How do we get started with solids?

• Watch your baby, not the calendar!
• Should solids replace breastmilk?
• How often and how much?
• Should I offer solids before or after nursing?
• What if my baby refuses all or most solids?
• Links: Starting Solid Foods

Watch your baby, not the calendar!

If baby refuses solids, try again later (maybe a week or two), and maybe with a different food. Some babies may refuse solids until 8-9 months or even longer.

Should solids replace breastmilk?

No. Solids during the first year are only meant to complement breastmilk, not take precedence over it or replace any breastfeedings. It is more of a way to add textures to the baby’s diet, to allow the baby new experiences, and to help her develop hand/eye coordination through finger feeding. Your baby should still be allowed to nurse on demand, as your milk should be her primary source of nutrition until closer to the end of the first year. Continuing to allow on-demand feedings also better ensures your milk supply.

How often and how much?

Introduce your baby gradually to solid foods. Once she accepts them (it might take some time), continue breastfeeding as often as before and add solids as your baby’s appetite increases. A few bites once a day is enough in the beginning, but gradually increase. Following are some general guidelines – if baby starts solids later than six months, then proceed in a similar manner, at baby’s pace.

If your baby is younger than a year (and you are not weaning), make sure that you always nurse before offering solids. Babies who start solids early, and babies who eat a lot of solids tend to wean earlier.

It often works well to offer the solids about an hour after you nurse. If nursing has come before the solids you can continue feeding your baby the solids until she shows signs of fullness; i.e. turning her head, closing her mouth, batting at the spoon, wanting down, spitting the food out, etc. (trying to feed past this point is overfeeding). Most babies will balance their milk intake with their solid food intake well if you feed in this way.

For babies older than a year, see Nutrition for Nursing Toddlers.

There is no exact science to introducing solids. Just do your best to follow your baby’s cues about when to increase the amount of solids, and take care to ensure that breastmilk remains baby’s primary source of nutrition for the first year.

Should I offer solids before or after nursing?

What we’re aiming for during the first year is to have solids complementing breastmilk, not replacing it. This means that when solids are introduced the breastfeeding pattern is not interrupted at all, but baby is fed solids in slowly increasing amounts as his appetite increases. Baby will be getting about the same amount of breastmilk  as he gets older, with increasing amounts of solids on top of that.

I think the main point in the matter is maintaining breastmilk as baby’s main source of nutrition throughout the first year. This is important both to baby’s good nutrition and good health. The nutrients in breastmilk are particularly important for growth and development during baby’s first year. In addition, some (but certainly not all) of the health benefits of breastfeeding are directly related to the degree of exclusivity of breastfeeding (the greater the percentage of baby’s diet made up of breastmilk, the greater the health benefit).

Nursing before (rather than after) the solids is a good way to help keep the transition to solids proceeding slowly so that mom’s milk supply is maintained and baby gets the breastmilk that he needs.

See also Sustained Breastfeeding, Complementation and Care by Ted Greiner, Ph.D.

What if my baby refuses all or most solids?

A lot of babies are slow to take to solids. It’s not uncommon for some babies to take several months once solids have been introduced before they really take to them well. Babies who are slow to teethe and babies who have food sensitivities are often the ones who are slower to begin eating solids. This “slowness” may be their bodies’ way of protecting them until the digestive system is more ready to accept new foods.

Rest assured that as long as your baby is continuing to gain weight and grow as she should, your milk is meeting her needs well. Solids during the first year should only *complement* your milk anyway. Your milk should still be the primary source of nutrition for most of the first year.

All you need to do is to continue to *offer* foods. Don’t worry if she’s not interested or takes very small amounts. Your only true responsibility is what you offer and when you offer it, not whether or not baby eats it. That has to be up to her. Trying to force, coax, cajole, etc. her into eating is never recommended.

Some babies prefer to eat foods that they can pick up and feed themselves, rather than foods that must be spooned to them. A lot of babies, also, would rather have food right off the table than the blander-tasting baby foods. Try offering your baby a variety of finger foods (see below) during family mealtime.

You may also find that it’s helpful to make finger foods readily available throughout the day, so that baby can “graze” often. Some parents keep a variety of foods out in an ice cube or muffin tray. Small children often need to take in several smaller snacks throughout the day rather than eating 3 large meals.

It’s best to follow your baby’s cues to determine how much and how often she wants to eat solid foods.

See also:

Guidelines for implementing a baby-led approach to the introduction of solid foods

from the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative (abstract)

Guidelines for implementing a baby-led approach to the introduction of solid foods by Gill Rapley, adapted by Stefan Kleintjes