Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths and outdated beliefs that still exist that cause a lot of confusion and make the process more challenging than it needs to be.
In this article I break down some of the most common myths that exist around starting solids, to help you understand what you should and shouldn't do when introducing solids to your little one.
You'll get answers to questions like: Does spoon feeding cause obesity?, Should I avoid allergenic food for the first 12 months?, Can babies eat solid food before they have teeth? and lots more :) Not only will you learn what's true and what's not, but I'll also explain the reasons behind each of them, so you understand the science behind it and how to best approach the feeding process.
7 Surprising Things About Starting Solids You NEED To Know
Does spoon feeding cause obesity? Should you avoid allergenic food for the first 12 months? And can your little one really eat solid food when they don't yet have teeth? These are just a few of the many questions parents ask when they're about to transition their little one onto solids, but which one of these are myths and which one of them are true? You are definitely going be a little bit surprised by some of these answers.
So let's dive in and talk about the most common myths when it comes to starting solids.
So, let's start with one of the stranger ones that spoon feeding your little one is going to cause obesity.
Now, there is some evidence to show that babies who use the baby-led weaning approach are more tuned into hunger and fullness, but this research does not show whether or not that is because they have skipped that spoon feeding phase completely or because a responsive feeding approach was used.
Now responsive feeding is a key approach to baby-led weaning where the baby decides what will go into their mouth and when they have finished.
Now, the trouble that parents often fall into with spoon feeding is that they will come continue to feed their baby, even when that little one has clearly indicated that they are full.
And when they do that, it overrides those internal body signals that they are full and they need to keep eating, and then of course, this will result in over eating.
So, if you are going to spoon feed your little one, it's important to use responsive feeding techniques, which you can totally do.
You just need to pick up on your little one's cues that they are telling you they are full, and they do that either by shaking their head, pursing their lips, arching away from you, throwing away the food or starting to cry, and when you see this, you definitely need to stop trying to put one more spoon into their mouth and respond on their cues so that it does not lead to over eating.
Regardless of the approach you choose to use when you're introducing solids to your little one, you do want to check out my free mealtime essentials list, which covers the spoons, plates, as well as bibs that I recommend when you're starting solids, and you can get that by clicking the link in the description box below.
The next one might surprise and disappoint you just a little bit.
If you are thinking about starting solids because you want your little one to sleep through the night, then unfortunately, this is a myth.
Starting solids is not going help your little one sleep through the night.
We do notice that around three to five months of age, babies sleep patterns mature, and they start to wake up between sleep cycles, and if your little one is waking up between sleep cycles and needing someone or something to get them back to sleep, then they're going to continue to call out through the night to get that to fall back asleep.
It is not hunger that is getting your little one to wake up during the night.
It is also important to remember that starting solids before four months of age is really not recommend and that's for a number of reasons.
Firstly, breast milk or formula is the best food for a baby at this age, and it will supply them with all their nutritional needs.
Also, their swallowing may not yet be coordinated enough to manage semi-solids.
Their digestive system may be a bit immature to handle solids, and there is also evidence showing that introducing solids before four months of age can also increase the risk of a little one developing an allergy.
Currently, the World Health Organization recommends starting solids at around six months of age.
The next myth is that a baby's first food has to be iron-fortified cereal.
Now, it is true at six months of age, your baby's iron stores may be getting low and iron is extremely important for their growth and development and a strong immune system.
So it is important that their first food is high in iron, so it's an iron-rich food, but iron-rich food can be lots of different food.
It can be meat, poultry, fish, beans, lentils, or iron-fortified cereal.
So if you want to start your little one on iron fortified-cereal, then that is completely fine, but if you do not, then you can use any of those other iron-rich sources of food to give to your little one.
There is also the belief that little ones should not have allergenic food in the first year of life.
Now research is actually showing that the delayed introduction of allergenic food can actually increase the risk of a little one developing a food allergy.
So, if your little one comes from a family where there is no family history of allergies or intolerances, then they can have allergenic food when they first start solids.
If your little one does come from a family history where there are intolerances or allergies, then it's a good idea to check in with your doctor to see how you might go about introducing these foods, which are high allergy foods.
The next myth is that babies need teeth to safely manage solids.
Now, this statement is completely false.
The teeth that we actually use to chew food are our molars, and for babies, that actually doesn't erupt until well after a year.
The first teeth that they tend to get are the very front teeth and those teeth are used for biting.
So if we are waiting for our little one to get those molars, we're going be waiting a long time before we introduce solids.
Babies can actually safely manage mashable food by using their gums.
So their gums are extremely strong and they're able to mash that food and then safely swallow it.
Another myth is that when your baby starts reaching for your food, they are ready to start solids.
Now you are going to notice that your little one starts to reach for your food at three and four months of age, and this is not an indication that they are ready to solids.
Rather, it's an indication that they have more control over their arms than they did as a newborn.
Signs that your baby is ready to start solids is when they are able to sit up with minimal support and they're able to keep their head upright, they are starting to open their mouth when the food is being introduced, they have a reduced tongue thrust, which is where their tongue automatically pushes whatever is in their mouth out and this typically happens at around six to seven months of age, as well as showing in interest in your food.
So that might be reaching out for your food or watching the food go from the plate into your mouth.
So typically, babies develop these skills by six months of age, which is why the World Health Organization recommends starting solids at around six months of age.
There is also a saying that food before one is just for fun.
Now this is slightly true, but also slightly incorrect and extremely irritating at times.
And that is because, yes, it's true that breast milk and formula in the first 12 months of a baby's life is their main source of food and solid food is seen as complimentary.
But when your little one is having solids, they are getting lots of nutritional benefits from those solids, as well as learning important developmental and oral motor skills, which will mean that when they are ready to progress to having solids full-time that they have the ability to do that.
We know that in the first six months of a baby's life, they have the iron stores that they need, but after six months, they need to have food and solid food that is rich in iron.
We also know that when you give a baby solids, they are learning about the texture, the temperature, the taste, as well as the smell of that food, which means it's going to be easier for them to progress to eating that food, rather than just playing with the food.
They are also developing the oral motor skills required to safely chew and manage a variety of different textures, and as well as developing the skill to safely feed themselves.
Now, this is going to make it so much easier when they transition to just having solids in the future.
Now, introducing solids to your little one can be extremely tricky.
won't sit still because you definitely want to adjust that high chair so it fits them and they're happy to eat.
And make sure you tune in next week where I'll share more parenting tips and tricks.
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