure, they are loaded with nutrients and flavour, but babies also need to be exposed to various fruits, veggies, seeds and legumes. So mix things up and try to serve them different items each week.
Purées vs. Baby-Led Weaning
No matter what you have read or heard, there is no right or wrong way to feed your baby.
Purées might work better for your family because you can have a stash in the freezer ready for your baby to eat anytime they are hungry.
Baby-Led Weaning might be a more flexible way to serve food to your baby right alongside everyone else.
Or maybe a combo of purées and baby-led weaning, have some fun with it and keep things interesting.
It’s important to remember that this stage of feeding is all about balanced nutrition and exploring new flavours and textures.
Keep it fun and play around. Find out what works best for you, your baby and family.
There is no right way to feed your baby. Do your own thing!