You’ve been anticipating it, and now it’s finally time! Try to think of baby’s first time eating solids as more of a taste than a feeding or a meal. Sit baby on your lap and put a little bit of the food on the tip of your finger or soft-tipped spoon. Then put it near his mouth. Let him lean over and taste the food. You can keep adding a little more food to your finger or spoon until he doesn’t want any more. Next time casually feed him from your lap again or put him in an infant chair or high chair and feed him with a spoon, whichever feels more comfortable.
Choose a time of the day when you aren’t in a hurry and are in a good mood. Sometimes baby’s first feeding can go well. Maybe he’ll try it and smile, or maybe he’ll spit it out or make a mess. However it goes, try to make sure you have the time and patience to be supportive of your little one as he tries something new. A smile or some words of encouragement can go a long way.
To start, put a small amount of pureed food or infant cereal in a small bowl. Sit your baby on your lap and put a bib on him.
Test the food to make sure it is lukewarm or room temperature. Then put about a half teaspoon or less on the tip of your finger or a spoon.
Your washed finger is a great utensil for the first taste because baby is already very familiar with your body. (He’s probably already used to gnawing on your fingers!) Plus, your finger is warm and soft. If using a spoon, choose one with a rubber tip, or one that’s made entirely of BPA-free plastic. Plastic is softer than metal in baby’s mouth.
Move your finger or spoon towards baby’s mouth, and wait for him to open it. When he shows you he’s ready, place your finger or spoon right near his mouth and let him close on the food.
Placing baby on your lap helps him feel safe and secure as he tries something entirely new. Your loving support as you introduce him to food can help strengthen your mother-baby bond, and teach him that meals are a time for family to come together.
Watch his reaction and smile. Your baby just had his first bite of solid food! All babies are different, so don’t worry if he spits it out or just lets the food sit on his tongue. With practice your baby will learn how to swallow and chew.
If baby gets upset or turns his head when you offer the spoon, it could mean he’s not ready. Don’t force it. Go back to exclusively breastfeeding or formula feeding for a week or so and try again later.
Continue feeding baby until he is full or doesn’t want any more. He may be done after one or two tastes.
Throw away any leftover food that your finger, spoon, or the baby touched. Congratulations, you just completed your first solid food feeding! Great job, Mama!
Look for long, wide bibs with a crumb tray or pocket. These are an excellent investment. They will be useful for several months as baby transitions from purees to finger foods. For super messy eaters, consider a bib smock—a bib that you slide on over baby’s arms and chest. This bib offers full coverage to keep his outfit clean during meals.
When baby first starts eating solid foods, aim to feed once a day, and offer about 1–2 teaspoons of food per feeding. Gradually increase to two feedings with more food each time; follow your baby’s lead. Continue to breastfeed or formula feed, as this provides the majority of your baby’s nutrition. Generally, by around 8 or 9 months, babies naturally increase solid feedings to three times a day.
Learning your baby’s cues for when he is still hungry or full will help you feed him the right amount of food. Allow him to eat until he is full, and try to avoid forcing him to eat “just one more bite,” or finish all that you prepared. Doing so teaches him that he isn’t actually full when his body tells him that he is, and can lead to overeating later in life.26
On the other hand, restricting food for fear that baby will overeat is equally unhealthy.27 Allow baby to eat until he is satisfied. This will help him develop healthy eating patterns and a healthy relationship with food.
Some babies prefer to feed themselves. Grated apples, small chunks of cooked potato, bits of shredded meat, such as chicken or pork, and ground beef or ground turkey are great first finger foods.
To teach baby to self-feed, just put a few pieces of food in front of him. Let him pick it up and eat at his own pace. Continue to add more pieces to his tray until he no longer brings food to his mouth.
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STILL HUNGRY
Depending on what you are having for dinner, you may find it easier to spoon feed purees for some meals, and give baby little bits of food for others. Babies as young as six months are capable of self-feeding. Just be sure to supervise the entire time.
Babies love to play with their food. And though it’s messy, allowing him to do so is actually good for his sensory development. Purees are like edible finger paint to a baby. Small bits of food are fun to eat, smoosh, and throw. Allowing baby to explore with his hands helps him learn what food looks, smells, tastes, and feels like. It also helps teach him the differences between food and non-food substances.
If you are spoon-feeding baby, and he wants to participate, hand him a spoon to play with. He learns by watching you. Playing chug-a-chug-a-choo and airplane spoon promotes bonding and helps teach baby that mealtime can be fun.
Mess is inevitable at all stages of the feeding process. What you’ll need to figure out is how best to control or clean up the mess while still allowing baby to explore his food.
The first option is prevention. Most baby stores sell vinyl or plastic mats that you can put under a high chair to protect your floor from spills and stains. There are also disposable mats, and ones that can be tossed in the washing machine and used multiple times. These are really helpful if you don’t want to mop your floor after each feeding. Dried purees harden like concrete on tile floors and can stain carpets. These mats can help make life a little bit easier.
When baby is eating chunky purees or finger foods, you may find that a cordless, hand-held vacuum becomes your new best friend. As babies get older, they delight in games, such as throwing food off their high chairs. Hand-held vacuums are light and efficient. Keep one plugged in on the counter for easy access.