Tips for Introducing Your Baby to Solid Food Age by Age plus Printable Poster

Introducing your baby to solid food is a major milestone which can be a real worry and can also be fun depending on the way you go about it. Here are tips to guide you in starting your baby on solids month by month, be it homemade food or other baby food.

I put all these tips in a poster you can easily print out to keep for future reference. See Poster below.

4 – 6 months

You can start your baby on semi - solid food (oatmeal, pap, baby cereal) from 4 months as some babies show earlier signs they are ready to transition such as when baby is able to sit in an erect position and shows interest in the food you are eating.

Don’t be worried if baby seem not to like the food at first, a few teaspoons at every meal is fine for starters. Take it easy, there’s no need to rush things.

Your baby does not need three square meals yet, feed at convenient intervals and continue to complement feeding with breastmilk or formula.

6-8 months

Start with a single item and wait 2 - 3 days to eradicate unsuitable food your baby may be allergic to. You can start with a single fruit or vegetable.

Consider food rich in iron such as potatoes, beef, chicken, turkey, egg yolk and puree/mash fruits such as banana, mangoes, pear and apples.

Don’t add salt or sugar to baby’s food, you can sweeten food with breastmilk or formula.

8-10 months

Progress to lumpier (less mashed) food.

Do combination meals that baby has tried before and able to tolerate. Combine potatoes, rice or pasta with carrots, peas, chicken and fish.

10-12 months

Introduce finger foods e.g cut oranges, watermelon, eggs, and chicken into small sizes baby can nibble.

Upgrade baby’s food by adding little spices; I usually put a dash of pepper in my baby’s food. By now my daughter had graduated to joining the family to eat Jollof rice and other meals.

Add more fruits and veggies in their meals.

Other Tips

Savour the mess.

Give your baby the pleasure of touching and holding the food. Let them feed themselves.

I always have 3 spoons when feeding my baby. One for me, one for her to feed herself and the last for replacement when one drops on the floor. This way, babies learn to eat without assistance at an earlier age.

Lay old newspaper under baby’s high chair to make cleaning easier or cover your cloth with napkin if you are placing the baby on your laps to feed.

Make sure food prepared for baby is soft to prevent choking.

Make sure it is fresh always, discard leftover from feeding.

Cool hot food before giving baby.

Offer water from a sippy cup after meals.

For convenience, make in large quantities, cool and freeze in small containers if you have constant power supply or make it fresh in bits as baby needs.

Have fun weaning your baby.

Note it is globally recommended that breast milk / formula should be the main food you feed your baby for the first 6 months of life.

Please share with other mums that need the information and leave your thoughts in the comment section, would like to know the tips that worked for you when you weaned your baby?

Thanks for stopping by.

Yours truly,

Print Out: 

These are just suggestions; do consult with your child’s pediatrician/health care provider before and if you have any issues regarding introducing solids to your baby.

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