I remember thinking “I can’t wait to start introducing solids to my baby!” I wanted to start feeding my baby real foods for a few reasons. First off, I thought it would make him sleep longer at night. (Spoiler: it didn’t) Secondly, I thought it would be easier than breastfeeding all the time. (Spoiler #2: it wasn’t) and third, I thought it would be fun and that he would like everything I gave him. (It was and he did! Most of the time…)
Introducing solids to your baby is a big topic. Most people want to know the rules. When do I start feeding my baby solid food? What kind of food do I introduce to my baby first? What food allergies am I supposed to be watching for?
Here are the official recommendations for introducing solids from Health Canada:
- Start at around age 6 months, until then breastfeeding or formula is all your baby needs
- Introduce iron rich foods first
- Lumpy or textured food is best. Mashed, minced or or shredded meat is at the top of their list.
- Waiting to introduce possible allergens like soy, nuts, eggs, etc is no longer recommended
So what does this mean in reality? I asked Jessica Coll, a Montreal-based dietitian/nutritionist and IBCLC who offers an online course dedicated to this exact topic. She knows that there are so many myths out there and it’s easy to be confused since the guidelines for introducing solids are changing all the time.
My experience went something like this: when it was finally time to start with my first son I started with fruits and veggies because I heard it was easiest. I knew I wanted to skip boxed baby cereal because it didn’t seem right to me that my baby’s first food came from a box of powder. Instead, I carefully boiled apples, added a bit of cinnamon and mashed them up and then added an organic Scottish oatmeal that I had made. I did that exactly ONCE and never again. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
The next few foods my son ate were following the idea of Baby Led Weaning (BLW). The premise behind this, in a nutshell, is to hand your baby food that they can pick up and feed themselves. It sounds simple but many people find it scary and confusing. My relatives were worried that my baby would choke if we did BLW or they didn’t think he would get enough food.
According to Jessica’s research and experience, babies who do BLW are not more at risk of choking compared to babies who are fed purees as long as 5 conditions are met:
- Make sure your baby is sitting upright while eating.
- Limit distractions so baby can focus.
- Make sure your baby is ready to feed him/herself on their own.
- Do not feed your baby by putting foods in his/her mouth. You can lodge the food further down and actually cause choking.
- Offer appropriate foods that they can easily grab.
Another interesting fact that Jessica mentioned was that babies can totally eat enough food all by themselves (without their caregiver’s help) as long as the foods are carefully chosen. Like any other skill, they need time to practice.
My son loved this idea. He started with things like broccoli florets, lightly steamed. Sweet potato fries with paprika. Long shredded pieces of lamb and chicken. Chunks of avocado. My second son had avocado sushi as one of his first meals! Did you know that seaweed is a great source of calcium?
Basically, the sky was the limit when it came to meal time. We’d make a meal and toss a few pieces onto the tray and they would be happy as clams. This also meant I got to use two hands to eat my own meal while my baby played, grabbed, squished and explored different foods and textured. Some nights we’d have something too spicy for him so he got some random leftovers from the fridge.
Both boys are known within our families for their voracious appetites. Maybe it had something to do with the way we introduced solid foods, maybe not. Either way, other than the incredible mess they both made (and continue to make!) when they ate, starting solids with our babies was a fun and easy transition.
Here’s a few fun recipes for some foods you can use for introducing solids to your baby. Remember, breastmilk or formula should remain the primary source of their caloric intake for the first year. “Food before one should be for fun!”
- Mini-muffin style broccoli quinoa cheese bites. Yum. Even I would eat these!
- There are lots of recipes for healthy tater-tots, this one looks great.
- Jessica also has a great free cookbook available on her site, so if you finish her course you can start making stuff right away!
If you’re looking for more guidance, go check out her website and sign up for her e-course. (Offered in English or French) She’s appeared on many local TV programs and is considered THE expert in Montreal when it comes to all things relating to introducing solids to your baby.
Have you started feeding solid foods to your baby? What did they like best? Any tips for other new parents?
