On this Page:

• What Do I Feed My Baby Starting On Solids?
• Why Does My Baby Need Solids?
• What Are Baby's Best First Foods & When?

What Do I Feed My Baby Starting On Solids?

Starting baby on solids is a very confusing and daunting task for most first-time parents. Most of us are wondering ‘how, what and when do I feed my baby?’ According to the Department of Health, Australian Government, all babies need to be exclusively breastfed until they are six months of age. Once the baby is around six months (and not before 4 months), it is time to introduce solid food.

Why Does My Baby Need Solids?

As baby grows, the nutritional needs of a baby also change. Breastmilk is not sufficient to meet the dietary requirement of a growing baby. Thus, there is a need to introduce complementary food to support healthy growth and speech and jaw development. You can start weaning your infants from breastmilk to fam ly food when they are between 6 – 24 months of age. But this is the time when malnutrition is highest among children.

For all parents who are confused about starting baby on solids, this article should help ease your nerves and give you a game plan!

What Are Baby's Best First Foods & When?

Birth – 6 months – breastmilk & formula

As mentioned earlier, all babies should be exclusively breastfed until they are about 6 months of age. But most of the babies start shows signs that they are ready for solids once they are 4-6 months of age. These signs include:

• They can sit upright with support (e.g. in a highchair).
• Your baby has good head and neck control.
• They show an interest in others’ food, such as watching parents eat and reaching for food.
• They open their mouth when presented with a spoon.

Read more about how to know if your baby is ready here. If your baby starts showing these signs, you can start baby on solids. But remember, you should never introduce solids before your baby has reached at least 4 months of age.

Baby’s first foods 6- 7 months  – finely pureed or mashed foods

Once a baby is six months of age you can start introducing solids. But remember to keep the texture of the food as smooth as possible so that the baby can swallow it easily. The food items that can be fed during this age include:

• Infant cereals (iron-enriched) (mix with breast milk or formula for a perfect first food)
• Well cooked pureed meat, chicken or fish
• Smooth pureed cooked vegetables such as squash, sweet potato, carrot and zucchini
• Smooth pureed cooked fruits like apple and pear
• Finely mashed fruit like banana or avocado
• Unsweetened, full-fat yogurt

While introducing food, start with one teaspoon a time and slowly increase the quantity and frequency. Also leaving 3-4 days between introducing new foods can be a good way to identify allergies or intolerances. Learn more about baby food allergies here. Even once you are starting to introduce solids, remember to continue breastfeeding as it helps with building immunity.

Once babies are eating smooth foods happily, you can begin to offer these same foods but increase the texture. Using reusable food pouches is a good way for baby to explore these new tastes and textures, especially at the puree stage of feeding.

8-9 months+ – mashed or chopped foods and finger foods

At this stage, you can continue giving the same food as before. Most of the babies start teething around this time. Thus, you can introduce food items that prompt the baby to chew. Few of the new food items that can be introduced at this stage are:

• Cottage cheese
• Mashed vegetables like potatoes, squash, carrot and broccoli
• Pureed beans or lentils
• Mashed fruits like pear and apple
• Iron-fortified infant
• Other cereals including bread, pasta, oats
• Finger foods like pasta, teething crackers.

The quantity of food can be increased to ¼ – ½ cup. At this stage also it is a good idea to introduce only one new food at a time 3-4 days apart. Still continue feeding breastmilk or infant formula.

9-12+ months

At this stage, most of the babies will have at least one tooth. They can chew and swallow more easily. You can also teach them to use spoons. In addition to the food that was introduced earlier, you can also provide new food items like:

• Soft fruits like pear that are cut into small cubes
• Soft cooked vegetables like carrot and peas
• Cheese, custards and yogurt
• Bite size pieces of poultry and meat

The quantity of food can be increased from ¾ – 1 cup. At this stage, it is still a good idea to introduce only one new food at a time 3-4 days apart.

12 months +

Once the baby is 12 months plus, you should feed him/her all food items you usually consume as a family. Food items that cause allergies like eggs and cow’s milk can be slowly introduced at this stage. Also remember that choking is a risk so avoid giving a child under 3 hard foods such as whole nuts or raw carrot.

While feeding children, keep in mind that each of them is different. The first year is the time when their taste buds are developing. So, it is quite natural that they show aversion to some food. Patience is of utmost importance while starting baby on solids.

Remember these key tips when starting baby on solids:

• Continue breastfeeding or formula feeding when you introduce solids;
• Begin baby on solids by offering 1-2 teaspoons after milk feeding;
• Start off with finely mashed or pureed food and gradually introduce chunkier textures and eventually chopped food;
• Don’t get frustrated – allow baby to decide how much they want to eat;
• Offer new foods regularly (colours, tastes and textures);
• Do not add salt, sugar, butter or margarine.

For more information visit the Australian Government health department website here and further info here.