Parents Zone

When To Begin Introducing Baby To Solids

When to begin introducing solids to your baby's diet is a very controversial subject between many medical professionals, which can be extremely confusing and difficult for parents who are finding that baby just doesn't seem to be as satisfied with breastmilk/formula alone, as they once were. They are irritable, have sleeping problems, and are just altogether unsettled or not themselves. You know your baby better than anyone and once you have ruled out any under-lying medical issues that could be attributing to your baby's behaviour, the decision of starting them on solids is ultimately up to you. You don't want your child to go hungry, but the alternative is to feed them more milk and risk causing them discomfort from bloating and wind pains.

Solids need to be introduced gradually as baby's digestive system is still delicate and the “extrusion reflex” - tongue trying to poke out anything put into their mouth – is with them from birth until they are about 3-4 months old, so it is not a good idea to start solids until they have out-grown this reflex. Even at 3-4 months of age babies may still exhibit this reflex for the first few tries until they get used to the new sensations and tastes, so be prepared to have a little patience and a lot of mess. Remember: Babies still require breastmilk/formula until they are at least 6-8 months old, so it is important not to completely eliminate this from their diet until then.

The gradual introduction of solids to baby means:

3 -4 months: Feed them 1-2 teaspoons of rice cereal mixed with breastmilk/formula once a day for a few days, and then, as they grow accustomed to it, add 1-2 more teaspoons each day until they are eating enough to satisfy them but not over-fill them. *ensure the consistency of the rice cereal is the same as the milk until they become accustomed – remember, they have been used to drinking only fluids until now – and thicken it slowly ensuring it is still a smooth and creamy consistency, not glunky.

5-6 months: Once you feel they have mastered rice cereal it is time to move onto Pure Fruit/Vegetable Purees. Again introduce it gradually with a few teaspoons to begin with, slowly increasing to more until they are satisfied but not full.

Babies prefer the familiar, so don't be surprised if they don't appear to like it for at least the first 10 tries. Just calmly keep trying them with it and they will eventually grow accustomed to the taste. Solids should only be used as a top-up for the breastmilk/formula for the first couple of months. Once they reach about 6 months of age it is okay to begin substituting meals, but again, do it gradually. The longer baby has breastmilk or formula the better; 8-12 months is a good time to begin weaning baby off the bottle/breast.

6-8 months: The next step is to begin adding meat to their diet in some delicious Meat and Vegetable Purees. Still introduce it gradually in conjunction with those purees they have already become accustomed to, increasing as they go.