Starting solids with your baby is one of the most awaited milestones, a mixed bag of fun, mess, and stress, all at the same time. During my sister’s first pregnancy, she had this tendency to overanalyze every option, caught in a cycle of overthinking–from assessing the quality of feeding essentials to figuring out the right food to serve to have a list of do’s and don’ts— she could easily find herself stumped with the vast amount of details to mull over before making any decision.

 

And you might be going through the same predicament as she did. If you do, we’re here to lighten your load and ease your worries by answering your most pressing questions about solid food and the best feeding products to buy for your baby. 

 

Here are some valuable tips and recommendations that could help.

 

Most Commonly Asked Questions on Starting Solid Food

 

1. When Do Babies Start Eating Solid Food?

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that babies should be fed with solid food around 6 months old. And at 7-8 months old, parents can introduce a myriad of foods from different food groups. These edibles could include the following: cereals, grains, meat, and other sources of protein, fruits, vegetables, and more. Variety is the key because too much of anything is not good for your baby’s health.

 

When introducing food to your little one, start slowly and serve him one food at a time to figure out if he has an allergic reaction to certain food items. It’s advisable to wait three to five days before introducing new food to munch on so you can determine what is causing the allergies.

If you suspect your child is prone to allergies, please consult your doctor for further guidance and help.

 

Here are just some of the foods that trigger allergic reactions.

 

• Eggs
• Milk
• Sesame 
• Wheat
• Peanuts
• Tree Nuts
• Soy

 

2. What Are the First Solid Foods to Introduce to a 6 Month Old ?

 

Children between birth up until 3 years of age can rapidly achieve key milestones, such as early physical growth and development. My sister, upon the advice of her pediatrician, prioritized introducing nutrient-dense food to my nephew, such as iron-rich foods as breastfed babies are quite deficient in this mineral. Food rich in Vitamin C is also suggested as it can help increase iron absorption. Nonetheless, iron rich food must come from different sources, such as iron (Non-heme) and iron (Heme)

 

Non-heme Iron: Green leafy vegetables, tofu, legumes, and more

 

Iron (heme): Egg, fish, chicken liver, beef and lamb, etc.

 

Important: Food should be pureed or finely minced for easy digestion and consumption.

 

Safety Considerations When Introducing Solid Food

 

1. Never introduce honey in your baby’s diet under age one (1). Honey contains toxin producing bacteria that can adversely impact your baby’s intestine.

 

1. Be wary of food that triggers allergic reactions in children

 

1. Cow’s milk should not be given on its own to kids less than 12 months old. Other dairy-based milk is allowed for as long as they don’t have an allergic reaction to anything dairy.

 

1. Be mindful of potential choking hazards when introducing solid foods to babies.

 

1. Start slowly to ensure they’re ingesting just the right amount of food.

 

Baby Feeding Essentials for Starting Solid Food

 

1. High Chair

 

Getting the right chair that suits your baby’s needs is tantamount to preventing him from becoming a fussy eater. If a child keeps fidgeting, shifting around every few seconds in his chair, there’s no way he’d learn to appreciate the food served at his table. 

 

To ensure we get to choose the right high chair for our little ones, here are features we need to consider when buying one:

 

Footrest

 

Babies can’t sit still for long periods like adults, so having a footrest for support is essential. Additionally, a footrest encourages active sitting, improves posture, and better body support, among other benefits.

 

Accommodate Your Growing Baby

 

Purchasing a high chair with a weight capacity of 110 kilograms is practical as there’s no need to get a replacement when your baby grows in size and weight.

 

Adjustable Footrest and Height

 

Ensure that the footrest and height of the chair can be adjusted to ensure that they always take on an ideal seating position, helping them develop a good posture for a healthier back and spine.

 

Harness

 

When seated on a high chair, it’s a given that babies should be supervised for safety reasons. Nonetheless, things can go south real quick when dealing with kids— we just can’t predict their next move. Having harness strap belts to keep them in their seat is crucial to deter them from falling off the chair.

 

One of the high chairs on the market that ticks all the boxes is the Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair. 

 

2. Bibs and Splat Mat

 

With babies, it’s a never-ending battle to keep the messes at bay. Before you know it, their table is a messy mixture of spills and smudges. We can stay one step ahead by keeping bibs and mess mats handy to prevent those spills and sticky spots sneak through their clothes.

 

Kids treating their table as a playground, however, is something we must embrace as babies who play with food are less likely to be picky eaters. So, despite the mess, we couldn’t care less because messy eating in children turns them into adventurous eaters, munching almost anything you serve at the table.

 

To help you manage the mess and ease the stress, here’s a waterproof bib with a catch pocket to save the day, keeping your baby’s clothes clean and dry. As for the food crumbs dropping onto the floor, this Splat Mat placed under the high chair can catch every crumb and scrap of food, making cleanup a breeze.

 

3. Bamboo Plates and Bowls

 

Introducing solids to babies can be stressful for most of us. But there’s a way to make it less of a hassle by using the right feeding product. Babies would not eat anything that stinks. Silicon-based plates or bowls may be safe and sturdy but they start to emit a foul smell after repeated use. Using bamboo plates and bowls for babies would be ideal as bamboo does not hold odor and is easy to clean. They also have suction bases that keep them in place –  something that comes in handy as kids can be quite clumsy, and prone to knocking things over.

 

4. Spoon

 

Using a spoon for the first time is not easy for our little ones. To make the smooth transition from picking up food from their fingers to using a spoon to feed themselves, providing them with a properly designed spoon that suits them well is vital.

 

First, let us specify some types of spoons to avoid:

 

1. Flexible Spoons– They tend to bend a lot which makes it harder for your baby not only to get the spoon into his mouth but also to scoop out the food from the plate–leaving him utterly frustrated 

 

2. Wide Bowled Spoon

 

Baby’s mouth is quite small, and giving him a spoon with wide bowls can be downright uncomfortable. The spoon’s large bowl also causes your baby to gag once it touches the gag reflex, which is located at the front of the tongue.

 

3. Spoons With Deep Bowls

 

Clearing the food off the spoon is one of the skills developed when a child starts eating solids. Should we give them spoons with deep bowls, it will be hard for them to slide the food into their mouth. A spoon with a narrow and shallow bowl, such as the Munchkin White Hot Safety Spoon is a great choice. Aside from ticking all the boxes, it also has a color-activated tip that’s triggered based on how hot the food is– a feature that’s nice to have to ensure your baby’s food is at a temperature he’s comfortable with.

 

5. Straw Cups or Open Cups

 

There are different types of baby cups available on the market but straw and open cups are the most ideal. Not only are they spill-proof, but they’re also highly recommended for promoting your baby’s oral motor development. Using these cups compels your baby to move his lips, tongue, and cheek muscles. As a result, he will be adopting a more mature swallowing pattern, which helps in fast-tracking his speech development and eating skills.

 

Our favorite straw cups for babies are the Munchkin Any Angle Sippy Cup for Toddlers. One of its key features is the weighted straw which allows your little one to drink from all angles–something that’s quite useful for babies who have yet to learn how to drink from a straw or tilt a cup to hydrate themselves.