when to introduce solid foods

the solid food routine

When a baby is born, a sense of panic tends to set in with first time parents. They’re not sure what the cries mean, what the baby wants, how often he or she needs to eat, and what that tar is that appears in the diaper. Eventually, things settle down into a normal routine. Soon after, you will begin to rock the boat again by introducing solid foods!

By solid foods we don’t mean cookies and celery sticks, but rather things like nice, runny rice cereal and very well pureed foods like squash. You can buy this at the store, or cook and puree your own fruits and vegetables to make baby food for your little one. While it’s not considered necessary to add solids to your baby’s diet until they are around six months old as long as they are growing normally, many parents choose to do so sooner.

Some medical professionals recommend starting solid foods as early as six weeks of age, however this is actually quite young. The best age range to begin with a bland, runny rice cereal is around 3-4 months. This gets them used to the texture without overwhelming them with an intense taste right away. Once your child is happily eating the rice cereal (always from a spoon, never from a bottle), you can begin thickening the rice cereal up a little bit or adding new foods.

Always remember to wait three days between the introductions of new foods. This gives you a chance to see if your baby has a reaction to any of the foods that you introduce. Look for rashes in particular.

It might take your baby as many as 12 times before a new taste becomes acceptable to them, so keep trying. We know it’s messy, but before you know it your little one will be feeding him or her self like a pro!

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