How to Introduce my Baby to Solids: A Guide to First Foods for 4 - 6 month old Infants

Think your baby is ready for solids? That's such an exciting milestone for any parent! Before we dive deeper into tasty, nutritious, and quick recipes you can make for your baby, let's see if your baby is showing all the signs he or she is ready to chow down on proper food!

Signs Your Baby is Ready for Solids

• Can sit with minimal support

• Shows interest in your food

• Has good head and neck control

• Lost tongue-thrust reflex

• Reaches for food

• Opens mouth when food approaches

Sounds like your baby? Awesome! Now, let's begin your feeding journey.

First Foods to Try

• Iron-fortified rice cereal

• Single-grain porridge

• Puréed vegetables (pumpkin, sweet potato)

• Smooth fruit purées (apple, pear) Mom Tip: No time to prepare it fresh or fruits going bad too quickly? Brands like Gerbers have a variety of first foods tagged by age or growth/development stage to set you up for success with your baby. Find everything from "Supportive Sitter" to "Crawler" and beyond. Beyond Gerbers, there are many other brands too. While they are often not cheap, the convenience may help you maintain your mental health and recovery space, and you're worth at least that much.

"I found that purchasing ready-packaged food in bulk made things more affordable. Most of these items are shelf-stable for at least several months, and it always helped to have ready-options on hand whenever I needed. I would check the ingredients label though, because some items were laden with artificial sugar. Others were great, and made wholly of fruit. Look around and find the one that works for you." - Leanne Watkins, mom of 2 toddlers

• Local options:

  • Puréed sweet potato porridge

  • Smooth congee

  • Well-mashed banana

"The blender became my best friend the moment my baby was ready for first foods. It was a quick and easy way to whip up nutritious combinations for my baby without having to think too much of it. I found that adding a banana or other fruit always made the purée acceptable to my baby, even if I snuck in a tiny bit of spinach! She couldn't seem to tell!" - Alexis Wee, became a first time mom in 2023

Introduction Techniques

• Start with one feed per day

• Offer food after milk feeding

• Begin with small amounts (1-2 teaspoons)

• Increase gradually based on acceptance

• Maintain consistent timing

• Keep milk feeds as primary nutrition source

On that note, it's also important to set yourself up for early feeding success. Here are our Moms' Must-Haves List of Infant Feeding items.

Introduction Techniques

• High chair with safety straps

• Soft-tipped spoons (e.g. silicon)

• Non-slip bowls

• Bibs

• Easy-clean mat (optional; if your high chair already has a rimmed tray as its table)

• Blender or food processor

• Storage containers

Why is my baby being fussy with new food?

Totally normal. When moving from one taste (aka milk) to a whole new world of different tastes and smells, lots of foods and textures will be surprising or even weird (!) to your baby. Let your baby try food at different temperatures, experiment with different textures, and make feeding time fun! That way, you'll soon find out what your little boy or girl already prefers more than others.

Is your baby still forcefully rejecting any new foods? That's okay. Don't force it, try again tomorrow or the day after. Ever seen a 2-year-old drink just milk for meals? We're guessing not, so no worries, you can relax knowing that they'll get there... eventually.