Part One: Timing is Everything
Breast milk or infant formula should be the only nutrition a baby gets in their first 4-6 months. As an RDN, feeding my baby “solid” foods (AKA “complementary” foods – because they “complement” the breast milk or formula the child is getting as their main nutrition source) was one of the milestones I was most excited about as a new mom. Adding solid foods to your baby’s diet can be solid fun, but it’s important to make sure your child is developmentally ready for solids to avoid a whole myriad of negative effects.
When the Time is Right
Most babies are developmentally ready for the introduction of “solids” around 4-6 months of age (my daughter was about 4 1/2 months). [If your little one was premature, this is 4-6 months corrected age, meaning 4-6 months after the baby’s due date.] So how do you know exactly when your baby is ready? Look for these signs:
- Baby can sit with support. When we were first feeding my daughter in her high chair, we had to use dish towels on either side of her to prop her up and keep her from slumping to one side.
- Baby is interested in food. I remember one day, before we started solids, I was holding my daughter and she literally LUNGED for the apple I was holding in my other hand. When my husband and I would eat dinner, her eyes would follow the fork from our plates to our mouths and back again, like she was watching a tennis match. A baby interested in food will likely open his/her mouth when a spoon approaches.
- Baby has decent control of his/her head and neck. Babies are natural self-regulators, so when they have had their fill, they turn away.
- Baby has control over his/her tongue. Baby should be able to move it up and down and side-to-side. This will help move the food around in his/her mouth.
- Baby’s tongue thrust reflex is gone. This reflex acts as a choking-prevention mechanism in the first few months of life, but since it pushes out whatever substance is in Baby’s mouth, it doesn’t make sense to feed Baby new foods before this has disappeared.
- Baby is happy! Meal times should be a pleasant (although, likely messy) experience for everyone. Pick a time when your little one is in a good mood before beginning this new experience.
A big caveat: If there is a strong history of food allergies in your family or your baby is not gaining weight well, talk with your pediatrician or personal RDN about when is the best time to introduce solid foods.
If the Timing is Off
Solids shouldn’t be introduced too early or too late. If they’re introduced before baby is ready, it could result in obesity, food allergies, or nutrient deficiencies. Since the large majority of your baby’s nutrition should still be coming from breast milk or infant formula at this point, introducing solids early can throw things for a loop. If Baby is filling up on other sources of foods, which may not be as nutritionally balanced and likely contain less protein and fat, then this can make them less hungry for their yummy breast milk or formula – something we definitely don’t want. It can also cause a decrease in Mama’s milk supply, which isn’t good if the plan is to continue breastfeeding.
On the other hand, if introduced too late, you may have missed your window of opportunity. An older baby may not be as accepting of having new flavors and textures in his/her mouth and refuse these new foods, which, again, can cause nutrient imbalances. After six months of age, a baby’s nutrition needs increase past what just breast milk or formula alone can provide. Breast milk is relatively low in protein, so outside sources are needed to help Baby to grow at a healthy rate. Also, full-term babies are born with iron stores that will last about 4-6 months (funny how that works, isn’t it?). After that time, babies need another source of iron to augment their diet.