What the experts don't tell you about starting solids with your baby

Your baby is 6 months old. Hooray! Now you can start solids. Before this major milestone, you likely googled all the info you needed to make the transition to solid food from breast or bottle feeding. Should you start with purees? Rice cereal? Maybe you should start with Baby-Led Weaning (BLW), allowing your baby to try different textures and tastes? And don't forget to give each new food a few days to a week to check for sensitivity. There's a whole host of information out there and most of it is helpful - but there are a couple things the experts don't mention when it comes to starting your baby on solids. So if you're new to parenting, or going through the solids milestone for a second, third or fourth time, I'll share my takeaways on starting solids here.

Baby doesn't know how to eat

This can be really cute and simultaneously a maybe little frustrating. Your baby has never used their mouth for nutrition except for the sucking motion required to take the bottle or breast. Being presented with a spoon can be quite confusing to them. Sometimes it even takes a minute for babies to realize they are supposed to open their mouth to let the food in. Chewing is another skill entirely. Granted, if you are trying BLW and you give them a whole stem of broccoli or a carrot, or finger foods, they will instinctively bring the food to their mouth, as gnawing on any object is a way babies explore. But chewing, swallowing and eating in general are all new to babies. Be patient.

Experiencing new foods with baby is a joy

I have never heard or read anything about how darn delightful it is to watch your baby experience new foods. Whether they are trying a raw carrot, or carrot puree, watching baby taste something new, contemplate the taste and texture and ultimately decide whether or not they like it, never gets old. The different faces range from "hmmm..." to "what the heck?" to "yuck!" and "yum!" and on and on and on. As adults, we have been eating food for decades! Then baby comes into the picture, and it reminds us how we've taken for granted all the varied tastes and textures available to us. Food can become old hat to us. It is an absolute joy to revisit those tastes and textures anew through little taste buds.

Trying new textures can be weird

Baby may not like a certain food simply because of the texture. This is OK. It doesn't mean they will never like that food. If it's a staple food like protein or vegetables, you can keep trying. Offer the food again and again in little portions, along with other foods they enjoy. Over time and with age, they may get used to the texture and eat, or even like, that food.

Fruit is a favorite

Many babies gravitate toward fruit - and why not? It's sweet and delicious. Because of this, however, I always try to offer protein, vegetables or grains before adding fruit to baby's plate. Inevitably, if I add fruit first, or alongside the rest of the meal, baby will eat the fruit first and then decide the rest of the food is too bland and not want it. Your baby may have a different palate, and that's great too, but if he or she gravitates toward only wanting fruit, try this trick at each meal and see if it helps.

Watching for reactions

Especially when first starting solids, it's important to make sure baby isn't having a reaction to each food you present. How do you make sure? Through baby's poop, of course! Often times, if baby has a sensitivity to a food, they will have a gastrointestinal reaction - meaning you'll notice that reaction in their diaper - through diarrhea or even bloody stools, or through acid reflux and/or vomiting. Those symptoms could occur minutes to days after eating the food so make sure to give each food a few days before trying the next one. Baby could also have skin reactions like a rash or hives, or difficulty breathing. Those symptoms would likely occur soon after the food was ingested (within 5-30 minutes), so watch for those signs as baby eats. And if you notice a severe reaction like any of those listed above, call your doctor or go to the emergency room right away.

*I hate to end the list on a bummer, so just know allergic reactions are rare - only about 3% of babies develop a food allergy in their first year of life. I should also note here that there is always a risk of choking, so never leave baby alone with finger foods or whole foods on their tray. Supervise the meal so you can finger-sweep baby's airway in the event of choking or provide the Heimlich Maneuver. Please note that I am not a doctor, just an experienced mom. So make sure to consult a physician for anything that appears abnormal or worries you as you start solids with your baby.

That's it! Those are some of the things I wish I would have known when I first started solids with my kids. I also wish I would have known what an absolute joy it can be to start solids with your baby. I hope you enjoy every minute of the process, too!