There are so many milestones in your baby’s life, and as a parent, they will all be exciting and a little bit daunting. When you’re a parent there is no rulebook to follow, and a lot of the decisions you make will be based on advice, tips you’ve read, and your gut feeling. When it comes to transitioning to solid foods, it’s good to know there are ways to make the process less scary and confusing for all involved and ensure it’s a huge success.
Here’s a look at four tips that will help your baby transition to solid foods.
Take Small Steps When Transitioning
The first tip is to take things slowly. Making the transition to solid foods is huge, and not every little one is ready or excited to make that transition. Looking for tools and tricks to slowly introduce little ones to new flavours safely is a parent's top priority.
Feeding tools such as Dr Brown's Fresh Firsts Silicone Feeder Mint is a great way for babies four months and older to be introduced to vegetables and fruits. It allows for easy and safe self-feeding, so your little one gets to set the pace. This alone can make the transition smoother.
Remember, transitioning to solid food focuses on two elements. Yes, they are growing their palate and trying new tastes and textures, but this is also the time to start teaching them self-feeding techniques.
Be Prepared for a Bit of a Mess
If this is your first child what may come as a shock is the amount of mess babies and toddlers can create during mealtime. Making a transition to solid food is a big step, and your little one has no prior experience. Being prepared for a mess means you won't feel flustered or ill-prepared.
A couple of great tips include putting an easy-to-clean matt under their chair so anything that drops to the floor will hit the matt, not your flooring. Look for something waterproof, stainproof, easy to clean, and quick to dry.
You will also need a decent-sized collection of bibs. Expect to go through one bib per meal, which means you want at least a few days’ worth of bibs to use. If your little one ends up being on the tidier side, then you can go a little longer between laundry loads.
Be sure when shopping for bibs you get the right ones for mealtime. These dribbler bibs are perfect for babies to wear as they go about playtime and various activities, catching any dribbles and drool they may do. For mealtime, however, something that is waterproof and can catch food that drops from their mouths makes more sense.
Ensuring Foods are the Right Consistency
Because a baby won't just leap from a liquid diet to solid food, you need to be sure you're feeding them the right textures and consistency. When first starting they will need puréed food, which is just a bit thicker than a liquid. This is typically done at the age of six months.
The next step is to feed blended food, which may have a bit more thickness to it. From there you can progress to mashed, lumpy, and then finger foods. These steps will take months, and you don't want to rush them. Your little one is learning how to chew and swallow, so the process can’t be rushed.
If you plan on making baby food, be sure to invest in a high-quality blender or food processor that allows you to create different consistencies at each stage of feeding.
Set Realistic Expectations from the Get-Go
Even with all these great tips it's important to set realistic expectations. There are bound to be bumps in the road, and your baby may not transition as quickly as you hoped. There's also the fact they may not like the various textures of solid foods. Rather than giving up, experts suggest you keep trying and stay the course. Things can be scary when they are new, and your little one may just take some extra time to get used to things.
Mealtime should be a positive experience, so when things aren’t going as planned, take a breath and remember your baby will eventually get it. Each baby transitions on their schedule. If you get overwhelmed and are filled with questions, you can always reach out to your child’s paediatrician for advice.
Making the Transition to Solid Food Can Be Much Smoother Than You Thought
By using these tips and practising patience, you’ll find that making the transition to solid foods is much easier and smoother than you may have thought.