My son is 10 months old as I write this but it feels like just yesterday we got the okay from his pediatrician to start incorporating purées into his meals. I was so excited but equally as nervous… how the heck do you introduce solids to a baby? And how will he react?
Before we begin, please note that this blog post is not intended to serve as medical advice. Please consult your doctor before introducing your baby to solids.
Why We Chose Purees
There was (and still is) so much hype over baby led weaning (BLW). With BLW, you typically wait until the baby is 6 months old and then jump right into finger foods and skip puréed foods altogether.
I’ve heard of babies having lots of success with BLW and have friends who recommend courses by Feeding Littles specifically… but I just felt the pull to start slowly with purées.
BLW and purées are both great options so I just recommend that you do what works best for your family!
Homemade Purees vs. Store Bought Purees
Before I had Luke, I thought I was going to be the mom that made all of his purées. It makes me laugh a little looking back because I had no clue what I was in for just juggling a full time corporate job and keeping a tiny human alive… never mind meal prepping for him too.
I truly don’t mean anything negative towards the moms that do make their baby’s food but I just didn’t have the time in my life. Long story short, we started with the Beechnut brand from our local grocery store and then ended up consistently buying Gerber (because they were cheaper).
By purchasing pre-made purées, I was able to introduce so much variety to Luke. Much more than if I was making them myself. Two of his favorites right now are a pea, carrot and spinach combo and pear, banana and apple combo.
Ok so how do you actually introduce solids to a baby?
Luke’s Journey with Purées
4 Months: Luke drank a bottle every ~3 hours and on the weekends, we started introducing a purée in the morning. He had a few bites or none at all. This required so much patience from me! I wanted him to love them right away but it was definitely a slow process.
His pediatrician recommended we introduce no more than one new food a day so we stuck to that. I’ve also heard of doctors wanting parents to wait 3 days before introducing a new flavor so just make sure you talk to your doctor first.
5 Months: Luke really started to get the hang of it and I could tell he was enjoying the flavors. We continued to introduce new flavors of fruits and vegetables (mostly “stage 1” foods).
6 Months: Luke was consistently having purées twice a day (fruit + vegetable) plus bottles every ~3 hours. Once I could tell he was getting the hang of the purees, I started sending them to daycare with him.
I also started trying “stage 2” foods (which is really just a combination of more than one food) after going through most foods on their own and not seeing signs of an allergy.
7 Months: The daycare teachers really helped me get into a better routine. Luke would have a fruit around 7:30am and a vegetable between 11am-12pm. Bottles were still given every ~3 hours. I also introduced a sippy cup around this time!
8 Months: I could tell Luke’s hunger was increasing and I wanted to start increasing the textures of the purées, so I started thickening his fruits and veggies with a little oatmeal cereal. It took some getting used to but he did really well. He also squeals as soon as he sees his sippy cup with water… it’s the cutest thing!
How We’re Transitioning
At 10 months old, Luke still LOVES his purées. He helps me pick one out, holds it tight as I put him in the highchair and opens his mouth really wide like a bird to tell me he’s ready for a bite. It makes my heart so happy.
Luke is still very leery of table foods (pieces of banana, scrambled eggs, etc) so instead of jumping straight from purées to table foods, we’re slowly introducing mashed foods. A few that we’ve tried so far are banana, sautéed apples, steamed carrots and avocado. I mash them up and mix them with his puree every other bite or so.
My Advice
I hope this gave you a good idea of how you can introduce solids to a baby and the slow process it can sometimes be. It’s easy to compare your baby to other babies on social media who are eating solid foods like it’s nothing… but I try my hardest not to.
I remind myself that babies all develop differently and at their own pace. In a few years, no one will be able to look at him and know how old he was when he started eating table foods or when he started walking.
I wish you all the best with your feeding journey! It’s a quick transition for some and a slow process for others but you will get there. And as always, I’m here to answer any questions you have and provide support as you navigate this new journey with your baby so feel free to reach out!