Is My Baby Ready for Solids?
I’m sure you’ve probably imagined feeding your baby their first taste of solid foods. Open wide! Here comes the airplane. Vroom. (Or whatever noises airplanes make these days. I’m not sure.) It’s exciting to think about - imagining those little eyes wide with anticipation, the scrunched up little face as that new taste hits their mouth, those squishy baby cheeks smeared with pureed whatever. It all sounds so adorable. But introducing solids can also come with a host of questions - most importantly, how do I know my baby is ready for solid foods? Today on the blog we’re talking about all the things you should look for before introducing solids to your baby. Take a look.
Has Your Baby Reached Six Months of Age?
In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatricians issued new guidelines when it came to infant feeding, including their recommended age for introducing solid foods. The new recommendation suggests exclusive breastfeeding until six months age, a change from the previous recommendation that stated until four to six months. So this means that babies’ sole source of nutrition should be breastmilk (or formula or a combination of both) for the first six months of a baby’s life. And then at the six month mark, the AAP recommends the introduction of solid foods, with breastmilk or formula still being the primary source of nutrition for infants until 12 months of age.
This was a big update from the previous guidelines, which often encouraged the introduction of solid foods right at the four month mark. So why the change? It’s important to keep in mind that these are not magic numbers. Some secret “solid food” switch is not flipped the moment your baby turns four months old. Or even six months old for that matter. Instead, let’s look at your baby’s age in conjunction with the rest of these readiness markers discussed below. When we take all of these things in mind, it begins to make sense that most babies are not really ready until closer to six months.
So what else do we look for?
Can Your Baby Sit Unassisted?
How well does your baby sit unassisted? Can your baby sit in a high chair or infant seat, and keep their head held up, for a decent period of time? Or does your baby still not have good control of their head and/or end up slumped sideways in their chair after just a few minutes?
Think about the way you eat - which one of these sounds more ideal? Yep, if your baby cannot hold their head up or keep their body upright in their feeding chair, then they probably are not ready to begin eating solid foods. We want to see a baby that has mastered that head and core control, so that they can also be more in control of their feeding environment as well.
So, if sitting is not quite your baby’s thing, then it’s probably a good idea to hold off on the solid foods a little bit longer.
Does Your Baby Still Have a Tongue Thrust Reflex?
If you’ve ever noticed your baby’s tongue instantly push something out of their mouth that was not a bottle, a nipple, or a pacifier, that was their tongue thrust reflex. This reflex is actually designed to help with feeding from birth because developmentally babies cannot swallow anything other than liquids when they are very young. The tongue will thrust out anything solid.
This reflex is present at birth and gradually begins to lessen somewhere between four to six months, usually disappearing by seven months. If you attempt to introduce solids while your baby still has a strong tongue thrust reflex, most of that food is going to end up on their outside rather than their inside.
Waiting for that tongue thrust reflex to lessen or disappear will make introducing solids easier for you and your baby.
Is Your Baby Interested in Solids?
And finally, and probably one of the most important readiness signs, is your baby actually interested in solid foods? Some babies sit in their parent’s lap at the dinner table and try to grab food from their plates or watch intently with their mouths wide open as the grown ups feed themselves. These are signs that your baby is showing interest in eating what you are eating. However, other babies really could not care less about solids - they have no interest in feeding themselves or opening wide for that spoonful of purees headed their way.
If that’s your baby, it’s okay to hold off a little longer until they do begin to show interest.