Starting your baby on solid foods is a very important milestone for your baby as well as you. This is the beginning of lifelong eating habits that contribute to her overall health. For this reason we have some general guidelines that can help you start your baby out on the right track to a healthy life.

How do you know if your baby is ready for solid foods?

Your baby may be 3 months old or 4 months old when you start to feel she may need “something more” than formula or breastmilk.

Your baby may begin to wake more frequently at night for a feeding and/or may begin to eat non-stop (cluster feed) as she once did as a newborn. But Growth Spurts do not mean baby needs solid food. Offer your baby more frequent nursing sessions and/or bottle feedings instead of solids; you will find that within a week or two, oftentimes the growth spurt is over and baby is back to usual feeding.

As per AAP Policy Note – 194 -”Introduction of complementary feedings before 6 months of age generally does not increase total caloric intake or rate of growth and only substitute foods lack needed nutrients and the protective components of human milk (and formula).”

 Remember that BEST food for babies is breastmilk and/or formula and these contain all the important nutrients that an infant needs to develop properly. Breast milk in particular, and/or formula, will be enough to sustain your baby’s nutritional needs for up to age 4 to 6 months, so don’t be in a rush to start solid baby foods. In fact, introducing solids too early may displace the important nutrition your baby needs to receive from breast milk and/or formula.

What does WHO says about starting solids?

 ”Complementary feeding should be timely, meaning that all infants should start receiving foods in addition to breastmilk from 6 months onwards. It should be adequate, meaning that the nutritional value of complementary foods should parallel at least that of breastmilk.”

Starting solids too early can cause your baby to develop food allergies. Your baby’s intestinal tract is not as fully developed during the first few months and introducing solids at this time can be too much to handle.

How Will You Know When Your Baby is Ready to Eat Solid Foods? Here are some guidelines you must check out.

1. Loss of tongue-thrust reflex – When any unusual substance is placed on the tongue, it automatically protrudes outward rather than back by infants using tongue-thrust reflex. In the first few months, the tongue thrust reflex protects the infant against choking. The loss of tongue-thrust reflex might start appearing in babies at anytime between 4 to 6 months of age. This allows baby to drink and swallow liquids with ease. But with the tongue-thrust reflex still present, baby may simply drink in liquid purees or push the food back out.

As and when tongue-thrust reflex diminishes, baby is ready to hold the food in his mouth without protruding it. This is an important signal to be taken into account for starting solids.

2. Chewing motions – Your baby’s mouth and tongue develop in sync with his digestive system. Infants don’t have the digestive system strong enough to digest solid foods. Similarly babies are yet to master the synchronization of mouth and tongue at that time. To start solids, she should be able to move food to the back of her mouth and swallow. As she learns to swallow efficiently, you may notice less drooling.

3. Head Control – Your baby needs to be able to keep her head in a steady, upright position. This milestone is usually achieved for most of the babies by the time they turn 4 months. Reaching this milestone ensures that baby can control her head while eating solid foods if you start.

4. Sitting well when supported- Even if your child might not quite ready for a highchair yet. Your baby needs to be able to sit upright to swallow well.

5. Curiosity about what you’re eating – Usually breast milk or formula is the only food for the babies. But as the baby grow, she gets interested in the food others eat. Your baby may begin eyeing your bowl of rice or reaching for a forkful of fettuccine as it travels from your plate to your mouth.

6. Significant weight gain- Most babies are ready to eat solids when they’ve doubled their birth weight (or weigh about 15 pounds) and are at least 4 months old.

7. Growing appetite - The baby seems hungry — even with eight to ten feedings of breast milk or formula a day. As baby gets older, her appetite increases. But keep in mind that growing appetite cannot be an indication that your baby is ready for solids.

If baby is breast feeding at least 8-10 times per 24-hours ( even after the first few weeks which probably is not Growth Sprut), empties both breasts at each feeding, and still wants more and the time between feedings becomes shorter and shorter over a period of several days, then baby needs supplementary food intake. The baby also might be signaling by becoming fussy in the middle of the night, whereas before she slept through with no problem or her sleep periods are becoming shorter instead of longer.

8. Ability to let you know she is full from a meal with signs such as turning away from the bottle or breast. This is important so that baby is able to self-regulate the amount of food  is being eaten.

Please keep in mind that these outer signs of being ready for solids do not mean that your baby’s inner digestive system is mature and ready. You should discuss with your baby’s pediatrician about starting your baby on solid foods. Only when you have thoroughly discussed the pros and cons of introducing solid foods with your pediatrician you will be able to have a better grasp of just when you should begin offering baby solid foods.

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