Introducing solid foods

Top recs from your new mom friend 🫶

Eek! Hard to believe it's already that time! Around 6 months you may start seeing signs of readiness from your baby (sitting up well, reaching for your food, putting things towards the mouth, etc.). Here are some of the things we've loved for this journey.

My #1 resource recommendation for this stage: Solid Starts

• Solid Starts - I cannot say enough good things about Solid Starts. If it's in your budget, I highly recommend getting their bundle - Starting Solids Guides ($99). One of those guides is called "First 100 Days" which we've followed with both boys and I can't tell you how nice it was to have all the guesswork taken out of this process. They are looking after allergen exposure, nutrients, exposure to lots of different flavors and textures, etc. etc. AKA, way more than I would've been able to keep track of on my own!

  • If the guides are not in your budget, highly recommend following them on Instagram and checking out their app and website - they offer tons of free info. The app is absolutely amazing and shows you how to prepare and serve all kinds of food, based on the age of your baby.

  • What I love about the Solid Starts guides

    • All of the planning is done for you and the recipes are super straightforward

    • Baby is getting exposed to REAL food, flavors and textures from the beginning

    • They teach you about the difference between gagging and choking, and what to do to prevent choking

    • Confidence around common allergens and what to look for when introducing new foods

    • It's a step-by-step guide on how to introduce solids, down to what you should say and do as the parent - which as a FTM I found incredibly helpful

• There is a lot of conversation around baby-led weaning vs. purees these days, and while we loved baby-led weaning, you should absolutely do whatever you feel comfortable doing! Solid Starts is an amazing resource that I think is worth referencing regardless of how you decide to introduce solids to baby, as they are truly experts in this field!

Key items for introducing solids.

• Highchair - check out Solid Start's recommendations for high chairs. There are some important things you should look for that will help prevent choking.

• Sippy cups - any sippy cups will work, we have loved these and they've lasted well

• Open cup - love this for teaching how to drink from an open cup

• ezpz Tiny Collection Set, Tiny Bowl - we have several of these sets and just mix and match

• Floor mat - these are great and blend well into our home

• Bibs - silicone, which means super easy to clean!

• Snack cups - these are great for when you're on the go!

• Cordless Wet Dry Vacuum - once we had two kids eating solids, we decided it was time to try this thing. And man did it deliver. It's incredible and picks up spilled milk, Cheerios, tufts of dog hair and everything in between.

• Stain remover - one of my best friends put me on to this and I cannot say enough good things. It's non-toxic with clean ingredients and actually WORKS. I try to spray this on stains as soon as they happen and just pop the clothes into the hamper until I'm ready to wash the next load.

Tips for introducing solids

• What worked for us was to continue following our schedule from Moms on Call - around 6 months they have a version that includes solids. Typically it's breastmilk or formula at the usual time, then a short break to play, followed by solids before a nap. This ensures that baby is still getting all the nutrients they need from the breastmilk / formula. The early days of solids are more about exposure and they may not be actually eating a ton right away.

• We'd aim to do 2 rounds of solids a day, whatever our Solid Starts guide recommended. And if we had leftovers that needed to be eaten, we'd do that instead of a new food.

  • If we were on the go, we'd also do the occasional pouch although we tried to only do 1-2 / week

• We followed the Solid Starts method of allowing baby to feed himself vs. spoonfeeding. We loved this because it puts him in control of how much he's eating and helps him learn to stop when he's full. It's also great to develop those early eating skills, although both of our guys did a mix of pre-loaded spoons and hands.

• Solids can be MESSY - embrace it! You may find yourselves giving a lot more baths and mopping your floors more frequently. It will not last forever! And if you have dogs, they will love it!

📌 If you're a Pinterest girlie like me, you can see, save and shop all of these products on my solids board.

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Your friendly reminder that this blog is not medical advice! This blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if they seek medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment for you or your family.

Affiliate Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will be compensated if you click through and take action. These are all items that I purchased with my own money, or was gifted from my registry, so please know I am only recommending things I truly use.