More Tips for Your Baby and Solid Food

The list of tips for helping your baby enjoy solid food continues today with five more ideas. Stay tuned for the last five tomorrow when I will share some thoughts for what to do when solid food feeding is not going as well as you might hope! Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section — what have you done and do you agree or disagree with this set of tips so far?

Strawberry yogurt face!

Five More Tips for Helping Your Baby Enjoy Solid Food

6. Set a good example with what you eat. One of the signs of readiness for solid food is that your baby shows interest in what you are eating. The baby’s urge to lunge for your food works in a positive way! At meal time, sit next to your baby or have your baby sit in your lap, and be prepared to share your food (modified as appropriate and safe for the baby). If you are having red beans and rice, squish some beans and let your baby grab them and work on self-feeding, or load a mashed bean onto a baby spoon and help your baby guide the spoon.

Of course, this interest in your food means that if you’re eating a chocolate chip cookie, your baby will want that cookie too. So save the treats for when your baby is napping or has gone to bed.

7. Consider the texture of the food. You are the expert on your baby! Pay close attention and experiment to see whether your child prefers sweet potatoes diluted with a little breast milk, mashed up plain, or cut into tiny bits. At the same time, consider whether your child likes to use a spoon or prefers to pick up the mash or cubes of food with his or her hands. Mix up the routine and have fun with it!

8. Let your baby be in the driver’s seat. Babies have a way of making their preferences and desires quite clear. Let your baby tell you whether meal time is over or it’s time for seconds. Don’t force the issue if your baby simply isn’t interested in solids one day. Teething, an upset tummy, a belly full of milk (not a bad thing!) — all those can suppress your baby’s interest in food at any given meal.

If your baby is clamoring for more food though, then it’s okay to let your baby take the lead, within reason. For example, an entire banana probably isn’t a good idea or you risk constipation. You also want to keep in mind that breast milk is still the baby’s primary source of nutrition and if your baby seems particularly hungry, it could be a growth spurt. Offer more nursing sessions throughout the day, and keep an eye on your milk supply so that the amount of solid foods you are offering does not interfere with your milk supply.

9. Remember that these first feedings are more for learning and less for nutrition. As I mentioned in tip #8, you do not need to worry about getting a certain amount of food into the baby at any given meal. While you want the food you offer to be nutritious, your baby’s nutrition continues to come from your milk. That’s one of the great things about breastfeeding in that for the first year or so, you have the security of knowing your baby is getting a well-balanced meal at your breast! (The nutritional benefits of breastfeeding also continue well beyond the first year. Toddler milk supplies protein, fat, vitamins and antibodies, some in even greater quantities during the second year and beyond!)

10. Eat a wide variety of foods while you are breastfeeding. Believe it or not, the foods you eat flavor the breast milk and help your baby learn to appreciate a wide variety of foods. There is no reason for you to limit yourself to a bland diet while you are breastfeeding. It’s perfectly fine — and beneficial — for you to enjoy spicy and flavorful foods!

If you missed tips 1-5, see 5 Tips to Help Your Baby Enjoy Solid Food.