Feeding your baby solid food is very exciting but can also be intimidating. Before starting solids you should make sure of a few things:
First, your baby should some interest in food. He should also be at least 6 months of age (don’t feel pressured by your doctor if she tells you you can start earlier) and be able to sit on his own with minimal assistance. Finally he should have almost lost his tongue thrust reflex.
There are many different ways to feed your baby; I personally recommend baby led weaning because it is what has worked for us. It is also supposed to prevent picky eating. No parent wants a picky eater right?!
I let baby feed himself and have as much or as little food as he pleases. I started him with pureed food the first couple of weeks to make sure he was able to swallow well without choking. Only after he started getting the hang of that did we move to sliced soft foods.
I have also introduced many common allergenic foods to reduce his chances of actually becoming allergic to them. Whatever I feed him though, baby is always in control. By now baby eats pretty much the same food my husband and I eat which has made everything a lot easier for me.
If you want to know more about baby led weaning and want to feel secure about what you are doing I highly recommend you listen to the podcasts Baby-Led Weaning by Katie Ferraro. She has helped me be confident knowing what I’m doing and it really has been a blast seeing my baby have fun when eating!
Lastly, but importantly, research has shown that having baby’s knees at a right angle while eating, reduces the chance of choking. The easiest way to do this is to get a high chair with a foot rest for baby. The best ones will be adjustable so that it adjusts as baby grows and gets bigger.
If you would like some recommendations for high seats or some good foods to start with, give me an email!