Getting my baby ready for Solids

I can still vividly remember the day my baby ate his first mashed carrots I made for him. It was his first time eating something solid. I think every parent celebrates these little milestones of their baby in their own way. I, like any other parent, was also very excited when my baby ate something other than milk for the first time.

This milestone is actually a vital part of a much bigger journey of raising your baby. In this case as well, you have to understand when your baby is ready for the next step, how to prepare them, etc. I am here to share my experience which may be helpful for some new mothers who are still unsure about what to do or when to start.

As we all know, children can’t eat anything other than breast milk or formula milk for the first few months. Post 6 months usually, your baby is ready for a change in diet. However, we need to understand the correct timing to start solids for babies – especially since every baby develops differently. In the case of my son, he started eating solids once he had crossed the 6-month mark. This, however, will of course vary from baby to baby, and premature babies may take more time to start the process. Generally, you should be mentally prepared at this age to start. But the first thing you should remember is, you shouldn’t hurry, you shouldn’t force your baby and you should keep patience.

As I can remember, when my baby was 5 months and gained some weight, I thought of trying solids for him. When he started to show her curiosity about external things and observed us carefully while we ate, I saw that as a sign to start the process of trying to feed him solids. Initially, I was unsure of what foods to start with. I avoided the type of food I and the other adults in the family had and started with simple things like boiled mashed vegetables. I noticed that as I gave very little amount of a veggie puree in his tongue he started to swallow it a bit and did not push it back. My pediatrician suggested that this was one of the signs that the baby was ready for solids. So I knew that I could continue doing this.

The start was difficult though. He was very restless at first and often threw his legs and hands while feeding. To keep him calm and interested in “eating” I started looking up easy to eat recipes that he’d find tasty. I found a few homemade pureed fruit and vegetable recipes that I tried with my baby, he loved them.

You too can try it with banana or sweet potatoes at first. If you feed mashed bananas or sweet potatoes, your baby, like my son may like it as well. Then gradually you can try other foods.

Another thing to take note of is that I would suggest not to insist on your child or force them if he/she doesn’t want to take solids. Take your time, use a small spoon so that you can feed a little amount of food at a time. Try it 2-4 times a day and see how your baby responds. Play with your baby while you’re feeding them.

I tried this and my baby was more interested and excited about mealtime. Try to feed them when your family members are having dinner or lunch. Children usually love to imitate elders, and they will be more likely to eat in this situation. As I said before, getting your baby ready for solids is not something you need to hurry into. Know the signs, take your time, and then plan accordingly.