As a new mom, I am trying to read all of the information I can on when a baby should start eating and what can my baby have at what different ages. Every time I go to my babies doctor I try to absorb all the information I am told in that short appointment about feeding tips. There is so much information on the internet which makes it hard to figure out where to begin. I decided to do as much research as I could and would make as much of my own baby food as possible.
While some experts say a baby can begin solids at four months I decided to continue with exclusively breastfeeding until she was six months old. The first food we decided to try was oatmeal. It went over very well. I did that for four days before introducing more food.
Introducing vegetables seemed to be the recommended next steps. We started with fresh green beans from the farmers market. I boiled them and let them cool then pureed with a little bit of water. It went over only okay. I decided to wait four days before introducing the next new food in case of an allergic reaction.
Since I pureed the food, I made for my baby this means I am spoon-feeding. It is such a fun experience to watch your baby experience a new food for the first time. The foods she did not care for she would try and spit out. The foods she loved she would shake her hands and want more.
My baby has not cared for vegetables, so we have to incorporate vegetables in with the foods she does like to make sure she gets enough each day. The foods we tried first were green beans, peas, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Of all of those, sweet potatoes were the favorite.
The next food group introduced was fruit. This was a much better feeding experience and now that she has grasped the concept of eating, we are starting to transition more into baby-led weaning. Fruits are easy to cut up and give small pieces that they can feed to themselves.
The favorite fruits so far have been kiwi and banana. We have also tried avocado which went over very well. Figuring out what your baby is going to love will be a journey and the best advice I can give is even if your baby does not care for a food, keep bringing it into the rotation. As I have made all of my food so far, I make enough to freeze so she isn’t eating the same thing every day.
The other thing you may not have been warned about when starting to eat solids is the mess that comes along with it. A bib is now a necessary accessory. Eating should be an enjoyable experience for your baby so experiment often and figure out what works best for your baby.
